I have a lot of “hobbies” – another of which is cooking/baking/experimenting in the kitchen.  The following is an original concocted by my hubby and I:

SOUTHWESTERN BAKED ZITI

Ingredients:

2 T Olive Oil
2 – 3 cloves of garlic, minced or crushed
3 1/2 c whole tomatoes (I used fresh tomatoes, but you could use from a can too)
28 oz can of tomato sauce
4 T tomato paste
2 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
a sprinkle of basil and oregano
10 oz Rotel (diced tomatoes and peppers) *
4 links of Jalapeno and Cheddar Polish Sausage, browned*
150 slices (3 pkgs) of pepperoni
8 oz Mozzarella Cheese
1 cup Parmesan
4 oz Mexican Cheese, shredded
16 oz box of penne or ziti

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees F.  Coat a 13x9x2-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Sauce.  Heat oil in a 3-quart saucepan over medium heat.  Add garlic  and cook for one minute.  Stir in whole tomatoes and their juice, breaking tomatoes apart with your hands or a wooden spoon.  Stir in tomato sauce, tomato paste, sugar, salt, pepper, basil and oregano.  Simmer, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes.
3. Remove pan from heat.  Stir in Rotel.
4. Ziti and Cheese.  Boil noodles for 10 minutes.  Drain and transfer to a large bowl.  Add half the sauce to bowl with ziti and meats and stir to coat.  Pour ziti mixture into prepared dish and top with remaining sauce and sprinkle with cheeses.
5. Bake at 375 degrees F for 20 to 25 minutes or until bubbly and lightly browned.

*For a more “Plain Jane” version, substitute diced tomatoes for the Rotel and plain Polish sausage.

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