Ziti Bake

Ingredients

• 1 lb. ground beef
• 1-1 1/2 jar of spaghetti sauce
• 1 lb. bag of shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 lb. bag of shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• 1 lb. shredded Cooper Cheese* (this cheese makes the dish)
• 1 lb. box of ziti pasta
• grated cheese for topping

Directions

Cook ziti until tender, rinse, drain and set aside. Brown ground beef until done. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Take a 9x13 inch pan and spread a thin layer of sauce in the bottom. Add in layers the ziti, ground beef, mozzarella, sharp cheddar, Cooper and layer of spaghetti sauce. Repeat layers until all the ziti is gone.

Spread a layer of sauce over the top to keep ziti from drying out and getting crispy. Sprinkle grated cheese over the top. Bake for approximately 30 minutes or until it looks like it has heated through. Remove from oven and let stand for 5 or 10 minutes to allow for thickening. Feeds 8-10 people.

Source: This is a dish I concocted one day when trying to think of something to fix for supper.

By Connie from Towanda, PA

Editor's Note: I had never heard of Cooper Cheese. It appears to be a sharp white American cheese from the New York/Pennsylvania area. Anyone have a good substitution for this?