Baked Ziti

A few months ago I made baked ziti for the first time in a long time. I just cleaned off my desk and found the recipe that I wrote down so here it is. I based my sauce on my Grandma Filomena's bolognese sauce recipe that can be found with the lasagna recipe I posted previously, but the recipe below is changed to how I make my sauce. I used homemade ricotta for this, which made it taste even better. I made this in my Le Creuset 5.25-Quart Signature Rectangular Roaster, but it can be made in any lasagna or roasting pan. This is a great meal to make a day ahead and refrigerate until it's time to bake it, or you can make parts of it ahead of time (make the ricotta one day, then make the sauce and boil the pasta and assemble and cook the next day). You can even make this ahead of time and freeze it to bake later, which is great for holidays and dinner parties. It's also a great meal to give to someone in need of a meal for their family, since you can make it in a disposable lasagna pan. My family is small with two young eaters, so I could even split this into two 8x8 pans and freeze one for later instead of making it in a 9x13 pan. We ended up just eating it for leftovers for a few nights, which was fine with me!

The photos below are not the best, but this was delicious! Hopefully the next time I make it I'll get better pictures with my camera to post, but for now, enjoy this recipe which makes a perfect meal during these cold winter months.

Baked Ziti

 

Bolognese Sauce: 

 

2 Tablespoons bacon drippings or olive oil

1 small whole onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 pound ground beef (chuck, sirloin, round)

or ½ pound ground beef and ½ pound ground pork sausage

28-ounce Hunts Italian or Whole Tomatoes – blend in blender until smooth

6-ounce can Hunts Tomato paste

1 6-ounce can of water

Salt and pepper, to taste

Red wine (6-ounces or as much as you like)

Fresh basil

Fresh parsley

 

Sauté onion and garlic and brown ground meat in saucepan with olive oil. Add tomatoes that have been blended with fresh basil until smooth (or you can use a 28-ounce can of tomato sauce instead). Add salt and pepper and cook for about 15 minutes. Add tomato paste and water. Add red wine and continue cooking slowly for about 1½ hours, stirring occasionally. Add chopped fresh parsley once the sauce is done cooking.

 

Ricotta Mixture:

 

Mix together:

2 pounds Ricotta cheese

2 cups Mozzarella cheese, shredded

Parmesan or Romano grated cheese

1 egg, lightly beaten – increase number of eggs if ricotta is very dry

Salt and pepper to taste

Parsley, chopped

 

Add shredded mozzarella, grated cheese, lightly beaten egg, salt and pepper, and parsley to ricotta.

 

Pasta:

 

1 pound Ziti pasta – cook according to package directions until al dente

 

13” x 9” Lasagna Pan: You can either layer the sauce, ziti and ricotta mixture or you can add it all to the pan and mix it up in the pan. I add sauce, ziti, ricotta mixture, sauce – and then mix it up and top with another layer of sauce and grated cheese.

 

Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 375° for 30-45 minutes or until bubbly. Uncover the last 10 minutes of baking.

 

If freezing baked ziti: Freeze before baking. When ready to use, thaw completely and bake approximately 15-20 minutes longer than if baking freshly made ziti.

Giada's Nonna's Lemon Almond Ricotta Muffins

My sister Maria shares some great muffin recipes with me, and this Lemon Almond Ricotta Muffin one is no exception. I actually had saved this recipe myself before she told me that she makes them, but I hadn't tried them until recently. I love almond and lemon flavored baked goods, so I think these are amazing. I always keep a few fresh muffins out and individually wrap and freeze most of them to enjoy other days. Give them a try!

Nonna's Lemon Almond Ricotta Muffins

Recipe courtesy Giada de Laurentiis

 

These muffins are perfectly light and fluffy, with subtle flavors from almond and lemon. They make the house smell amazing, and it’s such a great bite with morning coffee.

 

2 cups all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

1 cup plus 1 teaspoon sugar or more as needed for sprinkling

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 Tablespoon finely grated lemon zest (from 2 lemons)

1 cup whole-milk ricotta cheese

1 large egg

1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice

½ teaspoon almond extract

1/3 cup thinly sliced almonds

 

Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners. Preheat the oven to 350°. 

