One-Pot-Wonder Baked Ziti

My friend Jodi sent me this recipe. She called it a "one pot wonder" veg ziti. It's a twist on a baked ziti recipe that is absolutely delicious! It's quick and easy, and I think a little lighter than a regular baked ziti because it doesn't use ricotta or a premade spaghetti sauce. We will definitely be making this again and again. The red pepper and garlic give this a nice little zing. It's also a nice flexible dish to use up leftovers... I tossed in some mushrooms, green onion, pecorino cheese, and parsley.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
6 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
salt & fresh ground pepper
1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
3 cups water
12 ounces ziti pasta (3 3/4 cups)
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated
1/4 cup fresh basil leaf, minced
1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded

Directions

1) Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 475.

2) Combine oil, garlic, pepper flakes, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in 12-inch ovensafe nonstick skillet and saute over medium-high heat until fragrant, about 1 minute. (If your skillet is not ovensafe, transfer the pasta mixture into a shallow 2-quart casserole dish before sprinkling with the cheese and baking). I then sauteed some mushrooms and green onions here, about 2 minutes.

3) Add crushed tomatoes, water, ziti and 1/2 teaspoon salt.

4) Cover and cook, stirring often and adjusting heat as needed to maintain vigorous simmer, until ziti is almost tender, 15-18 minutes.

5) Stir in cream, Parmesan, and basil. I also added chopped parsley. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

6) Sprinkle mozzarella evenly over ziti. I also added some shredded Pecorino cheese here. Transfer skillet to oven and bake until cheese has melted and browned, about 10 minutes. Serve.