How to Turn Last Week's C-Town Specials into One of the Best Foods I've Made

 Yesterday I invited Dylan over for dinner before I knew what to make, so I went to C-Town. The manager let me know the Heinz pickles I requested are in now. I wandered the aisles with only vague ideas of what to make. Luckily, I had bought all types of pasta earlier in the week because Ronzoni was 4/$3. And all I can ever improvise is pasta.

I decided something like baked ziti, but made only on a stove top, would be good. I got hot sausage, which was $1 off. I don't know why it seems to be on my receipt twice, two different ways. I got a can of Colavita crushed tomatoes, which they now carry for me at $1.50. I bought some frozen spinach because Laura told me I need to have Vitamin E if I want to quit being ugly in one specific way. Mozzarella was on sale. I already had the pasta. I also had some frozen onions that they sell and I like to keep on hand because, like I told Dylan, I'm never going to chop an onion for fewer than 6 people. I tasted one out of the bag and it tasted like an onion. You'd expect that from something whose only ingredient is "onions." I also threw in some garlic powder, a ton of pecorino romano, and some dried parsley. I got those at Key Food, but you can get them at C-Town too.

The resulting picture doesn't capture how good it was. I could only eat two bowls. Dylan could only eat two bowls. Afterward we had to digest, first with ouzo, then with negronis.

As for the recipe, I used the whole pound of ziti rigati, 3 sausages removed from their casing (8 oz), 8 oz of mozzarella (slivered), about 8 oz of frozen spinach, almost the whole 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes, a boatload of pecorino romano plus more at the table, a bit of the onions, and more garlic powder than usual. Cook the sausage and onions first, then add the spinach and garlic powder. When the spinach isn't frozen, add the tomatoes until it blends all together and is warm, then add pecorino romano. Once you combine the sauce and pasta, put the sliced mozzarella in and let it melt a little and then stir it while still heating it until it becomes really stringy and is in every bite.