Ziti-batiti

For dinner tonight I made a baked ziti with sausage and spinach. Can you tell that I like sausage and spinach? I kind of improved a recipe that goes something like this:



Baked Ziti
1 lb penne pasta
1 lb Italian sausage, casing removed
3 cups of your favorite red sauce (or Quick Marinara Sauce recipe below)
1 1/2 cups spinach, chopped
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated
2 cups mozzarella, grated
salt & pepper to taste
crushed red pepper to taste
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. Bring a large pot of water to boil, salt generously, and boil the pasta until al dente. Drain.
3. While pasta water is boiling, brown casing-less sausage. Mix in large bowl with chopped spinach. Mix in red sauce, cooked pasta, parmesan, and 1/2 cup mozzarella. Season with salt, pepper, and red pepper. Mix well until combined.
4. Transfer to a 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Cover with remaining 1 1/2 cup mozzarella. Cover with tin foil.
5. Bake 15 minutes, then remove foil and continue baking until lightly browned on top.

QUICK MARINARA SAUCE

2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 medium onion, diced (about 3 tablespoons)
3 cloves garlic, chopped
3 1/2 cups whole, peeled, canned tomatoes in puree, (one 28-ounce can), roughly chopped
Sprig of fresh thyme
Sprig of fresh basil
2 tsp kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper

1. Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Saute the onion and garlic, stirring, until lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes and the herb sprigs and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes.
2. Remove and discard the herb sprigs. Stir in the salt and season with pepper to taste. Use now, or store covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 2 months.