Baked Ziti

My dear friend Misty makes this yummy pasta dish, so I tried out her recipe. Here it is:

• 1 (16 ounce) package dry ziti pasta
• 1/2 pound lean ground beef
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1/2 cup red, yellow and green bell pepper, chopped
  
• 2 (28 ounce) jars spaghetti sauce
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 1/2 tsp basil
  
• 6 ounces sliced provolone cheese
• 6 ounces sliced mozzarella cheese
• 1 1/2 cups sour cream
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.

In a large skillet, brown beef over medium heat. Add onions and peppers; saute until tender. Drain off fat and add spaghetti sauce, sugar and spices; simmer for about 15 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a lightly greased 2 quart baking dish, place about half of the pasta; top with a layer of provolone and mozzarella cheese slices. Spread on a layer of half the spaghetti sauce mixture and sour cream.

Cover with remaining pasta, cheese and sauce; sprinkle a layer of Parmesan cheese.

Bake in preheated oven for about 30 minutes or until cheese and sauce are bubbly; serve.

We had this with left-over Italian Broccoli from a few nights ago and toasted focaccia bread. I doubled the recipe to take 1/2 to a friend. One recipe's worth was enough to feed our family for at least two nights. Of course, I'll have to wait a night or two to re-introduce the dish because my children refuse to eat the same thing more than one day in a row!