Description
This Cottage Cheese Pasta Bake is a delightful and nutritious twist on a classic pasta dish. With a creamy cottage cheese and marinara sauce base, mixed with wholesome veggies and topped with gooey mozzarella, this bake is a comforting and satisfying meal for any occasion.
Ingredients
Scale
Pasta:
- 3 cups penne pasta, dry (or other short pasta shape)
Sauce:
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 4 large cloves garlic, minced
- 2 cups broccoli florets (about 5 ounces or 142 grams)
- 3 cups baby spinach (tightly packed! or 3 large handfuls)
- 2 cups cottage cheese, 2%MF (500 gram or 17 ounce container)
- 2 cups marinara (or other tomato sauce)
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella
- Salt + pepper, to taste
Garnish:
- 5 large leaves fresh basil, chopped
Instructions
- PREP: Preheat oven to 400F. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. While you wait, you can chop broccoli into florets and mince garlic.
- Cook pasta to al dente, according to package instructions. Drain when finished.
- Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a pan over medium-high. Add minced garlic and broccoli florets, and sauté for about 7 minutes. Then, add spinach and continue to cook until it wilts. Remove from heat.
- To a large baking dish, add cooked pasta, cooked broccoli and spinach, cottage cheese, and marinara sauce. Season generously with salt and pepper, then stir everything together until well-combined.
- Sprinkle shredded mozzarella overtop, coating the pasta evenly.
- Place baking dish in the oven for 20 minutes, or until the top layer of cheese is melted and nicely browned. Garnish with fresh basil and serve hot!
Notes
- This dish pairs well with a side salad or garlic bread for a complete meal.
- You can customize this bake by adding other vegetables like bell peppers or mushrooms.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 350
- Sugar: 6g
- Sodium: 600mg
- Fat: 12g
- Saturated Fat: 6g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 42g
- Fiber: 4g
- Protein: 18g
- Cholesterol: 30mg
Keywords: Cottage Cheese Pasta Bake, Pasta Bake, Vegetarian Pasta Bake
