Baked Pasta with Marinara Sauce

I'm starting my Italian cooking with the basic marinara sauce. I'm always scared to cook Italian because my husband always complain that the pastas are not cooked al dente. I found out the mistake im doing and i finally got the courage to cook it again. It was just gorgeous to look and just melted in my mouth. And finally he loved it and cant wait to cook it again. The melted and broiled mozzarella cheese just melts in your mouth and pasta covered in parmesan cheese, there is nothing that can beat this simple mouth watering recipe.

I tried this recipe with canned tomatoes, they give the sauce a nice color. Try with fresh tomatoes, half diced and half crushed in food processor. Make the marinara sauce in advance and save in airtight container in refrigerator, so when making this recipe just make pasta and mix with sauce. Baking is just to give melt the cheese and they taste like heaven. Try this recipe you'll never go wrong with this one.


Ingredients :
1 cup of penne pasta
1 small onion
1 can of 14.5 oz. diced tomatoes
1 can of 8 oz.  crushed tomatoes
Fresh basil - 1/2 cup or 1 tsp dried basil 
Garlic - 3 cloves
Olive oil - 2 tbsp
Pepper - 2 tsp
Sugar - 1 tbsp
Salt - to taste
Fresh Parmesan cheese - 1/4 cup ((shredded)
Fresh mozzarella cheese - 4oz (cut to slices) around 1/2 cup

Method :
Recipe for Marinara Sauce :

1. Heat oil in a medium sized pan, add garlic and saute till its golden and add the tomatoes, 1/4th cup of basil, salt, sugar, 1 tsp of pepper. 
2. Once it starts to boil simmer it and cook for 30 minutes stirring occasionally. When all the water from the tomatoes gets evaporated and the sauce thickens switch off the flame.
3. 3/4th of the prepared sauce will be used for this recipe. Remaining can be stored in airtight container in the refrigerator.

Cooking Pasta : 

1. While making marinara sauce, heat water in a large pan. When the water starts to boil add 3 tbsp of salt, 1 tbsp of oil and the penne pasta.
2. Cook for 10 minutes and drain the pasta in a strainer. Also save a 1/4th cup of pasta water. 
3. When the pasta is still hot mix with parmesan and marinara sauce. Add 1 tsp of salt and pepper, 1/4 cup of fresh basil, pasta water and mix. Add sauted onoins.
4. Place remaining 1/4th sauce on top. Sprinkle some parmesan cheese on top and place the sliced mozarrella cheese.
5. The dish is ready now. You can serve as it is. 
6. Just to make it extra special, preheat oven for 400F and bake for 10 minutes.
7. Last 30 sec turn the broiler on, so the cheese gets golden color on the top.

Note :

• I didnt have fresh basil so i used dry basil. It was good too.
• Add 1/4 tsp of chilli flakes in the pasta to make it little spicier.