Now as I write this, Charlotte [11 months] is eating her extremely healthy blueberry yogurt multigrain pancake that I made for her. Actually she is methodically tearing it up into pieces and dropping them on the floor with relish, while looking me in the eye with a face that says Go ahead. Stop me. I can’t really blame her. Eric had basically the same reaction. I thought they were delicious. So do you ever have those days where you just cannot wake up, no matter what you do? Today was one of those days. I got up at 6:30, drove to the gym, ran for a half hour, drove back, and I still felt like I was sleep walking. (Which is perhaps why I nearly crashed on the way home. If you live in my town, consider yourself warned.) Things that I did today: drank rancid orange juice. Spilled yogurt on myself. Twice. (Did I mention I was tired?) Cleaned up a Charlotte mess. Twice. (because she has a diaper rash so I put her to bed without a diaper. Have I told you lately that I’m a genius?) Caught my hand on my iPod cord while running, causing said iPod to fly off the treadmill tray and trip me. Rearranged the bobby pin in my hair only to drop said pin and see it get shot 2 feet behind me after the ride of its life on the treadmill. People must look at me flailing around on the treadmill trying not to get killed and think to themselves, Wow. She must not come here very often. Which is true. We had some friends back in Indiana who would bring this amazing ziti to new moms, hence the name Postpartum Ziti. It is amazingly delicious and makes a ton. [photo from 2012] I don’t even have a gym membership right now (pregnant people don’t have to exercise, you know that right? Gosh I’m JOKING), but I did up until a few months ago, and I’m still just as much of an idiot when exercising in public. (Remember when I thought the other half of the gym was a wall of mirrors? Yeah.) Facebook | Pinterest | Instagram I love taking this meal to new parents because it’s the perfect thing to heat up at 2AM when your baby’s awake and you’re starving. It’s also ideal for kids, picky relatives in town, church potlucks, or ravenous teenagers. Boil up some ziti in a large pot of salted water. If you can’t find ziti at the store (I feel like it’s hard to find at some stores??) Use penne pasta, rigatoni, or anything else that looks like a tube. Beat a couple eggs and combine with cottage cheese and a good deal of Parmesan. If you would rather use ricotta cheese instead of cottage cheese, I’m sure it would work great, but for this recipe I love cottage cheese. And that’s coming from a serious ricotta lover. Make your easy homemade marinara sauce, starting out with Italian sausage and tons of garlic. I love that you don’t have to chop an onion for this recipe. You won’t miss it, I promise. Don’t skip the fresh basil, if possible! It gives the sauce this unbeatable fresh flavor. Sub the 1/2 cup basil with 1 tablespoons dried basil, if you don’t have any. Chop up your mozzarella and set aside and stir some into the cottage cheese mixture. The chunks of cheese in this recipe are what set it apart! Put that cheese grater down! Once you’ve thickened up your cream, add the cottage cheese mixture and stir in all that pasta. You are going to want to dive in with a fork at this point, but hold off, I promise it’s even better once it’s come out of the oven. Add the pasta mixture to a large casserole dish and pour the remaining red sauce on top of the pasta then add even more mozzarella and parmesan. Don’t you love how we don’t have to do all those layers like a lasagna?? So easy. Bake to perfection!
Don’t overcook your pasta. The ziti noodles will continue cooking as they bake in the oven, so don’t worry if you’ve only cooked it the recommended 5-7 minutes and the noodles seem too firm. We’re not done yet! Drizzle your pasta with a little oil. This keeps the pasta from sticking together so it can easily mix with the sauce, cheese, and sausage. Drain the fat from your sausage. I know it’s an extra step, but trust me, you don’t want all that fat turning your perfect ziti into a soggy, greasy mess. Grease your foil. If you don’t, the melting cheese will stick to the foil and get ripped off the top of the casserole, tragic!!
Make it vegetarian. Skip the sausage. No need to substitute anything, although you could do plant based “sausage” crumbles if you want. Sub a different cheese. Don’t be afraid to sub some pepper jack for the mozzarella, or plain monterey jack, or any melty cheese you enjoy. Use your favorite pasta. If you don’t have ziti (or can’t find it) I recommend trying penne or rigatoni. However, there’s no reason you can’t use any short pasta you have in the pantry (farfalle, for example!).
This is still one of my favorite meals to bring to new moms (it will always be called Postpartum Ziti at our house, haha), or to any family in need. It is tasty and very filling, feeds a ton of people, and freezes well! Plus who can say no to a baked ziti casserole?? It’s irresistible! Bring it with a salad kit from the produce section at the store and some French bread from the deli and call it good. The simpler I keep meals that I bring other families, the more likely I am to do it again next time (instead of categorizing it in my brain as “a ton of work” it’s just “a casserole and some food from the store” which is much more approachable in my mind.) If you really want to go all out you can make The Best Garlic Bread of Your Life, which despite being the best ever is actually quite easy to make. If you are bringing a meal to a smaller family, split the casserole between two 8 inch square pans and feed your family AND theirs. Yesss!! Here’s a whole post I wrote on how to bring a meal to a friend with so many amazing ideas I sourced from friends and readers to make this whole “take a meal” thing easier (and here’s the sister post with 12 ideas for what to take). If you’re serving this ziti at home as part of a larger meal, you can definitely make it special with homemade salad or bread. Here are some of my favorites! Green Goddess Salad « so herby, creamy, and refreshing! Perfect with pasta Greek Salad with Feta « I love Greek flavors, do you?? Apple Gorgonzola Salad (Buca di Beppo Copycat) « just like the restaurant! The Best Garlic Bread « this might steal the show from the ziti. It’s THAT good Garlic Knots « get ready for the oohs and aahs, these are so gorgeous! Garlic and Rosemary Skillet Bread « unique, delicious bread in a cast iron pan Easy Ravioli Lasagna: » perfect for busy weeknights! It’s way faster than today’s ziti recipe. Classic Shepherd’s Pie Recipe with Crispy Cheddar Topping » this is another casserole that can feed an army. It’s so good! Easy Cheesy Asparagus Tortellini Bake » this takes about 15 minutes to throw together! Chicken Crepes with Jalapeno Cheese » this is my mom’s recipe. It’s so decadent and delicious! Old Fashioned Lasagna » can’t beat the classic. Aunt Shirley’s Creamy Chicken Enchiladas » dreamy creamy Mexican food that is not really Mexican. Yum. Chicken Pot Pie with Flaky Biscuit Topping » a casserole version of chicken pot pie, with biscuits on top! So good. White Lasagna with Chicken and Pesto » pesto + lasagna?? yes please!! Poblano, Corn, and Zucchini Lasagna » this is one of the best vegetarian meals I’ve ever had. Spinach and Ravioli Lasagna from Lemons for Lulu Penne Pasta Bake from Taste and Tell Country Style Rigatoni from Honey and Birch
