
You’ll likely need to add 1-2 hours extra of cooking time. Make sure to drain the cottage cheese before adding it to the recipe.ĭouble or triple this baked ziti recipe: If you’re feeding a large crowd, this is an easy recipe to double or triple the ingredients. The flavor and texture will be slightly different.

Substitute cottage cheese – To lower the fat and bump up the protein, you can swap out the ricotta cheese for cottage cheese 1:1. You don’t always have to do this, however, some brands of ricotta have more water than others, so if you notice extra liquid, then drain the ricotta using a mesh strainer before adding to the pasta. If there’s a lot of water, pour the ricotta cheese into a mesh strain and drain the liquid. It’s done when it’s hot in the middle, cheese is ooey-gooey, and the sides are hot and bubbly!ĭrain the ricotta: As mentioned earlier, some ricotta cheese brands contain more liquid than others. This gives the cheese a chance to melt and get all ooey-gooey. Take the foil off with about 5 minutes left.Then, cover with foil and bake for 1 hour in a 375-degree oven. Sprinkle the mozzarella cheese on top (remember to measure out the cheese).Using a spoon, push the pasta mixture into the pan, so it’s evenly spread.Store the leftover sauce in the refrigerator or freezer. If you’re using jarred sauce for this recipe, buy two 25-ounce jars of sauce so there’s extra. The pasta should be coated with sauce and ricotta cheese. Start with 3-cups of sauce and add more sauce if needed. Mix the ricotta mixture in with the pasta and sauce.If you want an extra spicy kick, then add a pinch of red pepper flakes.

Stir together the Part-skim ricotta cheese, egg, parmesan cheese, garlic powder, onion powder, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Next, put together the ricotta mixture.

This will help keep the pasta from getting mushy as it bakes in the oven! To cook al dente, boil the pasta in a pot of salted water for 5 minutes, drain under cold water, and add to the baking dish. The trick with any baked pasta dish is to cook the pasta very al dente – it should still have quite a bite to it. The first thing you’re going to do is cook the pasta.My favorite is Rao’s marinara or Thrive Market Sicilian Gravy both are delicious! Truthfully, I use jarred sauce more often than not when making this easy-baked ziti. You can use a homemade marinara, turkey bolognese, or a high-quality jarred sauce. Sauce – Picking the perfect sauce makes all of the difference in a baked ziti recipe.Egg – this adds structure to the cheese mixture as it bakes.Over the years, I’ve created the perfect blend of garlic powder, onion powder, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, and grated parmesan cheese to give the ricotta cheese amazing flavor. Seasonings: Ricotta cheese has a very mild, bland flavor and needs seasonings to perk up the recipe.Cut into slices and place on top before baking. If possible, shred the mozzarella cheese fresh for that extra ooey-gooey creaminess. Shredded mozzarella cheese – I recommend using Part-skim or low-fat mozzarella cheese to reduce the fat of this classic baked ziti recipe.

I don’t recommend using fat-free because it does contain extra water and has a different texture that can ruin the recipe. Using a low-fat or part-skim ricotta cheese is an excellent way to lower the recipe’s fat without losing that creamy texture.
