Baked Ziti

Ingredients
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 large white onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, lightly crushed with the side of a knife blade, and minced
1 (29 to 32-ounce) can crushed red tomatoes in puree
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves, plus about 6 small sprigs for garnish
1 tablespoon dried Italian seasoning
Salt
1 pound dried ziti pasta
1 cup (about 6 ounces) shredded mozzarella
1 cup (about 6 ounces) shredded Parmesan
(to make it vegan, use vegan cheese)

Optional:
I added vegetarian breakfast sausage patties, chopped up, a small can of sliced olives with the juice, and I sauteed sliced mushrooms with the onions.

Directions
Heat canola oil in a saute pan over medium heat and add onion (mushrooms) and garlic. Saute until the onions become translucent. Add tomatoes, parsley, basil, and Italian seasoning. Cover and let simmer about 25 minutes.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Bring a pot of water to boiling for the pasta. Add salt and pasta and boil until pasta is al dente - about 10 minutes.

Drain pasta well stir into pot of sauce. Transfer 1/2 to a baking dish and top with cheeses. At this time, you may add spinach, (cooked & squeezed dry, or steamed vegetables, if you'd like). Pour remainging pasta and sauce on top. Top with more cheese. Bake until cheese is melted.