• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil ( about 1 tablespoon of kosher salt), and cook the pasta until al dente. Don’t overcook your pasta. In fact, you want it a little undercooked, so cook it for the shortest amount of time offered on the package.

While the pasta cooks, you can prepare the rest of the dish.

• Next, add the marinara sauce, diced tomatoes, basil, parsley, salt, and pepper in a large saucepan. Place it on the stove over medium-high heat and let it simmer for 10 minutes.
• Then, in a mixing bowl, combine the ricotta and parmesan cheese, season with Italian seasoning, a pinch of salt and black pepper. Add parsley and basil and stir to combine.

Let’s prepare the toppings:

• In a small bowl, combine breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese, add some basil, and parsley. I also like to have freshly shredded mozzarella cheese easily accessible.

By now, the pasta is cooked.

• Preheat oven to 350ºF
• Remove the pasta from the stove, drain it, and place it in a baking dish. Then, pour half of the sauce and stir to combine. Add mozzarella cheese and incorporate. Place lumps of the ricotta mixture all over the pasta and fold in gently, just enough to mix.
• Add the remaining sauce, sprinkle the basil, and mix just enough to combine. Add the remaining sauce, sprinkle with the basil and parsley, and spread it.
• Then, let’s cover the top with a combination of breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese, and the remaining mozzarella cheese.
• Bake covered for 20 minutes, then uncover and bake for another 15-20 minutes or until pasta is bubbly and cheese is melted and browned.
• Sprinkle with parsley. Let stand for 5 minutes, then serve.