Preheat your oven to 190°C (170°C fan) and boil the pasta. Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a rolling boil. Add the ziti and cook for 2 minutes less than the packet instructions — it should be firm to the bite, with a pale white core when you cut a piece open. The pasta will finish cooking in the sauce and oven, so resist the urge to overcook it now. Drain the pasta, reserving about 250ml of the starchy pasta water, then drizzle with a little olive oil to stop it sticking.

Make the tomato sauce. In a large, heavy-based saucepan, warm the olive oil over a medium heat. Add the chopped onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until it turns soft and translucent — this should take around 6–8 minutes, and you’ll smell a sweet, gentle aroma. Stir in the minced garlic and cook for another minute until it becomes fragrant, but not coloured. Pour in the tinned tomatoes and passata, then add the oregano, basil, salt, and pepper. Bring the sauce to a gentle simmer — you’ll see small bubbles breaking the surface — and let it cook for 10 minutes, stirring now and then. The sauce will darken slightly and thicken, releasing a rich, herby scent.

Prepare the ricotta mixture. While the sauce simmers, tip the ricotta into a medium mixing bowl. Add the egg and a generous pinch of salt, then stir until smooth and fully combined. The mixture should look pale and creamy, with a slight sheen from the egg.

Combine the pasta and sauce. Pour the drained ziti into the saucepan with the tomato sauce. Add about 100ml of the reserved pasta water and stir well, making sure every tube is coated in that glossy, red sauce. You’ll see the sauce cling to the pasta, and the aroma will be deeply savoury. If the sauce seems too thick, add a splash more pasta water — it should be loose enough to coat the pasta without being watery.

Layer the ziti in the baking dish. Spoon half of the sauced pasta into a 9x13 inch baking dish, spreading it into an even layer. Dollop half of the ricotta mixture over the top in small spoonfuls — don’t spread it; you want little pockets of creamy cheese. Scatter over half of the torn mozzarella and a third of the grated Parmesan. Repeat with the remaining pasta, then dollop the rest of the ricotta, scatter the remaining mozzarella, and finish with the final third of Parmesan.

Bake until golden and bubbling. Place the dish on the middle rack of the oven, uncovered, and bake for 30–35 minutes. Around the 20-minute mark, you’ll hear a gentle bubbling sound and see the edges beginning to brown. By the time it’s done, the cheese on top will be a deep, patchy gold, with darker spots where the mozzarella has caramelised. The sauce will be bubbling up around the sides of the dish, and the whole kitchen will smell like a rustic Italian trattoria.

Rest before serving. Remove the dish from the oven and let it rest on a wire rack for 10 minutes. This is crucial — the layers need time to settle, or the ziti will slide apart when you serve it. During this time, the cheese will set slightly, and the sauce will thicken further. Garnish with torn fresh basil leaves if you like, then scoop out generous portions.