Rigatoni Pasta Bake

Rich, hearty meat sauce... stringy gooey mozzarella... perfect pasta... I mean, really, what's not to love? I found this recipe for Rigatoni Pasta Bake on Pinterest, and because it looked so yummy, I decided to give it a try. I would like a bit more sauce to pasta ratio, but all-in-all, it turned out very good.

12 oz Rigatoni pasta
1 lb ground beef
1 lb Italian sausage
2 (15 oz cans) tomato sauce
28 oz can crushed tomatoes (I didn't use this)
1.5 Tbsp tomato paste
1.5 cups Mozzarella cheese
½ cup finely shredded Parmesan cheese
1 Tbsp garlic powder
2 Tbsps Italian seasoning
salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp sugar

In a large pot of boiling water, cook pasta according to package directions, until al dente.

In a large saucepan, brown ground beef and sausage until crumbly and cooked through. Stir in crushed tomatoes (if using), tomato sauce, and tomato paste.

Stir in garlic powder, Italian seasoning, sugar, salt and pepper. Allow to simmer 3-5 minutes, allowing the flavors to combine. Gently stir pasta into sauce.

Grease a 9 x 13 inch baking dish with cooking spray. Add half the pasta and sauce mixture to the baking dish. Sprinkle half the mozzarella and parmesan over the pasta. Repeat with a second layer.

Bake in preheated 325 oven, covered with foil, for 20-25 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 15-20 minutes, until hot and bubbly.