Baked Pasta with Marinara Sauce (25 servings)

¼ cup vegetable oil

1 ½ cups yellow onions, diced

1 cup tomato paste, canned

2 Tablespoons garlic, peeled

38 oz tomato sauce

38 oz diced tomatoes, canned

2 Tablespoons dried basil

1 Tablespoons dried oregano

1 Tablespoons dried thyme

1 dried bay leaf

1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

½ teaspoon ground black pepper

3 gallons water

3 pounds rotini pasta, dry, whole grain-rich

25 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded

Heat oil in 8-quart stock pot over high heat.

Add onions to oil and sauté until translucent.

Reduce heat to low, add tomato paste. Cook on low heat for 15 minutes.

Add garlic, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, basil, oregano, thyme, bay leaf, salt, and pepper.

Bring sauce to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer sauce for 1 hour and 30 minutes. Stir frequently to prevent burning.

Remove bay leaf. Blend sauce until smooth using immersion blender.

Portion sauce into two–12 inch by 20 inch by 4 inch pans. Store in refrigerator.

Bring water to rolling boil in large pot on stove top.

Add pasta to boiling water and cook for 8 minutes, or until al denté.

Remove pasta from boiling water and shock in ice water or cold running water immediately. After 1 minute, drain pasta.

Separate cooled pasta into two–12 inch by 20 inch by 4 inch pans. Cover tightly and store in refrigerator overnight.

Divide sauce. Set aside about 3 cups.

Mix cold pasta with remaining sauce in 18 inch by 26 inch by 9 inch food container until sauce is evenly distributed.

Portion 1 cup of pasta mixture for each serving in an oven proof serving tray.

Pour 2 tablespoons of the set aside sauce over each portion of pasta mixture.

Top each serving with 4 tablespoons of mozzarella cheese. Hold in refrigerator.

Preheat conventional oven to 350°F or convection oven to 325°F. Reheat pasta mixture for approximately 25 minutes.

Serve one–8.5 ounce oven proof container for each serving. If preparing for bulk service, use 1¼ cup for each serving.