It's chilly here today so some baked comfort food sounds good to me. I lived in Vermont for a couple of years in the early 1970s, and a popular banquet meal was mostaciolli and chicken. It was similar to baked ziti, and the roasted chicken was served next to it, not mixed in.


Easy Baked Ziti

1/2 pound ziti
1 (15-ounce) container ricotta cheese
3 cups (12 ounces) shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
3 cups spaghetti sauce, divided
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a 9" x 13" baking pan with cooking spray. In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook ziti until just barely tender; drain and place in a large bowl.

Mix ricotta cheese and half the mozzarella cheese with the ziti. Cover bottom of prepared pan with half the spaghetti sauce. Spoon ziti mixture into pan; cover with remaining spaghetti sauce. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and top with remaining mozzarella cheese. Bake 20 to 30 minutes, or until cheese melts and is light golden.

For contrast, here is a baked ziti from America's Test Kitchen. It is probably better, but you have to decide if it's worth the extra work and ingredients.

Fancier Baked Ziti

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 (28 oz) can tomato sauce
1 (14 1/2 oz) can diced tomatoes
1 teaspoon oregano
1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped
1 teaspoon sugar
Pepper
1 pound ziti
4 quarts water
1 tablespoon salt
3/4 teaspoon cornstarch
1 cup heavy cream
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded
1 pound whole milk cottage cheese (whole milk is important, can use less than a lb.)
3/4 cup mozzarella in 1/4 inch dice
1/2 cup more diced mozzarella
1/2 cup more Parmesan
Fresh basil cut in chiffonade (thin strips)

Cook the garlic until soft, not brown. Add the tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, and oregano. Simmer uncovered for 5 to 10 minutes, until reduced some. Add the basil, sugar, and pepper. Cook the ziti in the salted water for about 5 minutes, not cooked all the way. Drain the pasta. Make the alfredo sauce: combine the cornstarch with the heavy cream in a Dutch oven until it boils and thickens. Combine the eggs, Parmesan, and cottage cheeses in a bowl. Remove the cream from the heat and stir in the egg mixture with a whisk, then the mozzarella and 1 cup of the tomato sauce. Add the pasta, stirring to get rid of clumps. Pour into a greased lasagna dish. Pour the rest of the tomato sauce over the top (there should be about 8 cups of sauce) and spread evenly. Top with more cubed mozzarella and 1/2 cup grated Parmesan. Cover with foil and bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake 30 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes. Top with shredded fresh basil (chiffonade).