 

Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl to blend. Using an electric mixer, beat 1 cup sugar, butter, and lemon zest in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in the ricotta. Beat in the egg, lemon juice, and almond extract. Add the dry ingredients and stir just until blended (the batter will be thick and fluffy). 

 

Divide the batter among the prepared muffin cups. Sprinkle the almonds and then the remaining 1 teaspoon of sugar over the muffins. Bake until the muffins just become pale golden on top, about 20 minutes.

 

Cool slightly. Serve warm or at room temperature.

 

Yield: 12 muffins.

Homemade Ricotta

Several years ago, my cousin Anthony gave my mom a homemade ricotta recipe. As the keeper of the family cookbook recipes, it was also sent to me, but I never made it until today. My mom has been making it for a few years and it tastes so much better than any store-bought ricotta. She makes her own ricotta whenever she makes lasagna and the difference is apparent compared to how her lasagna used to taste with store-bought ricotta. A few days ago I was telling one of my friends about the recipe and decided to give it a try today.

I did a bit of research online and found some helpful tips which I included below. I also found that instead of using vinegar, some people use lemon juice (or even lime juice) to make a sweeter ricotta instead of a more savory one (using vinegar). My friend used lemon juice and was happy with her results. I used vinegar and was happy with mine, but I do want to try it with lemon juice some time to compare.

A lot of the recipes I looked at online also said not to use ultra-pasteurized milk (which I believe most organic milk is). So I used regular whole milk. And most of the recipes only used milk and no heavy cream. I opted to use the heavy cream!

Some important things to remember when making this recipe - the milk/cream/salt mixture has to be heated to at least 185 degrees. I let mine get to about 190 degrees. Then I stirred in the vinegar and let it rest for 15 minutes before I strained it. You do not want to stir the vinegar in too much. That is when the ricotta starts to curdle so you want to just leave it alone to do it's thing. Then when you drain the ricotta, don't keep it draining too long or it will dry out and get hard. You can store it with some of the liquid still in it and drain it more later if you need to.

I also found that most recipes online suggested using a cheese cloth, which is not necessary. I used a skimmer to scoop the ricotta out of the pot and then put it into a fine mesh strainer which was resting over a bowl.

I made a half recipe in a 4.5-quart pot which worked well. I did not measure how much ricotta I got from it, but the recipe below has some info from my mom about what she usually gets from a single or double recipe.

This recipe was very simple to make and I can't believe I didn't try it sooner. It didn't take long - you just have to be patient while the milk/cream/salt mixture is heating up. You don't want to rush that or it might burn. Then you have to keep checking the temperature until it gets to 185 degrees (it took about 20 minutes on medium heat for my half recipe). I just ordered a candy thermometer so next time I can have it in the pot and not have to keep sticking a thermometer in there.

Homemade Ricotta

1 gallon whole milk (Note: Do not use ultra-pasteurized milk)

1 pint whipping cream (2 cups)

3 teaspoons salt

6 Tablespoons white vinegar

Combine milk, cream, and salt in a saucepan. Heat on medium, stirring occasionally until it reaches 185° - 195°.

Remove from heat and stir for 30 seconds - add the vinegar while stirring (this is when it will start to curdle). Do not over-stir!

Set aside for 10-15 minutes.

Drain the ricotta – rather than pouring the hot milk mixture into a strainer (which could make a huge mess), skim the ricotta curds off the top with a skimmer and place in a larger wire strainer that is overtop a bowl for further draining. After you have skimmed as much of the larger curds as possible, pour the remaining milk mixture through a medium sized wire strainer to capture all of the remaining curds. Add that to larger curds. Drain, but DO NOT OVER DRAIN the ricotta. If it becomes too dry it will be very difficult to work with. You can always drain any additional liquid if necessary.

Set aside to cool, then refrigerate.

Process takes approximately 1 to 1½ hours.

Single recipe – use an 8 or 10-quart pan

Double recipe – use a 12-quart pan

Each recipe makes approximately 2 lbs. of ricotta.

