Four-Cheese Baked Penne

Name: Four-Cheese Baked Penne
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 6 servings.
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 shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided; 1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese; 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

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

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 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.
Preheat oven to 400°. Drain penne; add to sauce. Stir in cottage cheese, 1/2 cup mozzarella and all of the ricotta. Transfer to a 13x9-in. baking dish coated with cooking spray. Top with Parmesan cheese and remaining mozzarella.
Bake, uncovered, 20-25 minutes or until bubbly.

Nutrition Facts

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

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

Reviews

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Average Rating:

cheeriogirl

Jan 15, 2012

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.
shm2969

Dec 12, 2011

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.
FitnessLovingMom

Oct 13, 2011

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.
revjoannrom828

Sep 12, 2011

<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>
danid

Aug 26, 2011

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

Aug 21, 2011

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.