Photo Credit: http://www.dinnercakes.com/2009/05/baked-ziti.html

My family doesn’t like to eat an abundance of cheese unless there’s the word cake after it but there are just those times when I’m craving American food and I have to be considerate of what my family is willing to eat. Usually baked ziti contains mozzarella, paramesan, and ricotta cheese.  But let’s really face it, we’re lazy and who has all the money to buy all that cheese. Cheese is expensive you know. 

For 3 servings

Chicken Fennel Sausage Baked Ziti

1 ground chicken breast with skin

1 T of fennel seed

salt and pepper to taste

2/3 box of Farfalle or whatever pasta shape you have

1 jar of your favorite pasta sauce

3 cloves of garlic, minced

olive oil

1 cup of shredded mozzarella

Boil a pot of salted water for your pasta. Use a food processor to grind the fennel seeds or at least bruise the seeds. Then take cubed chicken breast with skin and ground it up with the fennel seeds. Salt and pepper the ground chicken and pulse once or twice to get it mixed. Sautee the chicken fennel sausage on high heat making sure to break up any big chunks. The idea is for the chicken to become a sort of meat sauce mixture for the ziti. Once cooked through, scoop it out onto a plate and set aside. Add more olive oil to the same pan you cooked the chicken and toss in the minced garlic, let it sizzle for a few seconds in the pan to bring out the aroma of the garlic. Do not let the garlic brown! Immediately after a few seconds, pour in the jar of tomato sauce. Let it simmer for a few minutes on medium high heat. Drain and drizzle some olive oil in your pasta. Toss to coat. Now add the cooked chicken in the sauce and dump the cooked pasta in the sauce too. On low heat, mix all the ingredients together. If your frying pan is oven proof then sprinkle some mozzarella on top to cover the pasta and stick it in the oven at 400 degrees until top is melted and slightly browned or do what I did and stick it in the toaster oven for 5 minutes. Out comes a super flavorful and deliciously quick meal.