Sometimes Mama needs a little break. The kind of break that I’m talking about does not involve cooking, cleaning, diaper changing, shoe tying, or whining. Ten of us mamas have been planning, scheming, and coordinating for months to achieve an off-duty (ladies-only) kid-free weekend.

After tucking our kids (and husbands) in on Friday night, we flew off to Vegas (omg) and were immersed in a fried-food extravaganza within moments of arriving. After a delicious night’s sleep, we met at the spa and spent all day lounging before priming for our big night out. We ate, drank and laughed until the wee hours of the morning, slept in, grabbed a bite, and then landed back home just in time to… make dinner?  Ugh, the last thing I wanted to do was prep a huge meal.

I decided baked ziti was in order, but this wasn’t going to be any old baked ziti.  This one was going to be the laziest baked ziti ever. Instead of cooking the pasta in advance, I threw a half-pound of dry pasta into an oven-safe pot, added the cheese and sauce and stirred.  Then I added a cup-and-a-half of milk and cooked it covered at 400 degrees F for 45 to 50 minutes. I uncovered it when the pasta was al dente, sprinkled some breadcrumbs (mixed with Parmesan cheese and herbs) on top, and broiled it for another 5.  It was the easiest, creamiest most tasty way to close out my “off duty” weekend.

When you’ve got your groove back, try these more involved baked ziti recipes:

• Baked Ziti with Tomato, Mozzarella, & Sausage

• Mama’s Amazing Ziti

You might also like:

Stuffed Baked Acorn Squash

Categories: Dinner Tonight | Tags: Pasta, Quick and Easy Italian Dishes, Ziti
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