pat's Recipe

Baked Ziti

Category: Baked

1 pound whole milk or 1 percent cottage
cheese (see note)
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
3 ounces grated Parmesan (1 1/2 cups)
salt
1 pound ziti or other short, tubular pasta
2 Tbsps olive oil
5 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed
(about 5 tsps)
1 (28 oz) can tomato sauce
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsps chopped fresh basil
1 tsp sugar
ground black pepper
3/4 tsp cornstarch
1 cup heavy cream
8 ounces low-moisture mozzarella cheese, cut
into 1/4-inch pieces (about 1 1/2 cups)

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk cottage cheese, eggs, and 1 cup Parmesan together in medium bowl; set aside. Bring 4 qts of water to boil in large Dutch oven over high heat. Stir in 1 Tbsp salt and pasta; cook, stirring occasionally, until pasta pasta begins to soften but is not yet cooked through, 5 to 7 minutes. Drain pasta and leave in colander (do not wash Dutch Oven).
2. Meanwhile, heat oil and garlic in 12-inch skillet over medium heat until garlic is fragrant but not brown, about 2 minutes. Stir in tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, and oregano; simmer until thickened, about 10 minutes. Off heat, stir in 1/2 cup basil and sugar, then season with salt and pepper.
3. Stir cornstarch into heavy cream in small bowl; transfer mixture to now-empty Dutch oven set over medium heat. Bring to simmer and cook until thickened, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove pot from heat and add cottage cheese mixture, 1 cup tomato sauce, and 3/4 cup mozzarella, then stir to combine. Add pasta and stir to coat thoroughly with sauce.
4. Transfer pasta mixture to 13x9-inch baking dish and spread remaining tomato sauce evenly over pasta. Sprinkle remaining 3/4 cup mozzarella and remaining 1/2 cup Parmesan over top. Cover baking dish tightly with foil and bake for 30 minutes.
5. Remove foil and continue to cook until cheese is bubbling and beginning to brown, about 30 minutes longer. Cool for 20 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining 2 Tbsps basil and serve.
Serves 8 to 10.

*note* Both the whole-milk and 1 percent cottage cheese produced acceptable results.....but nonfat cottage cheese leaves a grainy, watery slick at bottom of dish.....so skip the nonfat variety of cottage cheese