Baked Ziti

Baked Ziti (7 Points)

This is an old WW recipe that I have been using for years and finally decided to give it a whirl using GF ingredients.  It is great, and makes a great meat sauce too if you don't want to go to the trouble of making the whole ziti, or if you are short on time.

Ingredients: 12 oz uncooked ziti (I used corn and brown rice pasta... the corn will hold its shape, the brown rice will get mushy, FYI, so the 2 types together helped the ziti keep its shape)
2 tsp olive oil
2 clove(s) (medium) garlic clove(s), minced
1/3 pound(s) raw lean ground beef (or turkey)
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried rosemary
1/2 tsp table salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
28 oz canned crushed tomatoes
1 cup(s) (shredded) part-skim mozzarella cheese (most cheese is GF, just make sure yours isn't dusted with flour to prevent sticking).

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Cook pasta; drain and set aside. Meanwhile, heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat; add garlic and sauté 2 minutes. Add beef and cook until browned, breaking up meat with a spoon as it cooks, about 3 to 5 minutes; drain off any fat and set pan back over medium heat.
Add oregano, thyme, rosemary, salt and pepper; stir to coat beef. Cook until herbs become fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add tomatoes and bring mixture to a boil; reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
Spoon a small amount of beef-tomato mixture into bottom of a 4-quart casserole dish (just enough to cover surface); top with half of cooked ziti. Next, layer with half of remaining beef-tomato sauce and half of mozzarella cheese. Layer with remaining ziti and then top with remaining beef-tomato sauce; sprinkle with remaining mozzarella cheese. Bake until cheese is golden and bubbly, about 30 minutes.

Makes 8 servings.