Baked Ziti with Cherry Tomatoes

I didn’t feel like going to the store tonight, so dinner was based strictly on what I had at home.  After a quick scan of my fridge and pantry, I settled on baked ziti.  I had no ricotta, so it’s not your typical baked ziti.  I also noticed that I had a container of cherry tomatoes, so I decided to incorporate them into the dish.  I’m so glad that I did because they added bursts of great flavor!

Start by gathering all your ingredients (ziti, crushed tomato, s&p, crushed red pepper flakes, dried basil & oregano)…

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.  Boil water in a large pot for the pasta.  Once boiling, season with salt and add the pasta.  Cook according to the package directions.

Meanwhile, work on the tomato topping and the sauce…

• Heat a couple of tablespoons of EVOO in a skillet over medium-high heat.

• Chop several cloves of garlic.

• Add the garlic to the EVOO and sauté until golden, about 1 minute.  (Be careful not to burn the garlic!  Keep your eye on it!)

• Slice 1 package of cherry tomatoes in half.
• Add the tomatoes to the garlic.

• Season with s&p, and sauté until the tomatoes start to pop.

• Once the tomatoes are finished, remove them with a slotted spoon.  (Try to keep most of the garlic and EVOO in the skillet.)  Reserve the tomatoes in a bowl.

• Add 1 large can of c ruched tomatoes to the garlic.

• Season with s&p, crushed red pepper flake, dried oregano, and dried basil.

• Stir to combine, lower the heat, and simmer until the pasta is ready.
• Just before the pasta is done, add about 1/2 cup of grated parmesan cheese.

• Stir to incorporate the cheese.

• Add the cooked pasta to the sauce.

• Stir to coat all of the pasta in sauce.

• Add about 1 cup of shredded mozzarella.

• Mix well to combine and melt the cheese.

• Transfer the pasta to a 9” by 12” baking dish.

• Evenly distribute the cherry tomatoes on to of the pasta.

• Sprinkle with grated parmesan cheese.

• Add about 1 more cup of shredded mozzarella to the top.

• Bake at 375 degrees until the cheese on top is melted, about 15-20 minutes.

Enjoy!