Baked Ziti

Ingredients:

• 1 lb ziti or penne
• 1 lb italian sausage (removed from casings if necessary)
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 5 tsp minced garlic
• 28 oz tomato sauce
• 14.5 oz diced tomatoes
• 1 tsp oregano
• ½ cup basil
• 1 tsp sugar
• salt
• pepper
• ½ lb grated mozzarella cheese
• 1 cup cottage cheese
• 1 cup grated parmesan cheese

Boil the pasta in salted water and drain. Heat the oven to 350.

Heat the olive oil over medium heat and add the garlic. Cook for a couple of minutes until fragrant, but not browned. Add the tomato sauce, tomatoes, oregano, bring to a simmer, and simmer for ten minutes. Stir in the basil and sugar, and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Meanwhile, heat a skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until almost carmelized, lowering the heat as necessary. Once the onion is close, bring the heat back to medium and add the sausage. Cook until the sausage is done.

Spread the cottage cheese across the bottom of a large, over-safe baking dish (we use a 4.5L pyrex dish). Mix the pasta, sausage, and sauce, then spread the mixture in the pan. Top with the mozzarella and parmesan and bake for 20 minutes. If you want a nicely browned top, you may want to finish it under the broiler for a couple of minutes.

Adapted from Cook's Illustrated and Simply Recipes. I'm still working on the timing here and the best way to manage the onion; I think the best plan at the moment is to start the onion, then start the water boiling, then start the sauce. Everything but the pasta can sit around for a bit while the rest finishes.