Wednesday, August 5, 2026
Ingredients
- 16 oz ziti
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 lb lean ground beef
- 1/2 lb Italian ground chicken sausage, raw with casing removed or chopped fully cooked sausage
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 5 c marinara sauce (tomato basil is good)
- A few handfuls of fresh spinach
- 1/2 c water
- 1/3 c basil, chopped small, more for topping
- 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- salt + black pepper to taste
Cheese Layer
- 2 c shredded mozzarella, divided in half
- 16 oz cottage cheese
- 1/2 c parmesan or nutritional yeast
- 1/4 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- Pinch of black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
- In a large deep skillet, heat oil on medium heat. Add garlic and onion and cook for 2 minutes until garlic is fragrant and onion begins to soften.
- Add ground meat and sausage. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Continue cooking until meat is just cooked through.
- Reduce heat to low and add sauce, water, basil and seasonings. Simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add additional salt and pepper to taste.
- While the sauce is cooking, make the cheese layer. Add cottage cheese, 1 cup of mozzarella, parmesan cheese and seasonings to a small bowl. Mix until combined.
- Add pasta and spinach to the ground meat sauce and mix until combined.
- Add half of the pasta mixture to the bottom of a baking dish. Next, add the cheese layer by adding dollops of cheese mixture and smooth to mostly cover the pasta. Add the rest of the pasta and then top with 1 cup of mozzarella cheese.
- Bake for 25 minutes until cheese is melted and golden brown.
