Course: Main
Total Time: 1 hour
Servings: 10 servings (makes one 9x13" dish)
Cuisine: American, Italian
INGREDIENTS
300g or 10oz ziti, penne or rigatoni pasta
1 tbsp olive oil
3 garlic cloves
1 small onion
500g / 1 lb ground beef or pork (you can also use 50/50)
1 jar tomato passata
1/2 cup water
1 tsp EACH dried basil, oregano, sugar
1 cup ricotta
1 cup grated mozzarella cheese
1 cup parmesan
Finely chopped parsley or basil
TO MAKE
Cook pasta for the recommended cooking time on the packet MINUS 2 minutes. Drain, then return to pot.
Preheat oven to 350F.
Make Sauce: Heat oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add onion and garlic and cook for 2 minutes or until onion is translucent.
Add meat and cook, breaking it up as you go. When it is just cooked, add any additional seasonings you like and cook for 2 minutes.
Add passata, water, basil, oregano and sugar. Bring to simmer, reduce heat to low and cook for 10 minutes. Adjust salt and pepper to taste (remember it gets spread across lots of pasta).
Toss Ziti with Sauce: Pour about 2 cups of sauce into the pot with the ziti. Toss.
Assemble: Spread ziti into baking dish (23x33cm / 9×13"). Dollop with ricotta. Pour over remaining sauce. Top with cheese and parmesan.
Bake: Cover loosely with foil. Bake 20 minutes. Remove foil, bake further 10 to 15 minutes until cheese is golden.
Serve: Sprinkle with parsley or basil if desired, then serve!