Simple ingredients!

Whole milk, heavy cream and salt in the pot

About 20 minutes later, it was heated to 190 degrees

Stir in the vinegar and let it rest for 15 minutes

Use a skimmer to remove the ricotta curds from the pot and place in a fine mesh strainer

Done!

Stuffed Macaroni Shells

Lately I've been wanting to try a new stuffed shells recipe. The stuffed shells recipe that I usually make has spinach in it, and I wanted to make one with just cheese. My grandmother gave me a cookbook a few years ago called The Roseto Cuisine Cookbook and it had just what I was looking for.

Stuffed shells require few ingredients and are very easy to make. I use a potato masher to mix the cheeses and eggs. I boil the shells a few minutes less than the package says so they are easier to fill and don't break apart. Then I layer the filled shells on a baking sheet lined with wax paper or plastic wrap and put them in the freezer until they are frozen (it's easier to freeze them in bags after the cheese is already frozen in the shell).

I left only 6 shells out, enough for two night's dinners for me, and put the rest in ziploc bags and froze them for future dinners. I put the shells that I left out in two separate small dishes, opened a small can of tomato sauce and divided it between the two dishes, sprinkled the sauce with a little Italian seasoning, then covered them with foil and baked them. I paired my shells with a salad and focaccia - it was a delicious Sunday dinner!

Edit May 2024: This is my favorite stuffed shells recipe! I find that the San Giorgio Jumbo Shells usually tend to have less waste than the Barilla Jumbo Shells - Barilla shells are thinner and always have more that are broken or fall apart. I parboil the shells, drain them, set them out in single layer on a baking sheet that is lined with plastic wrap or foil (rather than putting olive oil on them which makes them slippery and harder to fill!), and then I fill the shells with about 1 tablespoon full of filling (using the a tablespoon from my everyday flatware - not a measuring spoon). I always have a few empty shells left, which I cook with the stuffed shells for anyone who wants some empty ones. I usually flash freeze the shells and bake them later, so I usually bake them at 400º for 45-60 minutes. I added some notes below on freezing and baking the frozen shells.

Stuffed Macaroni Shells

Recipe adapted from The Roseto Cuisine Cookbook, p. 85

 

1 package (12-ounce) jumbo shells

2 pounds (32 ounces) ricotta

2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded

Salt and pepper, to taste

2 Tablespoons parsley, chopped

3 Tablespoons Grated Romano Cheese, plus more for topping

3 eggs, slightly beaten

1½ quarts Bolognese Sauce or Marinara Sauce

(or blend a 28-ounce can of Hunts Whole or Italian Plum tomatoes in the blender. Add a little salt, pepper and Italian Seasoning and pour over stuffed shells. No need to cook the blended tomatoes before baking.)

 

 

Parboil shells according to package directions.

 

Combine the next six ingredients and mix well.

 

Fill shells with the cheese mixture – about 1 tablespoon of mixture per shell.

 

Place a little bit of sauce in a baking dish and arrange shells in a single layer over the sauce.

 

Top with remaining sauce and sprinkle with grated cheese.

 

Cover with foil and bake at 375º for about 45 minutes.

 

Serves 4 to 6.

 

Notes:

 

FREEZING STUFFED SHELLS:

Arrange stuffed shells on a plastic-wrap covered cookie sheet. Quick freeze. When shells are frozen, remove shells from cookie sheet and arrange in layers in a freezer container or place in a Zip-lock plastic bag. Remove the stuffed shells as you need them.

 

BAKING STUFFED SHELLS:

If using frozen sauce, completely defrost the sauce, but you do not need to heat it up. Alternatively, blend a can of whole tomatoes or use a can of tomato sauce. Season as you wish or leave the sauce plain.

 

Do not defrost the shells before baking. Place a little bit of sauce in a baking dish and arrange the frozen shells in a single layer over the sauce. Spoon more sauce over and around the shells – make sure there is some sauce on each shell but do not drown them in sauce.

