I wanted to try making hot chocolate out of one of the full-size chocolate bars I had left over from Halloween. The end effect was fantastic!
| Prep Time: | 20 mins |
| Cook Time: | 1 hr 25 mins |
| Additional Time: | 10 mins |
| Total Time: | 1 hr 55 mins |
| Servings: | 14 |
| Yield: | 1 9×13-inch baking dish |
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 medium onion, sliced
- 3 (15 ounce) cans tomato puree
- 4 ¼ cups water, or to taste
- 6 tablespoons white sugar
- 6 leaves fresh basil
- 2 pounds ziti
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 (8 ounce) container ricotta cheese
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 (15 ounce) can green peas, drained
- 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 4 hard-boiled eggs, sliced, ends discarded
- 1 (16 ounce) package shredded mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion; saute until translucent, about 5 minutes. Mix in tomato puree and water; cook for 10 minutes. Stir in sugar and basil. Reduce heat to low; simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- While the sauce is cooking, bring a very large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add ziti and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender yet firm to the bite, about 8 minutes. Drain and return to the pot.
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook and stir ground beef in the hot skillet until browned and crumbly, 5 to 7 minutes. Drain and discard grease. Add ground beef to cooked pasta. Mix in enough tomato sauce to lightly coat the pasta.
- Mix ricotta cheese and water in a bowl until it reaches a spreadable consistency.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
- Spread a ladleful of sauce in the bottom of a 9×13-inch baking dish. Add 1/2 of the pasta, all of the ricotta cheese, peas, and 1/2 of the Parmesan cheese. Layer the sliced eggs on every section of the pasta; cover with 1/2 of the mozzarella cheese. Pour remaining pasta, Parmesan cheese, sauce, and mozzarella on top. Cover with aluminum foil.
- Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown and bubbly, 40 to 50 minutes. Let stand for about 10 minutes before cutting, so slices don’t fall apart.
- If you like a thicker sauce, use about 3 1/2 cups water instead.
- Olive oil may be used in place of vegetable oil, if desired.
- Instead of layering the peas in the casserole, you can add them to the ground beef, pasta, and sauce mixture.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 561 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 68 g |
| Cholesterol | 111 mg |
| Dietary Fiber | 5 g |
| Protein | 30 g |
| Saturated Fat | 8 g |
| Sodium | 771 mg |
| Sugars | 13 g |
| Fat | 19 g |
| Unsaturated Fat | 0 g |