Anonymous
Post 08/05/2025 22:44     Subject: Am I the only middle aged mother who didn’t know “ziti” is just red/meat sauce and ricotta?

Anonymous wrote:What? Ziti is the noodle. You are referring to a casserole style dish that is typically referred to as "Baked Ziti", but there are a lot of ways to make baked ziti, too.




Did you even read the thread?
Anonymous
Post 08/05/2025 21:00     Subject: Am I the only middle aged mother who didn’t know “ziti” is just red/meat sauce and ricotta?

Anonymous wrote:Just mix in a few dollops of ricotta into a spaghetti for the same outcome. Creamy/cheesy less acidic red sauce.


Do not listen to this person.
Anonymous
Post 08/05/2025 20:52     Subject: Am I the only middle aged mother who didn’t know “ziti” is just red/meat sauce and ricotta?

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:We called it "mostaccioli" growing up. All the midwest Italian families served it at the Catholic church suppers, weddings, and funerals.


Yes, every Midwest party had baked mostaccioli in the 80s/90s. Maybe still - I don’t live there anymore.

I grew up in the Midwest and never heard of mostaccioli until I moved to Chicago. Its not a thing everywhere in the Midwest.


It is in the actual midwest (Chicago though St. Louis)

Maybe not in the northern plains and north central states like Wisconsin and Michigan.

But it is definitely called that in the actual midwest.


Well, ignorning the sheer ignorance of your statement re: actual Midwest (St. Louis is really the South) - I will say that Detroiters had baked mostaccioli in the 80s and 90s. Never really had ziti or penne until I moved East. Have Italian citizenship and travel there frequently and do not think I have ever seen ziti or penne al forno in Italy, but then I wouldn't be ordering it when there are so many hyper-local pasta shapes to try. Not all lasagne has ricotta, and you can do a great baked pasta with bechamel and a bit of grana or parm.


Michigan is east of the Mississippi. It is not midwest.

Spoken like a true southerner. You have no idea what you're talking about sweetheart.


Take this to another thread! This one is about baked ziti!
Anonymous
Post 08/05/2025 20:33     Subject: Am I the only middle aged mother who didn’t know “ziti” is just red/meat sauce and ricotta?

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:We called it "mostaccioli" growing up. All the midwest Italian families served it at the Catholic church suppers, weddings, and funerals.


Yes, every Midwest party had baked mostaccioli in the 80s/90s. Maybe still - I don’t live there anymore.

I grew up in the Midwest and never heard of mostaccioli until I moved to Chicago. Its not a thing everywhere in the Midwest.


It is in the actual midwest (Chicago though St. Louis)

Maybe not in the northern plains and north central states like Wisconsin and Michigan.

But it is definitely called that in the actual midwest.


Well, ignorning the sheer ignorance of your statement re: actual Midwest (St. Louis is really the South) - I will say that Detroiters had baked mostaccioli in the 80s and 90s. Never really had ziti or penne until I moved East. Have Italian citizenship and travel there frequently and do not think I have ever seen ziti or penne al forno in Italy, but then I wouldn't be ordering it when there are so many hyper-local pasta shapes to try. Not all lasagne has ricotta, and you can do a great baked pasta with bechamel and a bit of grana or parm.


Michigan is east of the Mississippi. It is not midwest.

Spoken like a true southerner. You have no idea what you're talking about sweetheart.
Anonymous
Post 08/05/2025 20:31     Subject: Am I the only middle aged mother who didn’t know “ziti” is just red/meat sauce and ricotta?

What? Ziti is the noodle. You are referring to a casserole style dish that is typically referred to as "Baked Ziti", but there are a lot of ways to make baked ziti, too.



Anonymous
Post 08/05/2025 16:53     Subject: Am I the only middle aged mother who didn’t know “ziti” is just red/meat sauce and ricotta?

My (non-Italian) midwestern mom made a mayonnaise- based pasta salad with ziti noodles. I am traumatized to this day from being served noodles the size of ziti covered in mayonnaise.

