Baked Ziti

This a quick and easy recipe for a week night.  It's good because it is fast and you will have leftovers for lunches.

Baked Ziti


Ingredients:
1 package of brown rice ziti
7 oz of LightLife Smart Ground (1/2 package)
1 jar of tomato sauce (I used Classico Tomato and Basil)
3 cloves of garlic
1 tablespoon of oregano
1 tablespoon of thyme
1 cup of thinly sliced mushrooms
1/4 cup of finely diced onion
1/4 cup of dry white wine (I used Savignon Blanc)
1/2 of vegan Parmesan
1 cup of Daiya mozzarella
Salt and pepper to taste
EVOO as needed

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.  Bring 8 cups of water to a boil and add a pinch of salt and a splash of EVOO.  Add your ziti and boil until al dente.  The brown rice pasta takes a little longer to cook then regular pasta.

In a sauce pot, add a little EVOO and your onions to medium heat and saute until they start to become translucent (about 3 minutes).  Add the garlic and mushrooms and saute for another 4 minutes.  As the EVOO cooks off, add the white wine gradually and saute for another 2 minutes.

Next at the LightLife Smart Ground and reduce the heat.  Cook, stirring constantly, until the Smart Ground starts to brown.  Now add the sauce and the vegan Parmesan and the oregano, thyme, salt and pepper and mix well.  Reduce heat to low and cover.  Let the sauce simmer for about 10-15 minutes.

Drain your pasta and add it to your sauce mixture with half of the Daiya cheese.  Make sure to mix this really well.  Take a baking dish (any shape is fine- I used round), and lightly grease.  Add the the pasta mixture and then take the remaining Daiya and spread evenly over the top of the dish.

Cover your dish and bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes.  Then uncover and bake for another 10-15 minutes until the top starts to brown.  After removing your dish from the oven, let is stand for 15 minutes before serving.