In 1999 when The Sopranos came on the air, I couldn’t have cared less if I watched it. One night this past fall I was not in the mood to watch the 11:00 news, so I began to flip. CSI and CSI Miami were both re-runs. Family Guy, the same. Then I happened to light on TLN (TeleLatino), and upon hearing The Sopranos’ theme song, I thought, ‘why not?’ I was hooked in 20 minutes! I had managed, without knowing, to catch the very first episode, and the station played them all, right up to season 6.

Okay, so what does this have to do with food? Everyone on The Sopranos are always eating baked ziti. I like spaghetti, and pasta dishes with creme sauces, but to be honest, I’m really more about the sauce than the pasta itself. So I must confess that I rarely jump at the chance to try a new pasta dish. My roommate on the other hand is half Italian, and she loves pasta! She started watching The Sopranos with me and kept saying we had to make some baked ziti; I was less than thrilled. But I do love her homemade pasta sauce better then my mom’s (sorry mom), so I thought I’d give it a go.

For anyone who doesn’t know, baked ziti is a layered pasta casserole, and it is so good! My roommate and I make this one in a 2.8L casserole and it does us each for lunch and dinner for two days.

Ann’s Baked Ziti - all measurements are approximate, adjust for the amount of ziti you want and your own taste

* Cook 3 cups penne ziti (penne rigate will do) in salted boiling water until it’s al dente
* Drain the pasta and mix in the same pot with 2 cups of your favorite sauce
* Add 1 cup grated mozzarella and 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese, stir well
* In a separate bowl mix 1/2 cup plain bread crumbs with 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, 1 tbsp of parsley (fresh is best, but dried will work, just add a little less) mix well with salt and pepper to taste
* Take out your casserole dish. Spray it with cooking spray or you will never get it clean again!
* Take half the pasta mixture and put it in the bottom of the dish, then sprinkle with half the bread crumb mixture, put 1/2 cup of grated mozzarella on top of that
* Repeat for the second and layer
* bake in a preheated 400 F oven until the cheese has melted and turns slightly golden. Approximately 20 minutes depending on your oven.

This is not a dish for someone on a carb reduced diet, but I suggest that everyone try this. After you do, you will realize why everyone on The Sopranos is always eating it.

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