Cajun Chef's Baked Ziti

Ok! I'm back and I'm giving you the best laid plans for best Baked Ziti you can get because its fresh and home made!!

Cooking time: about 55 minutes depending on if you are using gas or electricity.

Ingredients
• 1 pound ziti (can sub with penne zita) pasta
• EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)
• 1 pound bulk Italian sausage or ground beef or pork
• 1 large onion, chopped ( I like to use Vidalia’s because of the sweetness)
• 3-4 garlic cloves, chopped (or use minced garlic in the jar, spice world is good)
• 1 Tbsp fresh rosemary, minced
• 1 Tbsp fresh basil, minced
• 1 Tbsp Italian seasoning
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• T Tbsp Herbs De Province
The oregano, basil and thyme is your basic Italian seasoning like McCormick has 
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 large jar of marinara sauce (about 32 ounces) or make your own see recipe below
• 1/2 pound of mozzarella cheese, grated
• 1 heaping cup of ricotta cheese
• 1 cup grated pecorino cheese, or you can use parmesan

Cooking method
Bring a large pot of water to a strong boil. Add about a tablespoon of sea salt for every 2 quarts of water. Add the pasta and boil, uncovered, until the pasta is al dente and drain. Toss with a little olive oil so the pasta does not stick together while you make the sauce.

Pour about a tablespoon of olive oil into a large sauté pan on medium-high to heat, when the oil is hot, add the bulk sausage or ground meat.

Don't crowd the pan, work in batches if needed, crowding the pan will give you uneven cooking areas. 

Break up any large chunks of sausage as it cooks. Brown well. Don't stir that often or it will be more difficult for the meat to brown. If you are using ground beef or pork instead of sausage, add a little kosher salt. When the meat is mostly browned, add the onions and stir well to combine.

Sauté everything until the onions are translucent and beginning to brown, usually about 4-5 minutes, depending on the cooking medium (gas or electric).

Add the garlic, rosemary and basil, Italian seasoning and red pepper flakes and stir to combine. Cook another minute or so, then add the marinara sauce and stir well. Bring to a simmer.

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spread a thin layer of sauce in the bottom of a 9x13-inch casserole pan, then dot the surface with half the ricotta cheese. Ladle in some sauce with the pasta, mix it well and add the pasta into the casserole. Pour the rest of the sauce over the pasta, dot the remaining ricotta cheese over the pasta, and sprinkle on top both the mozzarella, pecorino cheese and herbs de province.

Bake in the oven until the top is nicely browned, about 20 minutes.

Marinara sauce
1 tablespoon good olive oil
1 cup chopped yellow onion
1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
1/2 cup good red wine, like a nice Chianti
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes, or plum tomatoes in puree, chopped
1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions 
Heat the olive oil in a large (12-inch) skillet. Add the onion and sauté over medium heat until translucent, usually about 5 to 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for about a minute more. Add the wine and cook on high heat, scraping up all the brown bits in the pan, until almost all the liquid evaporates, about 3 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, parsley, salt, and pepper. Cover, and simmer on the lowest heat for 15 minutes.