But this thread has made me think it may be time to cook some ziti on my own home, minus the mayonnaise.
Anonymous
Post 08/05/2025 16:50     Subject: Re:Am I the only middle aged mother who didn’t know “ziti” is just red/meat sauce and ricotta?

You’re all debating what “midwest” means when looking at a map with today’s boundaries, but it is a region that originated with the states that were known as the Northwest Territory after the Revolutionary War: Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan and Wisconsin. Later, as we expanded westward, we started using the term “midwest.”

“The US government, specifically the Census Bureau, defines the Midwest region as encompassing twelve states: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. This region is further divided into two divisions: the East North Central (Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin) and the West North Central (Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota).”

All of the states mentioned in this thread are in the Midwest.
Anonymous
Post 08/05/2025 16:35     Subject: Am I the only middle aged mother who didn’t know “ziti” is just red/meat sauce and ricotta?

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:We called it "mostaccioli" growing up. All the midwest Italian families served it at the Catholic church suppers, weddings, and funerals.


Yes, every Midwest party had baked mostaccioli in the 80s/90s. Maybe still - I don’t live there anymore.

I grew up in the Midwest and never heard of mostaccioli until I moved to Chicago. Its not a thing everywhere in the Midwest.


It is in the actual midwest (Chicago though St. Louis)

Maybe not in the northern plains and north central states like Wisconsin and Michigan.

But it is definitely called that in the actual midwest.


Well, ignorning the sheer ignorance of your statement re: actual Midwest (St. Louis is really the South) - I will say that Detroiters had baked mostaccioli in the 80s and 90s. Never really had ziti or penne until I moved East. Have Italian citizenship and travel there frequently and do not think I have ever seen ziti or penne al forno in Italy, but then I wouldn't be ordering it when there are so many hyper-local pasta shapes to try. Not all lasagne has ricotta, and you can do a great baked pasta with bechamel and a bit of grana or parm.


Michigan is east of the Mississippi. It is not midwest.
Anonymous
Post 08/05/2025 16:33     Subject: Am I the only middle aged mother who didn’t know “ziti” is just red/meat sauce and ricotta?

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:We called it "mostaccioli" growing up. All the midwest Italian families served it at the Catholic church suppers, weddings, and funerals.


Yes, every Midwest party had baked mostaccioli in the 80s/90s. Maybe still - I don’t live there anymore.

I grew up in the Midwest and never heard of mostaccioli until I moved to Chicago. Its not a thing everywhere in the Midwest.


It is in the actual midwest (Chicago though St. Louis)

Maybe not in the northern plains and north central states like Wisconsin and Michigan.

But it is definitely called that in the actual midwest.


Well, ignorning the sheer ignorance of your statement re: actual Midwest (St. Louis is really the South) - I will say that Detroiters had baked mostaccioli in the 80s and 90s. Never really had ziti or penne until I moved East. Have Italian citizenship and travel there frequently and do not think I have ever seen ziti or penne al forno in Italy, but then I wouldn't be ordering it when there are so many hyper-local pasta shapes to try. Not all lasagne has ricotta, and you can do a great baked pasta with bechamel and a bit of grana or parm.


Michigan is a northern state.
Anonymous
Post 08/05/2025 16:32     Subject: Am I the only middle aged mother who didn’t know “ziti” is just red/meat sauce and ricotta?

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:We called it "mostaccioli" growing up. All the midwest Italian families served it at the Catholic church suppers, weddings, and funerals.


Yes, every Midwest party had baked mostaccioli in the 80s/90s. Maybe still - I don’t live there anymore.

I grew up in the Midwest and never heard of mostaccioli until I moved to Chicago. Its not a thing everywhere in the Midwest.


It is in the actual midwest (Chicago though St. Louis)

Maybe not in the northern plains and north central states like Wisconsin and Michigan.

But it is definitely called that in the actual midwest.


Well, ignorning the sheer ignorance of your statement re: actual Midwest (St. Louis is really the South) - I will say that Detroiters had baked mostaccioli in the 80s and 90s. Never really had ziti or penne until I moved East. Have Italian citizenship and travel there frequently and do not think I have ever seen ziti or penne al forno in Italy, but then I wouldn't be ordering it when there are so many hyper-local pasta shapes to try. Not all lasagne has ricotta, and you can do a great baked pasta with bechamel and a bit of grana or parm.


