Dump-and-Bake 3-Cheese Baked Ziti

• servings: 8 servings
• active time: 10 minutes
• total time: 55 minutes

Ingredients

16 ounces small curd cottage cheese

2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

1 large egg

1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes

¾ teaspoon kosher salt, (divided)

¼ teaspoon garlic powder

¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

1 (16 ounce) package uncooked ziti pasta

1 (24 ounce) jar marinara sauce

3 cups water

1 tablespoon Italian seasoning

8 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions

Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C). Spray a deep 9 x 13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.

In a small bowl, stir together the cottage cheese, Parmesan cheese, egg, parsley, ¼ teaspoon of salt, garlic powder, and pepper. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the marinara sauce, water, Italian seasoning, and remaining ½ teaspoon of salt. Set aside.

Spread about half of the uncooked pasta in the bottom of the prepared dish. Pour about half of the sauce mixture over top.

Dollop the cottage cheese mixture over the pasta.

Top with another layer of the remaining uncooked pasta and the remaining sauce mixture.

Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 40 minutes.

Uncover. At this point you should check the pasta to make sure that it is al dente (firm but just about finished cooking; it doesn't need to be completely done yet). If it’s still really hard, cover the dish and return it to the oven until the pasta is al dente. Then move on to the next step.

Sprinkle the mozzarella over the top.

Bake uncovered until the cheese melts and the pasta is tender, about 5-10 more minutes.

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 /8 of the recipe
• Calories: 388 kcal
• Total Fat: 11 g
• Saturated Fat: 5 g
• Unsaturated Fat: 4 g
• Trans Fat: 0.003 g
• Cholesterol: 56 mg
• Sodium: 1016 mg
• Total Carbohydrate: 50 g
• Dietary Fiber: 3 g
• Total Sugars: 6 g
• Protein: 22 g