Creamy Baked Ziti

There's something comforting about digging into a a plateful of warm, cheesy pasta. We all love it, whether we'd like to admit it or not; pasta is a guilty pleasure. I, personally, can't get enough of it and if I could I'd eat it daily. If only the guilt that comes after didn't exist.

Baked ziti has always been a favorite of mine. I always have the ingredients on hand and whenever I'm in doubt of what to make for dinner, this is a great go-to meal.

It's an easy meal for a weeknight, perfect for busy families. You could even make it ahead of time and stick it in the fridge before it's time to bake it. I like to add sausage to mine, but you can also add ground beef. I also mix it up time to time by adding red or green bell peppers and cherry tomatoes. Using a jar of marinara sauce is best, although I have used a can of plain tomato sauce, simply adding some of my favorite seasonings to liven it up. You really can't go wrong!

Source: Kraft Foods

Ingredients 
4 cups penne pasta 
1 jar  (24 oz.) marinara sauce 
1 can  (14-1/2 oz.) diced tomatoes, undrained 
6 oz. cream cheese 
3/4 cup  sour cream 
1 pkg. shredded mozzarella cheese
1/3 cup parmesan cheese

 

Directions

Heat oven to 350. Cook pasta in large saucepan as directed on package, omitting salt. Remove from pan; drain. Meanwhile, add marinara sauce, tomatoes and cream cheese to same pan; cook on medium heat 5 min. or until cream cheese is melted and mixture is well blended, stirring frequently. Return pasta to pan; mix well.

Layer half the pasta mixture in 13x9-inch baking dish; cover with layers of sour cream, 1 cup mozzarella and remaining pasta mixture. Top with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan.
Bake 20 min. or until heated through.