Baked Ziti (No cans allowed!)

You could make ziti with a box of pasta and a can of pasta sauce.... or you could start off a grocery trip by saying "Chris, don't kill me when I tell you how many tomatoes we need.." 

We bought 8, to be exact. And they all got diced.

To make 4-ish servings, you're gonna need...

1/2 pound ziti

1/2 cup shredded mozzarella+ (ok, I love cheese)

1/4 cup grated parmesan

1 tbsp olive oil

1/2 onion (about 3/4 cup)

1 tbsp minced garlic

1 tsp basil

1 tsp oregano

1/2 tsp thyme

1/2 tsp pepper 

...and keep all those spices out, to add more as you'd like :)

2 bay leaves

1/8 cup red wine

6-8 medium tomatoes, chopped

1/2 tbsp honey

1 tsp sea salt

1/2 pound lean ground beef

Follow these steps...

1. Preheat oven to 350.

2. Cook pasta according to box.

3. Mix cheeses together in a bowl and set aside.

4. Heat olive oil over medium heat. Saute onion until translucent. Add garlic and brown slightly. Add spices listed above, bay leaves, and red wine.

5. Add chopped tomatoes and reduce heat to low. Simmer for one hour or until thickened.

6. While sauce is simmering, saute ground beef over medium-high heat. Drain. Add to sauce with honey and sea salt. Simmer and additional 15 minutes.

7. Layer cooked pasta, sauce, and cheese in a baking dish. Bake until the cheese melts and sauce is bubbling.