Baked Ziti with Feta

Ingredients

• 1 pound ziti or penne
• 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 1 (15 ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 3 tablespoons dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 2 teaspoons parsley
• 1 (16 ounce) container sour cream
• 14 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
• ¾ cup Parmesan cheese, shredded and divided
• 2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded and divided

Instructions

1. Cook the pasta until it's just tender — usually a minute or two less than the package says. Drain it, dump it back in the pot, and stir in the sour cream, feta, ¼ cup Parmesan, and parsley. The heat from the pasta will melt the cheese, so you don't need to fight another dish.
2. Add the crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, sugar, salt, thyme, and red pepper flakes to a saucepan. Bring it to a simmer and let it bubble away for 10 minutes. The sugar cuts the acidity of the canned tomatoes — you'll taste the difference.
3. Butter your baking dish. Spoon about a cup of the tomato sauce into the bottom before adding anything else. This keeps everything from sticking.
4. Add half the pasta and cheese mixture, then half the remaining sauce. Sprinkle with 1 cup mozzarella and ¼ cup Parmesan.
5. Layer on the rest of the pasta, the rest of the sauce, and the remaining mozzarella and Parmesan.
6. Cover loosely with foil and bake at 350°F for 45 minutes. Pull the foil back, turn on the broiler, and cook for about 5 minutes until the top has browned spots and looks set.