Baked Ziti

Kids rating: 5 stars

My rating: 4 stars

1 pound ricotta cheese

2 large eggs , lightly beaten

1 ½ cups grated Parmesan cheese, divided 

1 tablespoon kosher salt

1 pound ziti or rigatoni (penne, spiral- any one-bite pasta will work)

1 (32 oz.) jar marinara sauce (Rao's is the best)

½ cup chopped fresh basil leaves, plus more for garnish

black pepper

¾ teaspoon cornstarch

1 1/4 cup heavy cream, divided

8 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, cut into ¼-inch pieces (I buy the little balls and cut them each in half)

1 lb Italian sausage, cooked and broken into pieces

Pre-heat oven to 375°F. Whisk cottage cheese, eggs, and 1 cup Parmesan together in medium bowl; set aside. Bring 4 quarts of water to boil in large pot over high heat. Stir in 1 tablespoon salt and add pasta; cook, stirring occasionally, until pasta begins to soften but is not yet cooked through, about 7 minutes. Drain pasta and leave in colander (do not wash pot).

Add 1 cup cream heavy cream to pot and whisk in cornstarch 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 marinara sauce, basil, sausage, and ¾ cup mozzarella, then stir to combine. Add pasta and stir to coat thoroughly with sauce. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Transfer pasta mixture to 13- by 9-inch baking dish and spread remaining marinara sauce, mixed with 1/4 cup cream, evenly over pasta. Sprinkle remaining ¾ cup mozzarella and remaining ½ cup Parmesan over top. Cover baking dish tightly with foil and bake for 25 minutes.

Remove foil and increase heat to broil. Broil for 5 minutes until golden and bubbly. Cool for 10-15 minutes. Garnish with fresh basil and serve.