Amateur Chef. Professional Dieter.: Four-Cheese Baked Pasta

Weight: 154.6 lbs

Who doesn't love a nice dish of creamy, cheesy, delicious baked pasta? How about creamy, low-fat, high fiber, cheesy goodness? Yes my friends, it is possible! Guilt-free, healthy comfort food - here we come!

Four-Cheese Baked Pasta

Kinda, sorta from this recipe

1 1/2 cups low fat cottage cheese1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella, divided

1 cup part-skim ricotta

3 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

2 tbsp chopped fresh basil

1 1/2 cups whole-wheat penne

2 tsp olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, chopped

2 cups crushed tomatoes (canned or about 5 medium processed in a food processor or blender)

4 cups chopped spinach

1 cup tomato sauce

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp dried rosemary

1 tbsp roasted garlic and peppers seasoning (my new love!)

3/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup shredded Parmesan

Cooking spray

Heat oven to 400°
Combine cottage cheese, 1/2 cup mozzarella, ricotta, basil and parsley in a bowl.
Cook pasta until tender but still firm; drain. **It is important that you do not cook the pasta at this point or your dish will be soupy after baking.
Heat oil in a large pot/frying pan over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes. Add garlic; cook, stirring, 30 seconds more. Add chopped spinach and let wilt, about 1 minute. (Tip: if you want to add bulk to a pasta dish without adding thecarbs and calories of pasta, add spinach to the sauce instead! Add LOTS because it wilts down to nothing.)
Add tomatoes, sauce, oregano, rosemary, roasted garlic and pepper seasoning, salt, pepper flakes and pepper. Bring to a boil; reduce heat; simmer until sauce thickens slightly, about 10 minutes. Add pasta; turn off heat. Stir in cheese-parsley mixture.
Coat a 9" x 13" glass baking dish with cooking spray; transfer pasta mixture to dish. Top with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan.
Bake until heated through and cheese melts, 30 minutes. Don't forget to put the broiler on for the last minute of cooking (resulting in a brown bubbly cheese!)
Enjoy!