Baked Ziti from Cook's Illustrated

From: Chef #1028794

On Jan 22, 2010

Outstanding recipe! I made a full batch (baked half, froze the other) exactly according to instructions and it came together beautifully: the pasta was creamy and full of flavour, the sauce just perfect. My husband, who rarely comments on any meal, declared this to be 'spectacular'! Incidentally, I did all of the prep work, made the two sauces, cooked the pasta, etc. about 24 hours before actually baking, and it didn't seem to harm it at all. Served with a green salad and homemade sourdough bread to dip in balsamic vinegar and olive oil, this is definitely going into our rotation!

From: Nasseh

On Dec 29, 2009

I used already prepared pasta sauce for this baked ziti. I also subbed low-fat ricotta for the cottage cheese. (I hate cottage cheese.) Very simple to make & it is a great substitution for lasagna. Made for Photo Tag

From: Bobbie

On Apr 19, 2009

Very, very good! It takes a little time to put together — but it isn't hard to do. I followed the directions precisely and used the ingredients as listed. I know some had mentioned using ricotta in place of the cottage cheese. I see no reason to switch — I wouldn't want to compromise the creamy texture of the sauce. I thought it was even better the next day — reheated! The ONLY variation I might try would be to cut up some of my meatballs and stick them in. I saw this recipe in Cook's Illustrated and was intrigued — when I saw it already posted here, I knew I had to try it. Thanks, Mary.

From: duonyte

On Dec 11, 2009

I was coming to post the recipe, and pleased to see it here. I made half the recipe, and it was really delicious. CI recommends using 2 tsp cornstarch if using whole milk instead of cream. I could not find my cornstarch, so I made a roux and used the milk to make a bechamel. That worked out very well. I also added some Italian sausage - a local market makes it with beef instead of pork, and it really worked well with the rest. A great dinner.