Baked Ziti
Easy Baked Ziti made with pasta, mozzarella, Parmesan cheese, basil, and sausage in a creamy sauce. If you're looking for a meal to take to someone who had a baby or to a meal to make for company, this Italian Baked Ziti is delicious! It can be made with sausage or without meat.
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground Italian sausage
- 1 lb ziti, (rigatoni or penne can also be used)
- 1 (24-26 ounce) jar marinara sauce, (I like Rao's brand)
- 16 ounces cottage cheese, (1% fat)
- 1 1/2 cups shredded Mozzarella cheese
- 1 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
- 2 large eggs
- 1/4 cup chopped basil, (more for the top)
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasonings
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. The next two steps can be done at the same time (cooking the pasta in one pot and the sausage in another).
- Bring a large pot of salted water to boiling. Add about 1 tablespoon of salt and the pasta. Cook pasta about 5 minutes or to al dente (it will continue to cook in the oven). Drain in a colander.
- In a large skillet, brown sausage. Drain and cool.
- While pasta and sausage are cooking, in a large bowl, add 1 cup of the marinara sauce, the cottage cheese, 3/4 cup of the mozzarella cheese, 1 cup Parmesan cheese (save 1/4 cup for the top), eggs, and basil. Add the sausage when it is done cooking.
- In the same pot as the pasta or sausage (whichever pan is done being used first), add the heavy cream, cornstarch, garlic powder, and Italian seasonings and whisk together. Cook over medium heat until thickened about 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat and stir into cottage cheese and meat sauce mixture. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Add the pasta to the cottage cheese mixture and mix well. Pour into a 9x13 baking dish. Spread remaining marinara sauce on top. Top with remaining 3/4 cup mozzarella cheese, and sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese.
- Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake for another 10-15 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly. Garnish with more basil and serve.
Notes
If you like garlic, you can add a couple of cloves at the end of cooking the sausage. My marinara has a lot of garlic in it so I don't always add more.