Four-Cheese Baked Penne Recipe

Four-Cheese Baked Penne Recipe Four-Cheese Baked Penne Recipe photo by Taste of Home Rating 4

This cheesy pasta dish is comforting, hearty, delicious and—surprise!—meatless. Filling whole grains, low-fat protein and a touch of heat make this recipe a keeper! Serve with a salad and crusty bread. —Janet Elrod, Newnan, Georgia

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Four-Cheese Baked Penne Recipe
  • Prep: 30 min. + cooling Bake: 20 min.
  • Yield: 6 Servings
30 20 50

Ingredients

  • 4 cups uncooked whole wheat penne pasta
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 2 teaspoons olive oil
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 can (15 ounces) crushed tomatoes
  • 1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce
  • 3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley or 1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
  • 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • 1-1/2 cups (12 ounces) 2% cottage cheese
  • 1-1/4 cups (5 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided
  • 1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
  • 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

  • Cook penne according to package directions.
  • Meanwhile, in a large skillet, saute onion in oil until tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Stir in the tomatoes, tomato sauce, parsley, oregano, rosemary, pepper flakes and pepper. Bring to a boil. Remove from the heat; cool for 15 minutes.
  • Drain penne; add to sauce. Stir in the cottage cheese, 1/2 cup mozzarella and all of the ricotta. Transfer to a 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish coated with cooking spray. Top with Parmesan cheese and remaining mozzarella.
  • Bake, uncovered, at 400° for 20-25 minutes or until bubbly. Yield: 6 servings.

Nutritional Facts 1-1/3 cups equals 523 calories, 12 g fat (6 g saturated fat), 37 mg cholesterol, 682 mg sodium, 72 g carbohydrate, 11 g fiber, 32 g protein.

Originally published as Four-Cheese Baked Penne in Healthy Cooking August/September 2011, p33

Tip

Shred and Freeze Cheese

It’s usually cheaper to buy cheese in blocks than in shredded form. So I purchase large quantities of cheddar, Monterey Jack and mozzarella, then shred them myself in my food processor. I store the shredded cheese in the freezer in heavy-duty resealable plastic bags, so I have it at my fingertips whenever it’s needed. —Evelyn O., Parma, Ohio

Medium-Bodied Red Wine

Enjoy this recipe with a medium-bodied red wine such as Chianti, Sangiovese, Malbec or Zinfandel.

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Reviews for Four-Cheese Baked Penne

Four-Cheese Baked Penne Recipe

Four-Cheese Baked Penne

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(1-6) of 6 reviews

Reviewed on Jan. 15, 2012 by cheeriogirl

Oh--how I wish I had read the reviews before I made this. I did NOT care for the rosemary in this dish. Otherwise, it was okay. Won't bother with it again.

Reviewed on Dec. 12, 2011 by shm2969

I am shocked this recipe is getting good reviews. Once its cooked its very dry and really has no flavor other than the rosemary which def does not fit into the flavor. I want to pour a jar of spag sauce on it to make it worth eating. Throwing out leftovers...that bad.

Reviewed on Oct. 13, 2011 by FitnessLovingMom

This was very tasty and cheesy. it was no saucy and a bit dry, I will add some of my low cal. pasta sauce next time, but the flavor is very good. I may leave the rosemary out as wel next timel, as it is an italian dish.

Reviewed on Sep. 12, 2011 by revjoannrom828

<p>Don't put the rosemary. I love rosemary, but I'm an old fashioned Italian and the rosemary didn't go with this dish. But it was excellent. I used baby shells and because I didn't have cottage cheese, plus my family doesn't like cottage cheese I used all ricotta cheese. It seemed a little dry, but I just added more sauce to it. It is a very good meal.  I also added a bag of thawed frozen chopped broccoli, which gave it a little moisture and really added a nice taste to the dish.</p>

Reviewed on Aug. 26, 2011 by danid

I thought this was excellent but didnt' care for it as leftovers though.

Reviewed on Aug. 21, 2011 by dawnrosanne

This is soooooooo good! I liked how it had a little zip to it due to the red pepper flakes. I did make one change: instead of the 1 cup of ricotta, I used 4 oz. of cottage cheese and 4 oz. of plain yogurt. It turned out really good! Great comfort food; meatless, too.

 
 

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