A Healthier Baked Ziti?

Baked ziti has to be my all time favorite baked pasta dish -- more than lasagna, more than baked spaghetti. There was a restaurant in Greensboro that Scott and I loved (called Lubrano's; it's gone now) that had the best baked ziti I've ever tasted. I've tried in vain to recreate that recipe. I have no idea what magic they put in there, but it was delicious.

Since I can't make their version, I started trying to come up with a healthier version. I love the ooey-gooey cheesy goodness, but that stuff (as Cookie Monster would put it) is a sometime food. I wanted to make a version that you could eat often and not crystallize your arteries in the process.

My first secret weapon?

THE HORROR!!!

I know some of you recoil at the thought of cottage cheese. I don't. I love the stuff. Give me a serving of cottage cheese and some dried or fresh fruit and I am a happy camper. But even if you don't love it, I bet you could tolerate it in this dish. It mostly melts into the sauce, so you don't get the normal cottage cheese texture. You do, however, get a nice rounded flavor without the loads and loads of cheese that regular baked ziti has. Scott is not a fan of cottage cheese, but he loved the ziti anyway.

I also don't top my baked ziti with cheese. I love this dish leftover and the topper cheese never reheats well. Plus, fresh mozzarella, while wonderful, is expensive. I didn't miss it -- the dish had such great flavor on its own, I didn't think it needed any.

My second secret weapon?

Whole wheat pasta sometimes has too strong a flavor for me. I don't like using it as a substitute for regular pasta. It needs to be in a dish where its wheat-y flavor can shine. The whole grain pasta is a nice substitute option. It's got a few more health benefits than regular pasta, but its flavor is very mild.

Notes: I always start my marinara sauce out with bacon. It's not healthy, I know, but the bacon gives the sauce a distinctive flavor that can't be replicated. I only use two slices and since I'm using cottage cheese, I figure I can trade in the bacon calories.

You'll see tarragon featured again. I finally used it up, so it will be on to different herbs in the future. But when I make that sauce again, you can be sure I'll add it. The basil and the tarragon really balanced the acidity of the tomatoes.

Ingredients:
1 carrot, diced or sliced thin
1 celery stalk, diced or sliced thin
1 tablespoon dried parsley
1 1/2 teaspoons of dried oregano
2 15 oz. cans died tomatoes (I used fire-roasted)
3/4 cup - 1 cup water
1 large shallot or 2 small shallots, sliced
1 large garlic cloves or two smaller ones, minced
2 slices of bacon
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
1/4 cup tarragon, chopped
Pinch red pepper flakes
1 box of pasta (penne, ziti, rotini)
1 cup cottage cheese
Kosher salt and pepper

Directions: Heat the oven to 375 degrees.

Fill a stock pot with water to boil the pasta.

While your oven is heating, add the olive oil to a large pot or deep skillet and heat it on medium-low. Add the two slices of bacon and cook until crisp. Set aside.

Cook carrot, celery, shallots, and garlic in the bacon fat until tender and slightly caramelized.

Add all dried herbs, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper (to taste). Add canned tomatoes and water. Bring to a boil and then turn to a simmer. Add fresh herbs.

The real awesome sauce

While your sauce simmers, bring your stock pot to a boil. Add pasta and cook according to directions on the box (I cooked mine for a minute less, since it's going in the oven).

Drain the pasta and add it to the sauce. Stir in cottage cheese. Transfer to a 13 x 9 baking dish. Bake for 20 minutes. Let stand for 5-7 minutes. Serve it up and enjoy!