Man, it’s cold outside!  When it gets this cold, I really like to turn to simple comfort foods to warm the body and soul.  Baked Ziti is one of those foods and it’s so simple to make.

Baked Ziti

To prepare the cheese, combine the ricotta, shredded parmesan, 1/2 cup mozzarella, parsley and egg in a bowl and set aside.

To prepare the sauce, brown the ground beef and the Italian sausage in a medium pan.  Stir in the Italian seasonings, Burgandy wine, and spaghetti sauce.  Season with salt and ground black pepper to taste.  Reduce the head and simmer for about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil.  Liberally salt the water and add the ziti pasta.  Cook until just underdone (the pasta will continue to cook after it is mixed with the sauce and cheese, if you cook it to done now, it will get mushy).  Strain the pasta and return it to the pot.  Stir in the cheese mixture until well mixed.  Add the sauce mixture and stir to combine.

Pour the pasta into a prepared baking dish and top with remaining cup of mozzarella cheese.  Cover with foil and bake at 350 deg. for 30-35 minutes, until heated through.  Remove the foil from the top and return to the oven for about 5 minutes to brown the cheese a little bit.