Comfort Food

T's taking his CFA tomorrow.  

Saying he's a hot mess of stress would be a gigantic understatement.

He is fried.

Done.

Mentally drained.

And in need of some comfort before the big day...

So I decided what better way to warm the spirit than by some good old fashioned comfort food in the form of Baked Ziti with Sausage...

Preheat oven to 350.  Boil up a pot of water and cook a pound of ziti until al dente (they should still have some bite).

Meanwhile, brown up a pound of italian sausage.  Drain.

Spray a 9X13 pan and add a layer of tomato sauce (about 1/3 cup-ish).

Mix together a 15 oz container of ricotta, 1 egg, about a 1/4 of minced onion, 2 cloves of minced garlic, salt, pepper, and some dried oregano.  Add the drained sausage and drained pasta.  Mix well.

Layer about half of the pasta mixture into the pan.  Top with some tomato sauce, and 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese.  Add in the remainder of the pasta mix, some more tomato sauce, and another cup of mozz.  Top with some fresh basil 

(YAY for using basil from the garden for the first time this year!!!)

Wrap tightly with foil (I sprayed the foil to keep the cheese from sticking).  Bake for 20 minutes.

Take off foil and bake another 5-10 minutes until cheese is melted.

Deee-lish!

And as always, LOVE when Mags, T and I all sit down and eat the same meal happily.

It's a trifecta of happy tummies  :)