 

Cover with foil and bake at 375º to 400º for about 45-60 minutes or until steaming – do not let it dry out.

Cheeses, parsley and eggs

Boiled shells

Stuffed shells

Frozen shells

Top with sauce

Right out of the oven

Photos by JoJo

Updated photos from September 2021:

Mama DeSelm's Chocolate Cake with Ricotta Filling

For my 21st Birthday (years ago) my friend Tara had a surprise birthday party for me at her parent's house. On top of the surprise and gathering together all of my family and friends, she made a delicious chocolate cake with ricotta filling. I've had the recipe for many years and never got around to making it myself, until today. I had a few ideas in mind for a Mother's Day dessert, and luckily remembered that I still hadn't made this cake yet, so I finally gave it a try.

I don't want to give away Tara's family's recipe completely, so I omitted sharing their grandmother's cake recipe and substituted it with one that I've made many times, the Hershey's 5-minute Deep Dark Chocolate cake recipe. I used Hershey's Special Dark Chocolate cocoa in this cake. Since I was making two round 9" cakes, I wasn't sure how much filling and icing to make (the original recipe called for a 9x13" cake sliced in half or made in two pans). I decided to just make the full amount of filling and icing to see how much I needed. Afterall, both of those taste great left over! I probably used about 1.5 pounds of the ricotta mixture and about 1.5 pints of the heavy whipping cream mixture. I bought the heavy cream and ricotta at Trader Joe's, and both were very tasty. They also did not have preservatives like the ones I could have bought at Giant. I indicated below the amounts of powdered sugar I used in both the filling and icing, but those can be adjusted to taste and your preference.

I love all of the components of this cake, and the final product was delicious! It was easy to make, especially since I used a chocolate cake recipe I was already familiar with. If you love chocolate and ricotta, I highly recommend trying this recipe! If you don't like whipped cream icing, you can substitute your favorite icing. I saw some similar recipes online that used chocolate icing, but I think the whipped cream icing keeps this already rich cake a little lighter than a buttercream or other type of icing would and pairs nicely with the ricotta filling. Just make sure you have room to refrigerate this cake once it's assembled and in the event that you have any left over!

Edit January 2022: I just made this cake for the first time in a few years for my twin sons' 4th Birthday. My store-bought ricotta must have needed drained because the filling was a bit runny so it was spilling out of the cake layers. I made a double layer 9" round cake and had a little bit of filling left over and a good amount of whipped cream. My friend Tara later told me that she started using chocolate icing on the sides and doing the cannoli filling on top because the whipped cream doesn't hold up. I might try it like that at some point.

 

Mama DeSelm’s Chocolate Cake with Ricotta Filling

This cake is a family favorite.

Prepare your favorite chocolate cake recipe. Pour into greased and floured 9” x 13” pan. Slice in half for filling or make two cakes for two layers. Alternately, use two 9” pans for a round two layer cake (if making a round cake, reduce the filling and icing recipes by a little bit).

FILLING:

2 pounds Ricotta Cheese

½ cup powdered sugar (adjust amount to taste)

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 bag Chocolate Chips or Mini Chocolate Chips

ICING:

2 pints Heavy Whipping Cream

¼ cup powdered sugar (adjust amount to taste)

Beat ricotta cheese and powdered sugar until creamy. Don’t over beat cheese. Blend in vanilla. Stir in chocolate chips (amount of chips may be altered to personal preference).

Beat whipping cream. Add a little powdered sugar to whipping cream to sweeten. Frost cake with whipped cream.

NOTE: If the ricotta is watery, put it in a strainer and drain it for a bit.

Dry cake ingredients

Wet cake ingredients mixed in

Pour cake batter into greased & floured pans

Fresh out of the oven!

Cool cakes completely

2 pounds ricotta cheese

Ricotta & powdered sugar

Ricotta, powdered sugar & vanilla

Stir in chocolate chips using a spoon or spatula

Ready to assemble the cake!

Spread ricotta filling

Whipped cream & powdered sugar icing

Frost cake with icing

Finished product

Slice cake & enjoy!

Photos by JoJo