Baked Penne with Beef Mince

Try RICOTTA CHEESE instead of sour cream and skip the provolone for a real Italian version of Baked Ziti. Mix an egg into a pound of ricotta to make it nice and creamy, and toss with the ziti. Layer sauce first (so you don't need to butter the pan), then ziti/cheese, mozzarella, sprinkle with parm and a little dried oregano or basil, then repeat layers. For a really nice look, slice a brick of mozzarella for the top layer instead of using the shredded kind. This is SO MUCH BETTER than the sour cream version!  -  30 Nov 2004  (Review from Allrecipes USA and Canada)

Hey yo, what's up fellow cookers?? Check it...I hate when people give extraordinary recipes ratings that they don't deserve. I sort my recipies by "most helpful." Every person that I know who knows anything about cooking KNOWS to cover up whatever it is that they are baking so it won't dry up. Now that I got that off my chest, I just want to say that this is definitely "HALL OF FAME" material. I didn't make any changes to the recipe with the exception of how I layered it. I read some of the other reviews and decided to put the sauce mixture directly on top of the ziti, then add the cheese, sour cream and so forth. I even stirred the bottom layer of ziti and sauce together before I added anything else just to make sure that the sauce ran all through the noodles. I may try Ricotta cheese next time just to see the difference in taste or may mix Ricotta with the sour cream. Grease the pan real well before you put anything in it....or just use a non-stick cooking spray. If you like your meals cheesier, meatier or saucier, than you can add a little more, but that's strictly on your preference. Oh yeah.......keep in mind that this meal does make a huge dish so you might want to have a smaller baking dish on the side for any extra that doesn't fit in the first one. Better safe than sorry.....and trust...YOU WON'T BE SORRY FOR MAKING THIS AT ALL!!!!  -  21 Jul 2003  (Review from Allrecipes USA and Canada)

I'm rating this only a 3 star because the recipe doesn't tell you to bake it COVERED! I baked uncovered and it dried out. Not good, and certainly not "Hall of Fame" worthy. I'll try it again, but definitely covered when baking.  -  17 Oct 2002  (Review from Allrecipes USA and Canada)