Meaty Baked Ziti!

I've been bad about posting recipes.  But I'm proud of this one I made this week! (Plus, I'm waiting for my iPhone to finish syncing before I can go buy the ingredients for my 4th of July cupcakes.  More on that if they turn out...)

Not exactly a light summer meal, but a great dish. Serves about 4 and can take up to 2 hours of simmering and baking to make, but it's well worth it.

Meaty Baked Ziti

• 1 medium onion, minced
• 2-3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 1/2 lb. ground beef
• ~2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 8 oz cans of tomato sauce
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 1 cup red wine (Cabernet works - I used Merlot but it turned out a little sweet)
• ~1 tbsp each of:  oregano, rosemary, marjoram, basil (fresh is always better (double the quantity), but I'm cheap and dried works too)
• salt/pepper
• juice of 1/2 lemon
• 2 tsp sugar
• 1/2 lb ziti
• 1 1/2 c shredded mozzarella

1. Heat olive oil over medium heat.  Saute onion and garlic until they start to get translucent.  Add beef and brown it.  Drain the fat if you'd like. 
2. Add the tomato sauce, herbs, a healthy dose of salt/pepper, wine, sugar and lemon juice.  Stir everything together and simmer together, mixing occasionally, for 30-45 minutes until the sauce starts to thicken.  (As the sauce is cooking and melding, give it a taste.  Adjust salt, sugar, spices to your taste.)
3. While the sauce is thickening, boil/cook/drain the pasta.  Put the cooked pasta in a rectangular baking dish.
4. Preheat oven to 325.
5. When the sauce is ready, mix in 1/2 cup mozzarella and melt together.  Pour everything into the baking dish with the pasta and stir to distribute.  Top with remaining cheese, cover with foil, and bake for another 30 minutes.
6. Before serving, remove the foil, turn on the broiler, and broil for ~3-5 minutes until the top is browned.
7. Enjoy!!!