Baked Penne

serves 5 or 6 

about 1 hour 

preheat oven to 350 degrees 

about half a 900gr (almost 2lb) package Penne or ziti pasta, cooked al dente and drained 

1lb ground beef 

1/2 lb raw sausage (Italian or garlic, or your favourite but NOT smoked), casings removed, crumbled

1tsp butter or hard margarine, or olive oil 

1 onion, diced 

1 cup shredded carrot 

1/4 cup (or more) diced sweet pepper (I used orange, figured the kids would think it was carrot) 

1/2 tsp salt
good sprinkle seasoning salt 

1/2 tsp garlic powder, or 1 clove garlic, minced 

1 can diced tomatoes, with juice 

2 Tbsp. tomato paste (you can freeze the leftovers) 

1 Tbsp Ketchup (I don't know why, but it was in the recipe. And lest my mother die of shame, this is NOT the secret ingredient.) 

1 tsp Italian seasoning 

1/4 tsp lemon pepper 

1 tsp oregano 

1 tsp celery salt (NOT celery SEED – they are not interchangeable) 

1/2 tsp sugar 

1/2 tsp lemon zest 

dash of sherry or red wine 

1 (cup?) cheddar cheese 

Brown onions, carrot, fresh garlic if using, in the tsp of butter. Cook until the onions are soft and clear. Add the sweet peppers, and cook for a minute longer. Add in the ground beef and sausage and cook until no pink remains. Drain any fat from the pan, if you would like to. Season with salt, seasoning salt and garlic powder if using.

Add in the rest of the ingredients, EXCEPT for the cheese.

Stir together well. Bring to a boil, then simmer for about 20 minutes. The longer you simmer the sauce, the better it will taste. But since this is a 'hurry up' meal, you can get away with just simmering for just a little while.

Mix the pasta in with the sauce, give it a good stir, and pour into an 8 cup casserole dish. Sprinkle the top with cheese, if you have any left. Bake for about 20 to 25 minutes, until the cheese is melted. Enjoy! Leftovers reheat well, and this freezes well too.