Skillet Baked Ziti

This is the recipe I made for dinner at the cabin. Even though it calls for a lot, I still prefer to add a little extra garlic... as you can all probably remember. Enjoy!

1 tablespoon olive oil
6 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
salt & fresh ground pepper
1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
3 cups water
12 ounces ziti pasta(3 3/4 cups)
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated (I like a little more)
1/4 cup fresh basil leaf, minced
1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded

Directions:

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 475.

2. Combine oil, garlic, pepper flakes, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in 12-inch ovensafe nonstick skillet and saute over medium-high heat until fragrant, about 1 minute. (If your skillet is not ovensafe, transfer the pasta mixture into a shallow 2-quart casserole dish before sprinkling with the cheese and baking).

3. Add crushed tomatoes, water, ziti and 1/2 teaspoon salt.

4. Cover and cook, stirring often and adjusting heat as needed to maintain vigorous simmer, until ziti is almost tender, 15-18 minutes.

5. Stir in cream, Parmesan, and basil. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

6. Sprinkle mozzarella evenly over ziti. Transfer skillet to oven and bake until cheese has melted and browned, about 10 minutes. Serve.

Bruschetta-Style Pasta

This is a nice light meal- serve it with a french baguette and green salad. It would be yummy with fresh tomatoes from the garden (Becky and Kim). This is another one of Vance's favorites!!!

1 pkg thin spaghetti*
2 Tbls olive oil
2 Tbls minced garlic
3 cups fresh tomatoes, diced
2 Tbls balsamic vinegar (I double/triple this so it thoroughly coats pasta)
To taste: oregano and basil (fresh or dried), shredded Parmesan cheese, cracked pepper, salt


Cook pasta according to pkg directions. Heat a large saute pan over medium high with olive oil. Saute garlic until golden. Add tomatoes, balsamic vinegar and herbs. Heat until warmed (abt 2 minutes- don't overcook or it will give you soggy tomatoes). Combine pasta and tomato mixture and heat until warm (apprx 2-3 minutes). Place one serving on a plate and top with shredded Parmesan cheese.


Makes 4 servings.


*KITCHEN TIP: I love using whole grain pasta but Shane hates it so I mix half whole grain pasta with half of the regular white stuff. Tastes the same and Shane doesn't even notice!