Kid-Friendly Ziti Bake

Even the pickiest eaters will love this! Flavorful, aromatic, and it smells so good, the whole house will love this before they even take a bite!

• Preparation Time: 15 mins
• Cooking Time: 40 mins
• Total Time: 55 mins
• Calories: 303 Calories

Ingredients

• 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 ½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 (12 ounce) can tomato paste
• ½ cup shredded Parmesan cheese, divided
• ½ cup diced fresh mushrooms
• 14 ½ ounces ziti pasta
• 2 (19 ounce) cans tomato-basil soup (such as Progresso®)
• ½ cup small curd cottage cheese, pureed

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Step 2

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add ziti and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender yet firm to the bite, about 11 minutes.

Step 3

While the pasta is cooking, cook onion in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until it starts to soften, about 3 minutes. Add ground beef and stir until beef is browned and onion is soft, 5 to 7 minutes. Drain and discard grease and return skillet to medium-high heat.

Step 4

Add tomato-basil soup, tomato paste, diced mushrooms, pureed cottage cheese, mozzarella cheese, and 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese to the skillet; stir until well mixed. Reduce heat to medium and cook until cheese is melted and mixture is heated through, about 5 minutes.

Step 5

Drain pasta and return to the pot. Add the skillet mixture to the pasta; stir until well mixed. Transfer to a 11x13-inch baking pan. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese and Cheddar cheese. Cover pan with aluminum foil.

Step 6

Bake in the preheated oven until all cheese is melted on the top, about 20 minutes.