Extra-Cheesy Ziti

'Tis the season for casseroles! Sharing one of my favorites today, one that takes me back to my momma's dinner table.  Our family of five could clear out an entire dish of this delicious casserole in 20 minutes- no problema.  This is a meatless, super-cheesy twist on her ziti that we all shared so many moons ago.

Reed ready to work- armed with a wooden spoon and toothy smile.  How I love that smile!

The ingredients are simple for this one: alfredo sauce, marinara sauce, rigatoni, ricotta, mozzarella, parmesean, and an italian blend of cheeses.  It's a quick dinner too; I made two batches, took pictures, and baked this in under an hour.  Oh, yeah!

First, fill a pot with water to boil an entire box of pasta.  Heat the water as you prepare the sauce.  As soon as it starts boiling, add the rigatoni and cook according to the instructions on the box.

Over medium heat, add a jar of Alfredo sauce to a large stock pot or sauce pan.

Add an entire jar of marinara.  This is so complicated!

Next, add a cup of mozzarella cheese.

Stir in 1/4 cup of the Italian cheese blend and 1/2 cup of Parmesan.

Putting the little guy to work here as my "stirrer".   He takes his stirring job very seriously. With great cheese comes great responsibility.

Stir, stir, stir!  Add 1/2 cup of creamy ricotta cheese.

"One can never have too much cheese." 
​-Socrates

Sorry about the "cheesy" jokes!

Ok, ok, I'm finished.  I couldn't help myself.

​Drain the pasta.

Add the pasta to the sauce.  Mix it together really well.

Normally, I would grease a 9x13 pan, pour all of the noodles in, and call it a day.  But Jacob's on his first business trip this week, and I felt bad keeping all of that cheese to myself.  Plus, we currently have in our family right now a very sick person, another person taking care of the sick person, and two pregnant women with toddlers.

Time to share, and this is the perfect recipe!  We split the casserole into two smaller pans.  I chose a 2 quart and an 8x8 pan.  Reedie did the scooping.

Cover the noodles with a cup of mozzarella and 1/2 cup of Parmesan.

Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes.   Simple, easy-cheesy goodness.

One for us, one to share- that's what casseroles are made of.  I just popped this one in the fridge overnight and delivered it the next day.

We cleared out our whole pan in one sitting!  This is everything I want in an easy weeknight dinner.  I know you will love it, too.  

Looking for some other easy, delicious weeknight dinners?  Check these out:

Easy Chicken Quesadillas

Simple Pasta Salad

Melty Cheese and Chicken Wraps 

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Extra-Cheesy Ziti

Ingredients:
-1 pound of rigatoni, cooked
- 1 (15 oz) jar of Alfredo sauce
-1 (24 oz) jar of marinara sauce
-2 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
-1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese, divided
-1/4 cup Italian cheese blend
-1/2 cup ricotta cheese

Instructions:
1.  Cook pasta.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. In a large stockpot or sauce pan, mix alfredo sauce, marinara, 1 cup of mozzarella, 1/2 cup parmesean, italian cheese blend, and ricotta on medium heat.
3. Stir until cheese is melted and sauce is bubbly.  Add cooked pasta and mix well.
4. Grease a 9x13 casserole dish and add pasta.  Cover with remaining cup of mozzarella cheese and 1/2 cup parmesean cheese.
5.  Bake for 20 minutes, until cheese is melted and golden brown.