Easy Baked Ziti

Ingredients

• 1 pound Ziti Pasta
• 1 Pound Italian Sausage (ground) choose mild or hot based on your preference
• 3 & 1/2 Cups good quality Marinara Sauce
• 3 Cups Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
• 1 pound fresh mozzarella, cut into 1 inch cubes and then slice in half (so you have thin pieces)
• Salt (1 tsp to boil in water)
• Fresh Black Pepper (1 tsp)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Boil salted water and cook pasta until al dente (tender but still slightly firm) drain and place in a large bowl, allowing to cool for a few minutes.
3. Cook sausage in a skillet until no longer pink, drain off any fat and add to bowl with pasta.
4. Add the marinara, 1 cup of mozzarella, the mozzarella cheese cubes and season with black pepper.
5. Toss everything in the bowl together until combined well.
6. Transfer pasta mixture to a 9×13 baking dish (oiled or sprayed with cooking spray).
7. Add remaining mozzarella evenly over pasta.
8. Bake, uncovered, about 30 minutes, until cheese is bubbling and slightly browned on top.