How Sweet Is That?'s Baked Pasta

This is one of those recipes that I have used for the last twenty plus years. It can easily be doubled so you can put one in the freezer to bake another night.  I like to use it for a meatless dinner or a side dish for ham etc.  I love the bit of nutmeg in it, it really changes it up from the usual baked pastas. 

Ingredients

1/2 lb. (250g) pasta, such as penne, ziti, rotini or (my favorite) rigatoni
1/4 cup butter
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups milk
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
pinch of cayenne pepper
1/2 lb. (250g) ricotta cheese
2 cups grated mozzarella cheese
1 - 28oz (796ml) tin diced tomatoes, drained
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

Method

1) Cook pasta.  Rinse with cold water.  Drain well.  Reserve.
2) To prepare sauce, melt butter in a large saucepan.  Add garlic and onion and cook 3 to 4 minutes. 
3) Add flour and cook 3 minutes, stirring often.
4) Add milk, salt, pepper, nutmeg and cayenne.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat.  Cook gently 5 minutes. 
5) Combine pasta with sauce, ricotta, mozzarella, tomatoes and parsley.
6) Pour into a 9" x 13" dish or casserole.  Sprinkle with parmesan cheese. 
7) Bake in a preheated 350* oven for 25 to 30 minutes until bubbling and brown. 

Yield: 6 to 8 servings