Week of March 1, 2016

Mon - Dinner Out for my birthday!
Tue - Baked Ziti
Wed - Chicken with Vegetable Ragout and Polenta
Thur - Cheeseburgers
Fri - Yakitori

Mircowaved “Baked” Ziti (Deep Covered Baker Recipe)

NOTE if you do not have a DCB, you can use any microwave safe 2 quart casserole dish that has a lid.

Ingredients
1 lb of Italian sausage (or ground beef)
1 can/jar (660 – 780 grams) of your favorite tomato based pasta sauce
1 cup of shredded mozzarella or “Three Italian cheese” packaged mix
½ cup of shredded parmesan cheese
3 cups pasta (penne, zitioni or rigatoni work best, but you can use any that take 9-11 minutes to cook according to package)
3 ¾ cups water or chicken broth
2 tsp black pepper
2 tsp salt
1 tbsp olive oil

Directions:
Arrange the meat in an even layer on the bottom of the Baker. Cover and cook in the microwave on HIGH for 7-9 minutes or until no longer pink. Take out of microwave (remember the baker will be HOT use potholders) drain meat, crumble into small bite size pieces, and set aside.
Add pasta, oil, salt, pepper, and water or broth to baker. Cover, and microwave on HIGH for 16-19 minutes until pasta is tender, stirring after 10 minutes.
Drain pasta, if needed.
Mix pasta, sauce, meat, and ¾ of the cheese in the baker. Put the remainder of the cheese on the top of the mixture.
Microwave on HIGH, covered, until cheese is melted and bubbly, aprox 3 minutes. Enjoy!
Yields 6-8 servings.