Skillet Baked Ziti

A few months ago I was lucky enough to receive my great grandma's cast iron skillet. We figure it is about 70+ years old and was used for about 35 years. I have been looking up and trying a lot of skillet based recipes and this is one of my favorite!

You will need a 12 inch oven proof skillet along with:

-1 T Olive Oil
-6 Cloves Garlic, minced
-1/4 t Red Pepper Flakes
-Salt and Pepper to taste
-28 oz Canned Crushed Tomatoes
-3 cups water
-12 ounces Ziti or similar noodles (I used a trio of noodles)
-1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
-1/2 cup grated Parmesan Cheese
-1/4 cup minced Fresh Basil (or 2 t dried basil)
-1 cup shredded Mozzarella Cheese




Sauté garlic, red pepper and salt in olive oil.

You don't want the garlic to get too brown, just until it starts to become fragrant, about 1 minute should do it.

Add in pasta, water, crushed tomatoes and 1/2 t salt. You will want to add them in this order so the water and hot oil doesn't splatter. Turn on oven to 475 F and set the oven rack in the middle position.

Cover and cook, stirring often and adjusting heat as needed to maintain a vigorous simmer, until pasta is almost tender. 15-18 minutes. If you don't have a lid for your skillet the bottom of a cookie sheet works wonders!

While this is cooking, measure out cheeses, cream and basil.




Stir in cream, parmesan and basil. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle mozzarella evenly over pasta. Transfer skillet to oven to bake until cheese has melted and browned, about 8-10 minutes.


*If your skillet is not oven-proof, put pasta mixture in a greased casserole dish before sprinkling on mozzarella cheese. Bake the same in the oven.









Serve with a yummy salad and seasoned french bread.

Enjoy!