Give Baked Ziti A Rich Protein Boost With Cottage Cheese

If you're like us and love pasta but are always looking for a way to amp up the protein in the dish, you're in luck. This week, try our high-protein baked ziti with cottage cheese recipe, where instead of traditional ricotta cheese, you'll be using cottage cheese. Half a cup of cottage cheese contains about two grams more protein than half a cup of ricotta cheese, which will give your baked ziti dish a slight protein boost. We spoke with Brooklyn Peltz Beckham, who recently partnered with Barilla to celebrate its new Al Bronzo Pasta line, to get his thoughts on this pro tip. It turns out, he agrees. "[Cottage cheese] has amazing texture, it has amazing creaminess," Beckham admits, "and, yeah, I think it definitely elevates your dish."

To make baked ziti with cottage cheese, simply use cottage cheese instead of ricotta cheese while making the cheese mixture. If the cottage cheese curds feel a little too chunky, don't blitz it, unless you're like Beckham, who personally enjoys the chunkiness. "Sometimes I add both," Beckham notes. "But if I don't have ricotta, I put cottage cheese in." Cottage cheese curds help add texture to the dish, whereas ricotta cheese is quite smooth and creamy. That is not to say your baked ziti filling won't be creamy if you use cottage cheese. Beckham adds that "both make your dish really creamy."

In general, Beckham feels cottage cheese is an incredibly versatile and useful ingredient, and we couldn't agree more. "Honestly, cottage cheese is one of my favorite things out there," he explains. "So to me, yes, you can add it to whatever dish." Baked ziti is just one of countless recipes that can benefit from the addition of cottage cheese, including these 17 protein-packed and delicious cottage cheese recipes.

Beckham also believes that you should stock up your refrigerator with cottage cheese. "I think my love for cottage cheese comes out often because I always have it in my fridge," he admits. Nevertheless, he notes that it, just like ricotta, works wonders when it comes to overcooking. "Adding some ricotta or cottage cheese quickly at the end — or some crème fraîche — cools the dish down," he explains.

If you're going to take Beckham's advice to heart this week, be sure to check out our list of cottage cheese brands that we ranked from worst to best. This just may help you when choosing the best cottage cheese at the grocery store. If you're not craving baked ziti any time this week, we have plenty of recipes for you to explore, such as our internet-famous cottage cheese flatbread or these protein-packed cottage cheese pancakes. Bread loaded with protein is a win in our books.