Description
A comforting and nutritious pasta bake featuring lean ground beef, cottage cheese, and melty cheese topped with a golden crust.
Ingredients
Scale
- 12 ounces penne or rigatoni pasta
- 1 pound lean ground beef (85% lean or higher)
- 1 cup (8 ounces) low-fat cottage cheese
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided
- 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 can (14 ounces) crushed tomatoes
- 1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste
- ½ cup beef broth or water
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- Fresh parsley or basil leaves, for garnishing
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F and lightly grease a 9×13-inch baking dish.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil and cook the pasta until just al dente, then drain.
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Sauté the onions until translucent, then add minced garlic and cook until fragrant.
- Add the ground beef, breaking it up and cooking until browned.
- Stir in tomato paste, crushed tomatoes, beef broth, oregano, basil, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. Simmer for 8–10 minutes.
- In a large bowl, combine the drained pasta, beef-tomato sauce, cottage cheese, Parmesan, and half of the mozzarella.
- Spread the mixture into the baking dish and sprinkle the remaining mozzarella on top.
- Bake for 20–25 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
- Let it rest for 5 minutes before serving, garnished with parsley or basil.
Notes
This dish can be made ahead of time and stored in the fridge for up to 24 hours. Add an extra 5 minutes to the baking time if cooking from chilled.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 350
- Sugar: 5g
- Sodium: 400mg
- Fat: 15g
- Saturated Fat: 7g
- Unsaturated Fat: 6g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 30g
- Fiber: 3g
- Protein: 25g
- Cholesterol: 60mg