St. Louis is exactly the middle of the country, the true midwest.

Wisconsin, Minnesota, etc are north central and not even a little bit mid or west.

Look at a map, please.
Anonymous
Post 08/05/2025 12:50     Subject: Am I the only middle aged mother who didn’t know “ziti” is just red/meat sauce and ricotta?

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:We called it "mostaccioli" growing up. All the midwest Italian families served it at the Catholic church suppers, weddings, and funerals.


Yes, every Midwest party had baked mostaccioli in the 80s/90s. Maybe still - I don’t live there anymore.

I grew up in the Midwest and never heard of mostaccioli until I moved to Chicago. Its not a thing everywhere in the Midwest.


It is in the actual midwest (Chicago though St. Louis)

Maybe not in the northern plains and north central states like Wisconsin and Michigan.

But it is definitely called that in the actual midwest.


Well, ignorning the sheer ignorance of your statement re: actual Midwest (St. Louis is really the South) - I will say that Detroiters had baked mostaccioli in the 80s and 90s. Never really had ziti or penne until I moved East. Have Italian citizenship and travel there frequently and do not think I have ever seen ziti or penne al forno in Italy, but then I wouldn't be ordering it when there are so many hyper-local pasta shapes to try. Not all lasagne has ricotta, and you can do a great baked pasta with bechamel and a bit of grana or parm.
Anonymous
Post 08/04/2025 13:00     Subject: Am I the only middle aged mother who didn’t know “ziti” is just red/meat sauce and ricotta?

OP isn't describing baked ziti, she's basically talking about pink sauce? It's just red or red meat sauce mixed with cream and ricotta. It doesn't require ziti pasta, you can use any pasta variety you want.

https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1017651-pasta-with-fresh-tomato-sauce-and-ricotta
Anonymous
Post 08/04/2025 00:18     Subject: Am I the only middle aged mother who didn’t know “ziti” is just red/meat sauce and ricotta?

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:We called it "mostaccioli" growing up. All the midwest Italian families served it at the Catholic church suppers, weddings, and funerals.


Yes, every Midwest party had baked mostaccioli in the 80s/90s. Maybe still - I don’t live there anymore.

I grew up in the Midwest and never heard of mostaccioli until I moved to Chicago. Its not a thing everywhere in the Midwest.


It is in the actual midwest (Chicago though St. Louis)

Maybe not in the northern plains and north central states like Wisconsin and Michigan.

But it is definitely called that in the actual midwest.


Cossettas in St. Paul makes excellent mostacciolli.

(I’m too much of a conflict-avoidant Midwesterner to take the bait and defend Minnesota as being part of the “actual Midwest” 😂)


Well, if Minnesota calls it mostacciolli then tgey can be considered part of the midwest too, even if they are too far north to actually be midwest
Anonymous
Post 08/03/2025 11:47     Subject: Am I the only middle aged mother who didn’t know “ziti” is just red/meat sauce and ricotta?

Just mix in a few dollops of ricotta into a spaghetti for the same outcome. Creamy/cheesy less acidic red sauce.
Anonymous
Post 08/03/2025 00:02     Subject: Am I the only middle aged mother who didn’t know “ziti” is just red/meat sauce and ricotta?

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:We called it "mostaccioli" growing up. All the midwest Italian families served it at the Catholic church suppers, weddings, and funerals.


Yes, every Midwest party had baked mostaccioli in the 80s/90s. Maybe still - I don’t live there anymore.

I grew up in the Midwest and never heard of mostaccioli until I moved to Chicago. Its not a thing everywhere in the Midwest.


It is in the actual midwest (Chicago though St. Louis)

Maybe not in the northern plains and north central states like Wisconsin and Michigan.

But it is definitely called that in the actual midwest.


Cossettas in St. Paul makes excellent mostacciolli.

(I’m too much of a conflict-avoidant Midwesterner to take the bait and defend Minnesota as being part of the “actual Midwest” 😂)