Baked Ziti Pot Pies

A couple of weeks ago Chris over at NibbleMeThis made Spaghetti and Meatball Pot Pies.  They were ingenious!  If you have never been to his blog, I would definitely check it out.  He is a master with a grill.  His Pot Pies have stuck in my mind for a while now and I decided to make my own version.  Dana’s favorite meal is Baked Ziti, so I decided to make Baked Ziti Pot Pies.

Baked Ziti Pot Pies – (Adapted from NibbleMeThis Spaghetti Pot Pies)

• 1 pizza dough – (recipe for Basic Pizza Dough)
• 1 lb box ziti, rigatoni, tortiglioni or ditalini
• 1 lb ground beef
• 3 cups marinara or 24oz jar of your favorite pasta sauce
• 15oz tub ricotta cheese
• 1 egg
• 8 oz mozzarella cheese, sliced
• 4 oz mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 4 tbs butter
• 3 cloves garlic
• 2 tsp parsley
• 1/2 tsp thyme
• 4 ramekins

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

In a large pot, boil 6-8 quarts of water and cook the pasta till partially done.  I used Ditalini as it was smaller and therefore, more could fit into each ramekin.  For Ditalini, cook it for 8-9 minutes and drain.  Then set aside.

In a large saute pan, brown the meat. Then add the sauce and stir.  Check for seasoning.  It may need a little salt and pepper.  Remove from the heat and let cool.

In a medium bowl, combine the ricotta cheese and egg. Mix until well combined.

When the sauce is cool to the touch, fold the ricotta mixture into the meat sauce. Set aside.

Grease the ramekins with vegetable oil or spray. Then add one slice of mozzarella to the bottom of the ramekin.

Then add a couple spoonfuls of sauce.

Add two tablespoons of noodles.

Then add another slice of mozzarella, some sauce and more noodles.  Top off with some sauce and a handful of the shredded mozzarella cheese.

Roll out the pizza dough and then cut four circles out of it.  Use your biggest circle cutter or a bowl and a pizza cutter. Then roll out the circles so that they are about 5 inches in diameter.

Press the pizza dough circles over the top of the ramekins.  Melt the butter and add the garlic, parsley and thyme.  Then brush the garlic butter over the tops of the pot pies.

Place the ramekins in the preheated 350 degree oven for 20 minutes.

Remove and brush another coat of garlic butter on them.  Then place back in the oven and continue to cook for another 10-15 minutes, or until they are a golden brown.

Remove and let sit until you can handle them with pot holders.

Invert the pot pie on a plate and remove the ramekin to serve. The trick is to give the bowl a sharp twist and then pull up.

Serve immediately.

These were some of the best pot pies I have ever had.  They were reminiscent of the Domino’s Bread Bowl Pasta.  Super delicious.

Thanks for the great idea Chris!