penne arrabiata di mozarella

penne arrabiata is one of my husband's favorite dishes.  when we lived in chicago, there was an italian restaurant across the street from our apartment that served a great arrabiata sauce- i've been trying to re-create their sauce for a while now and have come up with several different combinations.  the version i created tonight was far superior to my previous attempts and, as such, blog-worthy.  this version was also inspired by my grandma's delicious meat sauce- she taught me that processing the seasoning with the onions allows an equal flavor distribution in every bite- so with that wisdom - i decided to process my onions, shallots and garlic with the dried herbs in this sauce.  i think i finally captured the appropriate amount of spice :) - the recipe is posted below, enjoy...
ingredients:
3/4 of one yellow onion
6 cloves garlic
2 shallots
1 tsp thyme (dried)
1 tsp (italian seasoning blend)
1 tsp oregano (dried)
3.5 teaspoons crushed red pepper divided
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 teaspoon capers
1/2 tablespoon butter
evoo
1 28 oz can dei fratelli crushed tomatoes
1  mozarella round, diced
1 pound penne

directions:
quarter the onion and shallots and place in a food processor with the 6 cloves of garlic, thyme, oregano, capers, italian seasoning and 2 tsps crushed red pepper, process until smooth.  then transfer the mixture to a pre-heated pan with the melted butter and 1 swirl of evoo- heat over low-medium heat for 7 minutes to develop the sweetness in the onions- be cautious not to burn the garlic.  then, add the crushed tomatoes, 1.5 teaspoons crushed red pepper, cayenne pepper and salt and pepper- turn the heat down to low and simmer for 2 hours.  about 20 minutes before the sauce is done stewing, heat a pot of water over high for the penne and chop the mozarella into small cubes.  cook the penne until al dente and then immediately after straining mix each serving with about 1/4 cup of diced mozarella- the mozarella will melt into the pasta and continue melting as you pour the arrabiata sauce over top of it.  once the sauce is done stewing and removed from the heat, mix in about 20 freshly cut basil leaves before pouring on top of the mozarella infused penne.