This isn’t a very exciting week, I’m afraid—I’m making two things that last three days each, so not a lot of variety. But this is just one of those weeks I want to focus on other things besides meals so I wanted a lot of leftovers. The baked ziti is awesome, by the way, and easy.

Visit Menu Plan Monday to see hundreds of other, perhaps more interesting, menus for this week.

Monday: Baked ziti (see recipe below), green beans, salad

Tuesday: same

Wednesday: same

Thursday: Chicken tacos, fresh fruit, chips & homemade salsa

Friday: same

Saturday: same

Sunday: Chicken tenders, baked potatoes, lemon-dill carrots

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Recipe: Skillet Baked Ziti (Cook’s Illustrated/America’s Test Kitchen)

• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 6 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
• Table salt and ground black pepper
• 1 28-oz. can crushed tomatoes
• 3 cups water
• 12 oz. ziti (3 3/4 cups) *
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup minced fresh basil leaves
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

*I use whole-wheat pasta—still tasty, and healthier! I add an extra 1/2 cup of water if using whole-wheat.

Combine oil, garlic, pepper flakes, and 1/2 tsp. salt in 12-inch ovensafe nonstick skillet and sauté over medium-high heat until fragrant, about 1 minute.

Add tomatoes, water, ziti, and 1/2 tsp. salt. Cover and cook, stirring often and adjusting heat as needed to maintain a vigorous simmer, until ziti is almost tender, 15 to 18 minutes. (Note: this is a good time to grate your Parmesan and prep your basil.)

Stir in cream, Parmesan, and basil. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle mozzarella evenly over ziti. Transfer skillet to oven and bake at 475° until cheese has melted and browned, about 10 minutes.

(Note: if your 12-inch skillet isn’t ovensafe, you can transfer the pasta to a 2-quart casserole dish before sprinkling with mozzarella and baking.)

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