Cook Ziti pasta according to box directions (under cook by 1-2 minutes, it will finish cooking in sauce). Drain, but do not rinse. Try to time pasta cooking with finishing of sauce cooking.
Heat olive oil to med/high in large deep skillet (or dutch oven).
Remove casing from sausage, and brown in skillet (crumbling and breaking apart as it cooks).
Once sausage is nice and browned, remove from skillet (using slotted spoon) and set aside.
Add chopped onion to skillet (reduce heat to med) and saute for a couple minutes, scraping up brown bits from bottom of skillet. Add in fresh chopped garlic. Continue to sauté until onions are tender.
Add sausage back to skillet.
Add tomatoes (crushing by hand as you add them), tomato sauce, and dried spices.
Cook for approx 1/2 hour over med/low heat, stirring often.
Adjust spices to taste **(remember that you can add more chili flakes, but can't remove the heat if you over do it).
Add al-dente cooked pasta to sauce pot, simmer on low for approx 15 minutes.
Serve with freshly grated parmesan and chopped basil leaves (optional).