Cooking with Kelly: Baked sausage ziti

I really like baked pasta dishes, but lasagna is such a pain to make. A baked ziti, however, is much easier to put together and can feed the two of us at least four meals. It's hardy and quite tasty. This is my recipe:

1 box whole wheat ziti or rigatoni noodles

1 jar your favorite spaghetti sauce

1 pound pork breakfast sausage

1 small yellow onion, chopped finely

1 glove garlic, pressed

1 cup sour cream (we use light)

1 cup cup cream cheese (again, light is fine)

1 cup cottage cheese (light is good)

1 cup breadcrumbs (Italian or plain are both fine)

1 cup Parmesan cheese (can substitute with Asiago or Romano cheese)

Cook the noodles according to the package instructions. While they cook, brown the sausage in a frying pan. Once browned, drain off the fat and then mix in the onion and garlic. Cook until onions are translucent.

Mix together the sour cream, cream cheese and cottage cheese, set aside. Drain the pasta and place in a large bowl. Add the sauce and mix thoroughly, then add the sausage mixture and repeat. Add the cheesy mixture, then pour entire thing into a 13 by 9 baking sheet sprayed with oil.

Mix together breadcrumbs and Parmesan with your fingers and then top the entire dish with it. Place in a 350-degree oven for about 15 minutes or until the top is golden brown.