Dinner: Baked Pasta

On cold winter nights when I am feeling less than ambitious, I make Baked Pasta. Baked Pasta is a commoner's dish that makes me feel comfortably common. Rather than follow the recipe for the red sauce below, you should take liberties and make your own (even if it's canned). I have several friends who may shun this particular red sauce (including my near and dear husband). But it is what it is. And it is easy to me. (On a side note-- this is a great make-it-in-the-morning-so-you-can-throw-it-in-the-oven-at-night dish.)

1/2 lb. ground beef (or more if you are a meat lover...which I am not)
1 small white or yellow onion, diced
28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
14 oz. can tomato sauce
2 tablespoons minced basil (or 2 tsp. dried basil)
1/4 cup brown sugar
salt to taste
1 pound pasta-boiled and drained (use whatever shape you have on hand--I generally use penne or farfalle)
shredded mozzarella cheese (I use 1 pound--but you may use as much as you want, depending on how cheesy you are.)

Brown ground beef with onion. Drain fat (unless you are trying to fatten your children...which is one of my current goals). Add crushed tomatoes, sauce, basil, brown sugar, and salt. Simmer sauce while you boil pasta and shred cheese. Put a ladle full of sauce in the bottom of a casserole dish or 9X13 pan. Layer sauce, pasta, and cheese, in no particular order. But, do top with last bit of sauce and last bit of cheese. Bake when good and ready, at 350° until bubbling. Serve alongside crusty bread (that you bought...because you didn't have time to bake any).