four cheese baked pasta

INGREDIENTS

12 oz penne or ziti
For the sauce–
3/4 lb ground italian sausage (I used 1 lb)
32 oz can tomatoes in puree, chopped*
1 onion, chopped (I used 1/2 of a large onion)
1 carrot, chopped (I omitted)
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon oregano
pepper and salt to taste

For the cheese mixture–
15 ounce ricotta cheese (I used fat free ricotta)
5 oz frozen chopped spinach, thawed (I used 10 oz box)
1 egg
4 oz grated Parmesan cheese (It was about 1-1/2 cups for me)
4 oz asiago cheese, grated (I used a 5oz block)
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg (I used 1/4 tsp)

mozzarella cheese, finely shredded

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 9×13-inch baking dish. Cook pasta until almost al dente. Set aside.
In a large bowl, mix together all of the ingredients of the cheese mixture. Set aside.
Heat oil in large saucepan. Add onion, garlic and carrot, red pepper flakes and sauté until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. And the ground beef and sauté until almost cooked through. Drain off any rendered fat if needed. Mix in tomato paste, tomato chunks in puree and oregano. Simmer until mixture thickens slightly, stirring occasionally, covered, about 10 minutes. Stir in 1/4 cup Parmesan. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Spread a small amount of tomato sauce over bottom of the dish. Top with some pasta. Dot with cheese mixture. (I also sprinkled a layer of mozzarella cheese too instead of just on top.) Repeat layers. Cover with foil and bake until heated through, about 35-40 minutes. Remove the foil and cook about 2-3 minutes to brown the cheese on top. Allow to sit a few minutes before serving.