Cottage Cheese Baked Ziti
Published Sep 14, 2026
Easy cottage cheese baked ziti with ground beef, marinara, mozzarella, and Parmesan. It bakes in under an hour and reheats well for leftovers.
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I’ve been making this cottage cheese baked ziti since before cottage cheese became a whole thing on social media. Ricotta always gets a little grainy and dry on me, and cottage cheese just melts in creamier, so I made the swap a long time ago. Making baked ziti with cottage cheese makes it a little lighter, which is a nice bonus, but really I just think it tastes better than the way I used to make it.
Recipe Testing Notes
For the past 10 years, I’ve tested every recipe before sharing it with you! These notes give you a peek into the process of developing this Cottage Cheese Baked Ziti recipe.
After making baked ziti with cottage cheese for years, the thing I can tell you for sure is that the cottage cheese curds are nothing to worry about. I know it seems like you’d get little lumps all through it, but once it bakes, they melt right into everything.
The one thing I always tell people is to cook the pasta a couple minutes shy of done. It keeps cooking in the oven, and back when I boiled it all the way through, it always came out soft and mushy. Pulling it early is what keeps it with some bite once it’s baked.
And I’ve learned not to bake it too long. It really only needs enough time to get melty and bubbly on top. If you push it for more color, it dries out, so I take it out as soon as the cheese is going and just starting to brown.
Happy Cooking!
– Yumna
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Cottage cheese baked ziti Ingredients
- Ziti pasta: I cook the pasta just until al dente because it keeps cooking once it goes into the oven. If I don’t have ziti, I use 1 pound of penne or rigatoni instead. I just stick with a tube-shaped pasta that can hold onto the sauce and cheese.
- Cottage cheese: Don’t drain it completely, but if there is a noticeable amount of liquid sitting on top, I spoon that off first. Small-curd cottage cheese spreads a little more easily through the layers, but either small or large curd works.
- Meat sauce: Olive oil, onion, lean ground beef, garlic, marinara sauce, dried basil, oregano, salt, and black pepper make up the sauce. I use a homemade marinara that is fairly thick since a really thin sauce can make the baked pasta loose and watery. You can also use 1 pound of ground turkey or chicken in place of the beef.
- Parmesan and mozzarella: I mix both cheeses directly into the cottage cheese, then use extra mozzarella on top. I prefer freshly grated Parmesan and mozzarella when I have them because they melt more smoothly than pre-shredded cheese.
- Fresh parsley: I add this after baking, so I keep it separate until the end. If I don’t have parsley, I just leave it off.
How to Make baked ziti with cottage cheese
These step-by-step photos walk you through how to make . For the full ingredient list and detailed instructions, head to the recipe card below, or skip straight to the → Cottage Cheese Baked Ziti below
1. Make the Meat Sauce
Soften the onion in olive oil first, then brown the ground beef and break it into small pieces. Once the beef is cooked through, stir in the garlic, marinara, basil, oregano, salt, and pepper, and let the sauce simmer until everything is combined.
2. Toss the Ziti with Sauce
Add the drained al dente pasta straight to the skillet and toss until every piece has some sauce on it. I want the pasta evenly coated before I start layering, so I don’t end up with dry spots in the baking dish.
3. Start the First Pasta Layer
Spread half of the sauced ziti evenly across the bottom of a 9×13-inch baking dish. I try not to pack it down because I still want space for the cheese mixture to settle between the pasta.
4. Add Cottage Cheese Mixture
Spoon half of the cottage cheese, Parmesan, and mozzarella mixture across the pasta. Dropping it around the dish in smaller spoonfuls first makes it much easier to spread without dragging all the pasta around.
5. Finish with Mozzarella
Repeat the pasta and cottage cheese layers, then scatter more shredded mozzarella evenly over the top. I make sure it reaches the edges because those browned, cheesy corners are definitely getting claimed first in my house.
6. Bake the Ziti
Bake it uncovered until the sauce is bubbling around the edges and the mozzarella is completely melted with some lightly browned spots on top. I finish it with chopped parsley before serving.
Full Baked Ziti with Cottage Cheese Recipe
Cottage Cheese Baked Ziti Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound ziti pasta
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small onion finely chopped
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 (24-ounce) jar marinara sauce
- 2 teaspoons dried basil
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 cup cottage cheese
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese plus more for topping
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the ziti pasta according to package instructions until al dente. Drain and set aside.
- In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes until softened. Add the ground beef and cook for 6-8 minutes, breaking it up, until browned and cooked through.
- Stir in the garlic, marinara sauce, basil, oregano, salt, and pepper. Simmer for 5–7 minutes. Add the cooked pasta on top and toss to combine.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- In a medium bowl, mix together the cottage cheese, Parmesan cheese, and mozzarella cheese until well combined.
- In a 9×13 baking dish, add half of the cooked pasta with the pasta sauce, then spoon half of the cottage cheese mixture on top and spread. Repeat the layers with the remaining pasta and cottage cheese mixture. Sprinkle extra mozzarella cheese evenly over the top.
- Bake uncovered for 20–25 minutes, until bubbly and the cheese is melted and lightly golden. Garnish with fresh parsley if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information provided is an estimate. It will vary based on cooking method and specific ingredients used.
Recipe Variations
- Add spinach. Stir 5 ounces of baby spinach into the meat sauce and cook until wilted before adding the pasta. I let any extra liquid cook off before assembling the ziti.
- Add mushrooms. Cook 8 ounces of sliced mushrooms with the onion until most of the moisture has evaporated, then continue with the ground beef.
Recipe Tips
- Spread the layers all the way to the edges. I make sure the pasta and cottage cheese mixture reach the corners of the baking dish instead of piling everything toward the center. That gives me more even layers and keeps the edge pieces from turning into mostly pasta.
- Don’t press the layers down. I spread everything gently rather than packing it into the dish. Pressing it down makes the baked ziti more compact and harder to scoop once it comes out of the oven.
- Rotate the pan if the cheese is browning unevenly. If one side of my oven runs hotter, I turn the baking dish around near the end so the mozzarella browns more evenly instead of getting dark on one side while the other stays pale.
- Give it a few minutes before slicing. I let baked pasta sit for about 10 minutes after it comes out of the oven. The layers settle a little, so I can actually scoop out a serving instead of having everything slide apart.
Serving Ideas
- Pair it with a salad. I usually want something crisp next to a baked pasta, so I would serve this with my Mixed Greens Salad, a simple Caesar Salad, or an Italian-style chopped salad.
- Add a vegetable side. Roasted broccoli, sautéed green beans, or roasted zucchini all work without making dinner feel like another project.
- Serve with bread. If I’m feeding a bigger group, I add garlic cheese bread, homemade dinner rolls, or toasted sourdough for scooping up the extra sauce.
Troubleshooting
I usually look at the sauce and cottage cheese first. A thin marinara or cottage cheese with a lot of excess liquid can loosen the whole casserole. I let the meat sauce simmer until it thickens and spoon off any obvious liquid from the cottage cheese before mixing it with the other cheeses.
I make sure all of the pasta is thoroughly coated with sauce before layering it, and I pull the dish from the oven once it is hot and bubbling rather than continuing to bake it after the cheese has melted. If leftovers seem a little dry, I add a spoonful of marinara before reheating.
