Baked Ziti

I found this baked ziti  recipe online about a year or so ago. It's one of my favorites and the recipe is from actress Raven-Symone. I like it because I'm a non-beef eater and this recipe calls for turkey. But, if you want to substitute for beef, I'm sure it'll be just as tasty!! It's one of those "comfort foods" that's really good complimented with a nice salad and some fresh garlic bread!

INGREDIENTS:

1 stick unsalted butter
2 lbs. ground turkey
2 medium jars spaghetti sauce with roasted garlic
Pinch dried oregano
Pinch dried parsley
Pinch salt, plus additional salt for the pasta water
Pinch pepper
1 medium onion, chopped
1 lb. box rigatoni noodles
2 (1 lb.) blocks mozzarella cheese (not the soft kind)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. In a large skillet, melt half of the butter over medium heat.
3. Add ground turkey and cook until browned.
4. Add tomato sauce, oregano, parsley, salt, pepper, and onion and simmer until onion is tender.
5. Cook pasta in a  large pot of boiling salted water until a little less than al dente.
6. Drain and cool.
7. Cut 1 of the blocks of cheese into cubes and slice the other into thin slices.
8. Melt the remaining butter and pour into the bottom of a deep 9 x 13 inch baking dish.
9. Pour 1 1/2 ladles full of the sauce into the dish, or enough to completely cover the bottom.
10. Add a layer of pasta and then a layer of cubed cheese. Repeat layering until all ingredients are used.
11. Fill 1 of the empty sauce jars 1/8 full with water and shake. Pour over the pasta.
12. Top with thin slices of cheese, and sprinkle with additional oregano and parsley.
13. Cover casserole with foil and place in oven. Check every 15 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbly.
14. Remove foil for the last 5 minutes of cooking to brown the cheese.

(Courtesy of Raven Symone)