MILLION DOLLAR BAKED ZITI

Classic Italian comfort food, Million Dollar Baked Ziti, is reminiscent of lasagna but effortless to throw together. This is a great family weeknight dinner and doubles easily for a crowd.

All you need for the perfect meal is a crusty piece of bread or Parmesan Garlic Knots and green salad.

MILLION DOLLAR BAKED ZITI

I loaded this pasta with sausage. As well, I added cream cheese and cottage cheese which makes it ultra-creamy and gives it a lasagna-like flavor. The rich tomato sauce is made from scratch with tomatoes and tomato sauce. However, to save time you can use a 24-ounce jar of your favorite tomato sauce.

You’re going to want to bookmark this recipe. It’s a staple in my house that everyone loves. It’s easy to make, you can make it in advance and bake it later.

REFRIGERATE OR FREEZE

As well, it freezes nicely. (I like to portion leftovers in individual servings and freeze. It will keep in the freezer for 6 to 8 weeks.)

To reheat individual frozen portions, place the ziti on a microwave-safe plate and cover it with a wet paper towel or plastic wrap. Microwave on medium power for 3 minutes, test, and repeat if necessary.

To reheat individual refrigerated portions, place the ziti on a microwave-safe plate and cover it with a wet paper towel or plastic wrap. Microwave on full power for 90 seconds, test, and repeat if necessary.

To reheat a large amount, first make sure the container is microwave-safe. Cover the dish with a wet paper towel or plastic wrap. Microwave on 75% power for 4 to 5 minutes depending on the amount. Test the center and microwave again in necessary.

MILLION DOLLAR BAKED ZITI INGREDIENTS

There are really no specialty ingredients in this recipe. Italian sausage may be the only ingredient that you may not already have on hand. Further, you can totally use breakfast pork sausage if you want.

1. Pasta. You can use any shape of pasta.
2. Italian seasoning, diced tomatoes, and tomato sauce. You can use spaghetti sauce to save time.
3. Cottage cheese. You can use ricotta but it’s more expensive so I usually go with cottage cheese.
4. Parmesan cheese. I highly recommend you always grate your own Parmesan cheese and don’t use the powdery stuff.
5. Coconut sugar. I use sugar to cut the acidity of the tomatoes. You can use granulated sugar or omit the sugar.

More recipes you’ll enjoy!

• Tomato Cream Sauce Sausage Gnocchi
• Beef Macaroni Goulash Soup
• Pasta Meatball Soup Recipe
• Skinny Turkey Meatball Tortellini Soup
• Beefy Tomato Soup Recipe
• Chicken Pot Pie Lasagna Soup Recipe
• Healthy Slow Cooker Tex Mex Chicken Soup
• Hash Brown Slow Cooker Potato Soup 

Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary based on the products used.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Have you tried this recipe? Please consider leaving a 5 rating and comment.

Million Dollar Baked Ziti

This is a great family weeknight dinner and doubles easily for a crowd.

Author: Paula

4.97 from 26 votes

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Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour

Servings: 8 servings

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Ingredients

• 1 pound ziti pasta
• 2 pounds Italian sausage
• 1 small white onion diced
• 3 cloves garlic clove minced
• 2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
• 28 ounces tomato sauce
• 14.5 ounces diced tomatoes with juice
• ½ teaspoon coconut sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 8 ounces cream cheese softened
• 16 ounces cottage cheese
• 1 and ½ cup Parmesan cheese freshly grated
• 2 cups mozzarella cheese shredded
• basil

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 375°F. Spray a 9x13-inch baking pan with non-stick spray.
• Cook pasta according to directions on the package. However, cook it for 2 minutes less than instructed. Drain, drizzle with olive oil, and toss to prevent from sticking together.
• In a large skillet, braiser, or Dutch oven, cook the sausage, onions, and garlic until the meat is no longer pink. Drain fat if needed.
• Add the tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, Italian seasoning, sugar, salt, and pepper. Bring to a low boil, then reduce heat to simmer and simmer for 10 minutes.
• In a bowl, stir the cream cheese, cottage cheese, 1 cup Parmesan, and 1 cup Mozzarella together.
• Add the pasta and 1 cup of tomato sauce to the cream cheese mixture and stir to combine. Take care not to break up the pasta. Pour into your 9x13-inch pan.
• Top with the remaining tomato sauce, then 1 cup mozzarella, then the remaining 1/2 cup Parmesan.
• Cover with foil and bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Remove the foil (be careful steam will release) and return the dish to the oven for another 20 to 25 minutes.
• Carefully remove from the oven. Allow it to cool 10 to 15 minutes before serving. It will be very hot. Top with fresh basil before serving.

Nutrition

Calories: 955kcal | Carbohydrates: 57g | Protein: 46g | Fat: 60g | Saturated Fat: 26g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 23g | Cholesterol: 162mg | Sodium: 2423mg | Potassium: 1011mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 1308IU | Vitamin C: 15mg | Calcium: 525mg | Iron: 5mg

Nutritional information given is an automatic calculation and can vary based on the exact products you use and changes you make to the recipe. If these numbers are important to you, I recommend calculating them yourself.

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