Twelve cups, crispy edges, no serving spoon.
A muffin tin decides the portion for you, which ends the argument before anybody starts it. Twelve cups of ziti with ricotta and a beaten egg stirred through, 375F for eighteen minutes, out of the tin after a five-minute rest.
Two cups is a nine-year-old's dinner. Three is a fourteen-year-old who ran suicides for an hour. Ninety seconds under a damp paper towel and the middles are properly steaming.
Ingredients
The batch makes 12 cups. Plan on 10 minutes to reheat (baked earlier).
- 12 oz ziti or penne
- 1 jar (24 oz) marinara sauce
- 1 cup ricotta cheese
- 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
How to Make It
- Earlier: boil the pasta 2 minutes short of the package time and drain.
- Stir together the pasta, marinara, ricotta, half the mozzarella, the egg, Italian seasoning, and salt.
- Spoon into 12 greased muffin cups, top with the remaining mozzarella and the Parmesan, and bake at 375F for 18 minutes until set and golden.
- After practice, reheat 2 cups until the centers are steaming hot, about 90 seconds in the microwave or 8 minutes in the oven.
Do the Slow Part Early
Bake the muffin-tin cups ahead so dinner is portioned and ready to reheat. The muffin shape means built-in servings and crispy edges every kid fights over.
- Boil the pasta and mix the filling earlier in the day
- Bake the cups, cool them, and pop them out of the tin
- Stack them in a container with parchment between layers
Store and Reheat
The cups hold their shape, so they reheat evenly without turning to mush. Cover them lightly so the tops do not dry out.
- Microwave 2 cups 90 seconds, covered with a damp paper towel
- Oven from chilled: 375F for 8 minutes
- From frozen: 375F for 18 minutes until the center steams
- Serve with: green salad, garlic knots
Parent Tip
Let the cups rest 5 minutes after baking so they hold together when you lift them out.
Make it fit tonight
Small changes that make this one fit your night
Let them rest in the tin
Five minutes of sitting is why they lift out whole instead of tearing in half.
Parchment squares between
The cheese tops weld together in a container unless something separates them.
Eighteen minutes from frozen
375F until the middle actually steams, not just the browned edge.
Garlic knots in the same oven
Four from the bakery bag warm through while the cups reheat.
Half a bag of spinach
Wilted into the pasta mix it disappears completely under the ricotta.
Plan the next step
Stock your portioned pasta
Use the planner to keep a batch of ziti cups ready for the nights that run late.