Lentils absorb liquid during the bake, so the passata should still look fluid after its brief simmer rather than reduced into a dense ragù. Folding cottage cheese in after the pan leaves the heat helps preserve soft, distinct pockets through the pasta instead of letting it disappear into the tomato sauce.
Main DishesWhole Wheat Baked Ziti with Lentils, Spinach and Cottage Cheese
Whole wheat ziti bakes into a thick tomato and lentil sauce, with wilted spinach threaded through the pasta and a browned mozzarella top. Cottage cheese keeps the middle soft and creamy without turning the dish into a solid block of cheese.
Ingredients
Preparation Steps
Cook the pasta
Heat the oven to 200°C. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add the dry whole wheat ziti, and cook for 2 minutes less than the package’s stated time, stirring occasionally. Drain well.
Make the lentil tomato sauce
Warm olive oil in a large deep pan over medium heat. Cook the onion for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring often, until soft and lightly golden. Add rustic passata and cooked lentils, then simmer for 8 minutes, until the sauce is bubbling and slightly thickened. If your children are complicated about things like lentils, as mine are, blend the sauce until smooth.
Wilt the spinach
Add Spinach to the sauce in batches, stirring each addition until collapsed. Remove the pan from the heat and fold in about half of the Cottage Cheese.
Assemble the ziti
Fold the drained Whole Wheat Ziti, dry into the sauce until evenly coated. Transfer to a baking dish, then dot the surface with the remaining Cottage Cheese and scatter over Mozzarella.
Bake and rest
Bake for 18 to 22 minutes, until the sauce is bubbling at the edges and the Mozzarella has browned in patches. Leave the dish to stand for 10 minutes before serving so the slices hold together.
Recipe insights
Keeping the Tomato Sauce Loose
A Short Rest Makes Cleaner Portions
The 10-minute pause after baking gives the pasta starch and sauce time to settle, making the ziti easier to portion without a flood of tomato sauce. Leftovers keep in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to three days. Reheat them covered until hot, then remove the cover briefly at the end to freshen the mozzarella topping.
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