Gone are the days when cottage cheese was just a bland diet food, filling up the scooped-out well of a cantaloupe. It’s now used in, well, everything—whisked into eggs, blended into dips, added to sweet treats, and, in this recipe, swapped for ricotta. Why? It has a tangier flavor and packs more protein, making it a great upgrade to classic recipes.
As much as I love comforting baked ziti, I wanted to shake things up by swapping ricotta for cottage cheese and simplifying the process to create a one-pan wonder. I’m all about avoiding a big cleanup, so one-pot pasta dinners are my usual go-to. Typically, I cook them in a Dutch oven, hovering over it and stirring frequently to keep the pasta from sticking.
For this recipe, I wanted the ziti to have that casserole vibe and be more hands-off. I start by building the sauce in a 2″ deep ovenproof skillet, then the pasta is stirred in, giving it a quick head start on the stove. The seasoned cottage cheese and mozzarella are folded in, followed by more cottage cheese, a blanket of mozzarella, and a sprinkle of Parmesan. It heads into the oven where the noodles soften in the sauce, and the ziti that peeks through gets delightfully crispy.
A few tips: You might question the amount of salt in the sauce, but don’t skimp—the pasta really needs it! I use Diamond Crystal kosher salt, which is less dense than Morton or fine salt. If using a heavier kosher salt like Morton, cut the amount to 3/4 tsp.; for fine sea salt or table salt, use half the amount that’s called for. If you don’t have a deep enough skillet, prepare the ziti up until you remove it from the heat and transfer to a lightly greased 13″ x 9″ baking dish, then proceed with the recipe as written.
Leftovers keep in the fridge for up to 5 days and reheat beautifully in the oven or microwave.
Did you try making this? Let us know how it went in the comments!
