Baked Pasta

Ingredients:

Red or pink sauce
500-750 grams Rotini pasta cooked al dente and drained
1 ball fresh mozzarella, cut into small chunks
parmesan cheese


Basic Red Sauce (you can use this sauce with any type of pasta)

1 small yellow onion, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 carrot, grated or minced
1 celery stalk, grated or minced
1-2 TBSP olive oil
1 lb hamburger (optional; if you want it vegetarian style, omit the meat)
Basil
Oregano
Parsley
Salt (a handful---Italians like their salt)
Pepper
1 29 oz can tomato sauce
1 8oz can tomato paste
½-1 cup water

Sauté onion, garlic, carrot, and celery in oil for a couple of minutes, then add hamburger and cook until browned.

Add tomato sauce, paste, and water as well as seasonings to taste and desired thickness. Use a generous amount of seasonings (I probably use at least a tablespoon of each). If you want to add a little spice, you can add some red pepper flakes.

Bring to a boil and then simmer covered on very low heat for 45-60 minutes.

When it is done, you can either leave it as is or add 1-2 cups whipping cream to make it a "pink sauce" With pink sauces, I prefer to not add meat.

The sauce can be made ahead.


In a 9x13 pan, spread a bit of sauce in the bottom so the noodles don't stick. Add half of the noodles. Cover generously with sauce. Put in half of the mozzarella cheese. Add the other half of the noodles, lots more sauce, the rest of the mozzarella cheese, and cover with parmesan cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes. As long as the cheese is really melted and has begun to brown, then it's done.


submitted by Cathi Harbertson