400g (14 oz)tomato puree (alternatively use chopped tomatoes and a tablespoon of tomato paste)
handful fresh basil leaves and stalks
pinch of sugar
salt and pepperto taste
For the pizza pasta bake
500g (1lb) Fussili pasta (cooked + reserve 1 cup of cooking water)
100g (3.5oz) pepperoni/salami
1-2cups grated/shredded mozzarella cheese
handful fresh basil leaveschopped
Instructions
Pre-heat the oven to 200ºC/400ºF.
To make the sauce, sweat the onions, garlic and oregano in a few tablespoons of olive oil until soft and translucent.
Add the tomatoes, basil (I use a medium bunch that I can remove from the sauce once cooked) and seasoning and allow to simmer for 5 minutes until slightly reduced. Adjust seasoning if necessary.
Slice 3/4 of the pepperoni/salami (reserving a few slices for presentation).
Add the cooked pasta (and stir in some of the reserved pasta cooking water). Add the sliced salami to the pasta with the sliced basil.
Transfer half of the pasta to an oven-proof dish, add half of the cheese then the remainder of the pasta and cheese. Top with the rest of the pepperoni/salami and place in the oven to bake for 10 minutes or until the cheese has melted.
Remove from the oven, top with more basil and serve.