This is similar to the Baked Ziti recipe from the Sopranos Cook Book, only better. Try to use fresh herbs in this if you have them. And please people, don't substitute cottage cheese for ricotta, it's not the same thing. Nor should the ricotta be fat free. I've made double and triple batches of this, sometimes I use Italian sausage along with meatballs. If you do, cook the sausage in the microwave for about 5 minutes then cut in half and drop in the sauce to finish cooking. This is my favorite way to cook Italian sausage, the texture is great and it gives a lot of flavor to the sauce. Once the sausage is cooked (about 25 minutes), cut into bite sized pieces to put in the dish. A note on the meatballs, I like a combination of beef and pork, which you can find at the butcher labeled 'Meatloaf Mix'. The ratio in this is 1:1 pound each: pasta, meatballs, ricotta, mozzarella. If I make a double batch it's two pounds of pasta, meatballs.....you get the idea. The best part of this is the top crust of crispy pasta and cheese. The sauce and meatballs, or even the whole dish can be made a day ahead of time. Awesome delicious Italian comfort food. Serve with garlic bread and salad if you wish.