Ingredients:1 lb. whole milk or 1% cottage cheese
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
3 oz. grated Parmesan cheese (about 1 1/2 cups), divided
Table salt
1 lb. ziti pasta
1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
20 oz. turkey Italian sausage (I used a 16 oz. package of pork Italian sausage)
1/2 cup yellow onion, finely chopped
green bell pepper, finely chopped (I added this ingredient just because)
5 medium cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1 (28 oz.) can tomato sauce (FYI, this is NOT spaghetti sauce, just plain tomato sauce!)
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes
1 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp. chopped fresh basil leaves, divided (I used half fresh, half dried)
1 tsp. sugar
Ground black pepper
3/4 tsp. cornstarch
1 cup heavy cream (or whole milk) (I used cream)
8 oz. low-moisture mozzarella, shredded
Directions:
Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350° F. Whisk cottage cheese, eggs, and 1 cup Parmesan together in a medium bowl; set aside. Bring a large pot of water to boil. Stir in 1 tablespoon salt and the pasta; cook until pasta begins to soften but is not yet cooked through, 5-7 minutes (mine took about 9 min but I’m at high altitude). Drain the pasta and leave in colander.
Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Crumble in the turkey sausage and cook until nearly browned. Add in the onion, garlic, (and bell pepper!) and continue to cook until the onion is softened and the sausage is completely browned. Stir in the tomato sauce, diced tomatoes and oregano; simmer until thickened, about 10 minutes. Off the heat, stir in 1/2 cup basil and the sugar, and season with salt and pepper.
In a small bowl stir together the cornstarch and heavy cream. Transfer the mixture to the now-empty stockpot (the one you cooked the pasta in) over medium heat. Bring to a simmer and cook until thickened, 3-4 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and add the cottage cheese mixture, 1 1/2 cups of the tomato sauce and 3/4 cup mozzarella to the cream mixture. Stir to combine. Add the pasta and toss to coat thoroughly with the sauce. (I was using my big dutch oven pot so I just tossed it all in there, then baked it in the oven in that same pot. It made so much I have no clue if all that would even fit in a 9x13 pan).
Transfer the pasta to a 9×13″ baking dish and spread the remaining tomato sauce evenly over the top. Sprinkle the remaining mozzarella and Parmesan over the top. Cover the baking dish tightly with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil from the pan and continue to cook until the cheese is bubbling and beginning to brown, about 30 minutes longer. Cool for 20 minutes. Sprinkle with the remaining 2 tablespoons basil and serve. (I just sprinkled it with parsley).
