Creamy Cottage Cheese Ziti
Creamy cottage cheese ziti combines tender pasta, rich tomato sauce, cottage cheese, and melted mozzarella in an easy Italian-American family casserole.
Equipment
- Large pot
- Mixing bowl
- oven
- Wooden spoon
Ingredients
- 340 grams ziti pasta or rigatoni
- 680 grams marinara sauce
- 450 grams cottage cheese
- 225 grams mozzarella cheese shredded and divided
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt for the pasta water
- Olive oil cooking spray for greasing
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 175°C (350°F).
- Lightly grease a medium baking dish with olive oil cooking spray.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
- Add the ziti and cook until just al dente according to the package instructions.
- Drain the pasta thoroughly in a colander.
- Combine the cooked pasta, marinara sauce, cottage cheese, and half of the mozzarella in a mixing bowl.
- Stir gently until the pasta is evenly coated.
- Transfer the pasta mixture to the prepared baking dish.
- Sprinkle the remaining mozzarella evenly over the top.
- Bake uncovered for 30–35 minutes until the sauce is bubbling and the cheese is melted.
- Remove the baked ziti from the oven.
- Let it rest for 5 minutes before serving.