500g (1lb)ziti / or other hollow pasta of your choice
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 200°C/390°F. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
In a saucepan, saute the onion in a splash of olive oil until soft and translucent. Add the garlic and cook for another 30 seconds.
Add the tomatoes, stock, basil, sugar, salt and pepper then bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat and allow to cook for 7-10 minutes until the sauce has reduced slightly.
While the sauce cooks, combine the ingredients for the cheese cream and set aside.
Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook for 7-8 minutes. The pasta should be very firm still as it will continue cooking in the oven. Reserve ½ cup cooking water then drain the pasta.
Combine the cooked pasta with the tomato sauce and a few tablespoons of pasta cooking water. At this point the pasta needs to be quite wet and saucy.
Transfer half of the pasta to a suitable baking dish. Dollop on the cheese mixture and top with the remaining pasta. Add the rest of the mozzarella cheese then cover with foil.
Place in the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes until hot and bubbling. Remove the foil and bake for another 5-10 minutes or until the cheese is golden brown on top.
Remove from the oven, garnish with basil (optional) and allow to cool for 5 minutes before serving.