This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Ragu. The opinions and text are all mine.

Mexican Baked Ziti – A comforting casserole filled with pasta, ground beef, cheese, Ragu sauce, black beans, and corn. #SimmeredInTradition

One of the reasons I love this time of year is because it is all about comfort food. Families are gathering together and celebrations are beginning. And if you’re like me and like to eat, which I’m sure you do because that is why you visit my blog 🙂 , you are searching for great dishes to feed a crowd.

Well, I’m all about a good casserole dish. And the ones that involve pasta are my favorite!! And I REALLY love the ones that have little shortcuts. For this Mexican Baked Ziti, I took one of my favorite recipes and made it Mexican-style.

But I have a little secret. I used a Ragu sauce as a shortcut! I know! At first, I thought of Ragu as an ingredient for mostly Italian dishes, but all that changed when they issued a little challenge with their Ragu Ready. Set. Cook! Contest. This contest challenges home cooks to create new and unique pasta recipes featuring a Ragu sauce and a set list of ingredients. So here are the ingredients in the recipe challenge:

Italian Sausage
Black Beans
Garbanzo Beans
Eggs
Feta Cheese
Goat Cheese
Breadcrumbs
Arugula
Cilantro
Pine Nuts
Bacon
Shrimp
Polenta
Pasta
Corn Tortillas
Cauliflower
Spaghetti Squash
Avocado

I mean there are so many possibilities!! As part of the contest, I had to choose 4 from the list, so I chose to use black beans, eggs, pasta, and cilantro. Next, for the sauce, I went with Ragu’s Meat Creations Sauteed Beef & Onion. But they really have so many sauces to choose from as you can see here.

Participants can submit their recipe here through November 30 for a chance to win the $3000 Grand Prize! I’d love to know what you’d make for this challenge!

This recipe starts out like a traditional meat sauce with black beans and corn added to it plus some chili powder and cumin. Unlike a Mexican Lasagna, where the noodles are layered with the cheese mixture and meat sauce, this one gets combined with the cheese mixture and the pasta. The layering process is super simple too! And it feeds a crowd. But if you are not into feeding a crowd of people, you can do one of two things:

-Split the dish into two separate smaller freezable casserole dishes or aluminum pans. Bake one for dinner and freeze the other for dinner on another night.

-Bake it all in one casserole dish, and freeze the leftovers in portions in individual freezer storage bags for your family to defrost and bake when they choose.

Mexican Baked Ziti

Ingredients

2 lb. ground round
1 tsp creole seasoning
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 28 oz. can whole peeled tomatoes
1 1/2 tbsp chili powder
1 1/2 tsp cumin
1 1/4 tsp kosher salt, divided
1 24 oz jar Ragu Meat Creations Sauteed Onion & Beef
1 15 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup frozen corn
1 lb. Mostaccioli or Ziti pasta
1 15 oz. lowfat cottage cheese
16 oz. Colby Jack cheese, shredded
1 egg
fresh ground pepper
fresh chopped cilantro (optional)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375.
In a large pot, brown ground round. Add onions and garlic while meat is browning. Continue to saute over medium until onions are translucent.
Add whole tomatoes, giving them a good squish with a wooden spoon.
Add chili powder, cumin, and 3/4 tsp kosher salt.
Add Ragu Meat Creations Sauteed Beef & Onion, black beans, and corn. Stir and let simmer over medium for about 25 minutes.
While sauce simmers, boil the pasta.
Remove 4 cups of sauce to a bowl to cool a little.
In a separate LARGE bowl, mix together cottage cheese, 2 cups of Colby Jack, egg, and rest of the salt and pepper to taste.
Drain pasta, rinse under cool water. Add to cheese mixture and stir. Add reserved meat sauce and stir.
Spray a large casserole dish with cooking spray. Add half the pasta mixture to the bottom of the dish. Layer half the remaining meat sauce on top of pasta. Sprinkle some Colby Jack. Repeat layers once more.
Bake for 20 minutes. Garnish with fresh chopped cilantro, if desired.

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