The Best Baked Ziti

I don't really understand how people all over the web post such pretty pictures of the food they cook and rave about how delicious it is at the same time. If it were actually as good as you say, wouldn't you forget you had to take a photo and enjoy some of your dish first? I mean, come on people!! 

Toddler T and I both love noodles, pasta, pure carbohydrates- call them what you will. T actually calls them NuNus and even has a doll named NuNu because that’s how we roll. So we cook a lot of NuNus and this recipe is one of our all time favorites, and easy too! I also love this ziti because I am not a huge ricotta fan so the cottage cheese in this recipe is much better, and you can pretend it makes the dish so much healthier and have another bowl.

Cook up a box of your favorite pasta

Then add

16oz of cottage cheese (I like to use 1-2% milk fat, when I make it for other people I sometimes use 4%, because it’s a little creamier that way)

6oz + of your favorite cheese

1 jar of your favorite marinara sauce (I love the smooth sauces like Rinaldi – it is also cheap!)

Mix together and put it in a pan, or mix in the pan and have less dishes to wash

Add more cheese to coat the top of the ziti

Bake for 25-30 minutes on 350

T loves to help me cook, so I let her mix the cottage cheese and the cheese together, it keeps her busy and happy while I'm prepping the pasta! 

Here are some add in options: 

Morning star meat crumbles and/or chopped spinach (defrosted and water free)

**I have even added both to the same Ziti and it was wonderful and a good way to add more protein and veggies to your dinner.