Baked Ziti Fail

heaven in my mouth...

I am not sure what came over me (perhaps my previous post inspired me), but I thought it would be a good idea to attempt making a meal of food. Well, let's just say hindsight is 20/20.

I felt super ambitious yesterday and looked up a recipe for baked ziti. Now, the only baked ziti I have had in my life is from Fazoli's, which was heaven in my mouth. In my research efforts, I was good - I researched recipes on good ol' weight watchers, printed off the recipe and went to the store around the corner. I purchased all my ingredients except for spices. Why the hell are spices so expensive? Did all the spice manufacturers get together and decide they would all jack up the prices? It's dried leaves for crying out loud. No, I will not pay $6.00 for this tiny jar. Time to get creative. Ah, the "Mediterranean Spice" made of oregano, rosemary and "other spices". Good enough. Mind you the recipe called for Basil, Oregano, Fennel Seeds and Thyme. I thought this Mediterranean mixture would be suffice. By the way, fennel seeds - what the hell is that?

I followed the directions but somehow miss the most important part: cooking the noodles. I browned the meat, chopped up the onion and pepper, added my "Mediterranean spice" and tomatoes. I then just dumped in the box of uncooked noodles. Nathan asked me a few times if I needed to cook them. I reassured him no, the directions didn't call for cooked noodles (or so I thought). I dumped some cheese on top and threw my concoction in the over. I pulled it out 20 minutes later and well, it looked strange. It was supposed to be bubbling at this point. Mine was dry as a bone. Hmmmm. I then look over these jacked up directions and see my mistake. Listed as an ingredient: "12oz uncooked whole-wheat pasta, ziti, cooked according to package directions". I stopped reading after "ziti". I skipped the 5 most important words. Fail.

Well, I just added water, threw it back in the oven and prayed for the best. Well, let's just say no one was running up for seconds. I just doused mine in this mysterious Mediterranean Spice and it was edible, mainly because I was so damn hungry. Lesson Learned: must read all parts of the ingredients and directions.

Proof I am an idiot...here is my failed recipe:
Ingredients
3/4 pound(s) raw turkey sausage, casings removed
1 medium onion(s), chopped
1 medium green pepper(s), chopped
28 oz canned diced tomatoes
2 Tbsp canned tomato paste
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp fennel seed
1/2 tsp table salt, or to taste
1/2 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
12 oz uncooked whole-wheat pasta, ziti, cooked according to package directions
6 oz shredded fat-free mozzarella cheese

Instructions
• Position the rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F.

• Crumble the sausage meat into a large saucepan and brown over medium heat, stirring often, about 4 minutes.

• Drain off any fat, then add the onion and bell pepper. Cook, stirring often, until softened, about 3 minutes.

• Stir in the tomatoes, tomato paste, oregano, basil, thyme, fennel seeds, salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat and cook uncovered 5 minutes, stirring often.

• Stir in the pasta (Note: it doesn't say "cooked" pasta) and half the grated cheese. Spread evenly into a 9- X 13-inch baking pan. Top evenly with the remaining cheese.

• Bake until the cheese has melted and the casserole is bubbling, about 20 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes at room temperature before slicing into 8 pieces and then serve.