Another 4 cheese and pasta dish...oops! :)

Two 4-cheese pasta dishes in a row...that's extremely cheesy even for me!!! This time it's a four-cheese baked penne.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups small-curd low-fat cottage cheese
• 1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
• 1 1/4 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
• 3 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
• 1 pound whole-wheat penne
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 15-oz can crushed tomatoes (no salt added is better)
• 1 8-oz can no-salt-added tomato sauce
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp dried rosemary
• 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• cooking spray
• 1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese (3/4 oz)

The lineup...

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Combine the cottage cheese, ricotta cheese, 1/2 cup of the mozzarella (or the whole 1 1/4 cup if you're like me and can't read), and the parsley (which I forgot I had, so I didn't add is...oops!!!) in a bowl and stir to incorporate.

Cheese, cheese, and more cheese :)

Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling water until tender but still firm. Drain.

Heat the oil in the same pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds more. Add the tomatoes, tomato sauce, oregano, rosemary, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until the sauce thickens slightly, about 10 minutes.

Even in my tallest pot, the tomatoes splashed EVERYWHERE as they cooked.

Add the pasta to the pot and turn off the heat. Stir in the cheese mixture.

Spray a 9x13-inch glass baking dish with cooking spray, then transfer the pasta mixture to the dish. Top with remaining 3/4 cup mozzarella (or just more mozzarella) and the Parmesan. Bake until heated through and the cheese is melted, about 30 minutes.

mmmm

I got too excited and forgot to take a picture of the finished product before I dug in...

Verdict....really good! However, the onions and garlic weren't cooked enough for my taste...an easy fix for next time though! 2 cup serving is about 500 calories.