Baked Ziti with Turkey Meatballs

Directions

1. In a bowl, stir together turkey, garlic, bread crumbs, onion, pine nuts, parsley, egg, salt and pepper. Form into meatballs about 1 inch in diameter.
2. In a large heavy skillet, heat 2 tablespoons oil over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking. Cook half of meatballs, shaking skillet, until browned and cooked through, about 4 minutes. Transfer meatballs to paper towels to drain. Brown remaining meatballs in remaining 2 tablespoons oil in same manner.
3. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Oil a 3 to 4 quart gratin dish.
4. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta, and cook until just al dente, about 8 minutes. Drain.
5. In a small bowl, toss together mozzarella and Romano cheese.
6. Spoon about 1 1/2 cups tomato sauce and half the meatballs into prepared dish, and spoon half the pasta on top. Spread half remaining sauce and half cheese mixture over pasta. Top with remaining meatballs, and drop dollops of ricotta over meatballs. Spread remaining pasta over ricotta, and top with remaining sauce and cheese mixture. Bake in middle of oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until golden. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

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Reviews (9)

Your Rating:

12

dier1978

Nov. 15, 2005

"I enjoyed this recipe but I did almost everything differently. I used it more for inspiration. I did not have turkey so I used chicken for the meatballs. I did not have tomato sauce so I used rose ..." See moresauce and threw in some fresh tomatoes. I did not have ricotta so I whipped half a cup of sour cream with half a cup of cream cheese. I did not have Ziti so I used radiatore. Other than that I followed the instructions:) The meatballs were tender and it was very creamy. The creamy sauce really cut dow on the acidity of the tomatoes. The meatballs were great. Thanks for the inspiration!"

8

Richard

Feb. 16, 2008

"Quickly and easily feed masses of guests with this wonderfully simple recipe. ..." See more"

4

AMYB9

Jul. 8, 2010

"I was looking for a simple pasta recipe to use what I already had in the pantry and this was perfect! The meatballs were super tasty and tender and my brother and I devoured our huge portions. I did..." See more without the ricotta and the parsley because I didn't have those items. I used about a jar and a half of pasta sauce. Turned out great with enough left over for today's breakfast :-)"