Description
This Cottage Cheese Pasta Bake is a delightful mix of flavors, featuring tender pasta, creamy cottage cheese, and hearty ground meat. Perfect for a quick dinner or cozy meal!
Ingredients
Scale
- 12 oz tube pasta (rigatoni or penne)
- 1 large yellow onion (diced)
- 2 large garlic cloves (minced)
- 1 large zucchini (chopped)
- 8 oz bella mushrooms (sliced)
- 1 lb ground beef (turkey, or chicken (I prefer 94% lean ground beef))
- 28 oz crushed tomatoes
- 1 ½ cup cottage cheese
- ½ tsp Italian seasoning
- ½ tsp dried or fresh parsley
- Salt & pepper (to taste)
- 4 – 8 oz fresh mozzarella (torn)
- 1 – 2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Cook pasta according to package instructions until al dente, then drain and set aside.
- Heat 1–2 tbsp olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Sauté diced onion for 3–4 minutes until softened, then add minced garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
- Add sliced mushrooms and chopped zucchini, letting them sit undisturbed for 5–8 minutes to brown. Stir and cook for an additional 2–3 minutes.
- Push the veggies to one side of the pot. Add ground meat, breaking it up, and cook for 4–5 minutes. Mix everything together and cook until mostly cooked through, draining excess grease if necessary.
- Stir in crushed tomatoes, Italian seasoning, parsley, salt, and pepper. Simmer for 2–3 minutes.
- Mix in the cottage cheese until fully combined, then taste and adjust the seasoning as needed.
- Add the cooked pasta to the mixture, tossing well until evenly coated.
- Transfer the mixture to a 9×13 dish, top with torn mozzarella, and bake in the preheated oven for 15–20 minutes until melted and bubbly.
- Let sit for 5 minutes before serving. Optionally, garnish with chopped parsley.
Notes
For a vegetarian version, replace the meat with additional vegetables or lentils.
Feel free to mix in your favorite veggies or use different types of cheese for variation.
This dish reheats well, making it great for meal prep.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 450
- Sugar: 5g
- Sodium: 800mg
- Fat: 22g
- Saturated Fat: 10g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 40g
- Fiber: 4g
- Protein: 30g
- Cholesterol: 70mg