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Talk about an amazing comfort dinner! Baked Ziti and Italian Cheesesteak all in one. This is an easy pasta dish that will make the whole family swoon.
November and December are all about family time: family holidays filled with fun activities and spending time together. Baked Ziti is a great classic dish for family dinners, whether it’s just a cozy dinner together or a holiday dinner for the entire family. I keep thinking of how perfect it would be after a full day of playing outside, maybe after a family snowball fight, to come home and have this warm, comforting dinner.
Best part is that this baked ziti is not just delicious, it’s so easy. I also kicked up this classic dish by giving it an Italian cheesesteak flavor inspired by a Ragú® Italian Cheese Steak Sandwich recipe. I added thinly sliced steak, onions, bell peppers and, of course, lots and lots of gooey cheese.
To compliment this dish best, I used Ragú® sauce in Super Chunky Mushroom flavor. Ragú® has an authentic Italian taste that the whole family will love, and it makes creating your favorite recipes quick and easy.
**Tip: place steak in the freezer for about 30 minutes, until it is partially frozen, prior to cooking.
This will make it much easier to slice thin.**
Italian Cheesesteak Baked Ziti
Ingredients
- 1 lb dry ziti pasta
- 1 lb boneless chuck steak partially frozen (easy to cut thin)
- 1 large red bell pepper sliced
- 1 medium Vidalia onion sliced
- 8 oz baby bella mushrooms sliced
- 1 ½ tsp fresh thyme
- 1 ½ cup shredded Mozzarella cheese
- 1 ½ cups marinara sauce
- Salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
- ½ cup Mozzarella cheese for topping
Instructions
- Cook ziti until almost done, drain and set aside in a large mixing bowl.
- Preheat the oven to 350° and lightly grease a casserole dish.
- Make sure to freeze your steak for about half an hour before cutting. (Freezing it will help with cutting it thinly.)
- Slice partially frozen steak as thin as possible. Slice red pepper, mushrooms, and onion thinly as well and set aside.
- Preheat some oil (about a tablespoon or two) in a medium sauté pan, over medium heat and sauté steak, peppers, mushrooms, and onions with some salt and pepper until steak is no longer pink.
- Add steak and veggies to the bowl with pasta. Add a 1 ½ cup of Mozzarella, Ragú® sauce, thyme and some more salt and pepper. Mix well and place it into a lightly greased casserole dish. Spread evenly and top off with remaining Mozzarella cheese.
- Bake for 20 minutes.
Nutrition
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More Delicious Comfort Dinners From Me:
Ashley Rosa says
Wow! This looks amazing!!! You’ve inspired me to make such dishes
Wendi Spraker says
Wow! This looks fantastic!!! You have inspired me to try this for my family! YUM!
lyuba says
I hope you will, Wendi! Let me know how you like it 🙂
Thank you!
Bobbi's Kozy Kitchen says
OhhEmmmGeeeee even though it is 9 AM and I am still sipping my coffee this looks sooooo good!! Pinned and shared on my FB page so everyone else can drool too 🙂
lyuba says
You are so sweet, Bobbi! Thank you 🙂