Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. When the oil gets hot (in a few moments), add the ground meat and season with a pinch of salt. Saute the meat, breaking up any large chunks with a wooden spoon.

Once the ground meat is browned, and in small chunks, add dried basil, parsley flakes, ground rosemary, dried thyme, pepper, and additional salt to taste. Saute for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Stir in tomato paste, canned chopped tomatoes, then add water. Simmer the sauce for about 7 to 10 minutes. While the sauce simmers, fluff the ricotta cheese with a fork.

While the sauce is simmering, parboil the pasta, cooking it for 2 minutes less than the package instructions. Drain the pasta.

Remove ½ cup of sauce, and spread it evenly on the bottom of the baking dish. Then, toss the drained pasta with the remaining sauce in the skillet.

Add half of the pasta to the baking dish. Evenly distribute half of the ricotta cheese over the pasta in small dollops.

Add the remaining pasta to the baking dish, and top evenly with the remaining ricotta cheese in small dollops.

Cover the baking dish with the aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes.

Remove from the oven, take off the foil, and sprinkle grated cheddar cheese over the top.

Return it to the oven and bake for a few more minutes until the cheese is melted and golden brown.