The A to Z's to Ziti

Before I was married, I can almost positively say I had never made ziti before. Things changed when I was a newlywed trying to decide where our next dinner was coming from. So, we literally cooked every recipe we were ever given, trying to decide what we liked to have together for dinner on a regular basis. My mother in law's ziti made ther cut! I would not say that my husband asks for it weekly, but it is pretty frequently. However, today we used a different recipe that we recently found. Here it is! Oh yeah, it was good too! Not as good as mother in law's, but good nonetheless.

Baked Ziti:

16 oz. box ziti
1/2 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 lb. lean ground beef
26 oz. tomato and basil pasta sauce
3/4 tsp. salt, divided
3 Tbsp. butter
3 Tbsp. all pirpose flour
3 cups milk
1 cup grated Parmesan.
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. basil and oregano
8 oz. shredded mozzarella

Brown and crumble the meat with the onion and garlic. Drain. Stir in pasta sauce, seasonings, and 1/2 tsp. salt to the meat. Simmer on low. Boil and drain the noodles according to directions. In a separate skillet, melt butter, add flour, whisk well, and add parmesan. Stir in remaining 1/4 tsp. salt and pepper. Allow mixture to thicken. Once thickened, combine white sauce with ziti noodles. Toss well. Pour into a greased 13x9 pan. Top noodles with meat mixture. Spread shredded cheese ove meat mixture. Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.