- Difficulty: Easy
- Serves: 8 portions
- Nutritional breakdown per serving: 315 calories, 9 grams total fat, 4 grams saturated fat, 18 milligrams cholesterol, 674 milligrams sodium, 41 grams carbohydrates, 7.5 grams fiber, 23 grams protein, 4 grams sugar
- Total time: 1 hour 21 minutes
- Prep time: 25 minutes
- Resting time: 11 minutes
- Baking time: 45 minutes
Making your own tomato sauce for this penne bake lets you control the flavor and ingredients. The sauce is mixed with cubes of mozzarella so you get melty cheesy bites throughout, and cottage cheese stands in for ricotta to provide creaminess with fewer calories and less fat.
- Makes: 8 servings
- Nutrition per serving: 315 calories | 9g total fat | 4g saturated fat | 18mg cholesterol | 674mg sodium | 41g carbs | 7.5g dietary fiber | 23g protein | 4g sugars
- Total time: 1 hour 21 minutes
- Preparation: 25 minutes
- Inactive time: 11 minutes
- Cooking: 45 minutes
Ingredients to Gather
- Nonstick spray for baking dish
- Kosher salt
- One 12-oz package fiber- and calcium-enriched penne pasta
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds, crushed
- 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- One 28-oz can crushed tomatoes, no salt added
- 1 whole sprig fresh basil + 1/2 cup torn leaves for finishing
- Fresh black pepper, to taste
- One 8-oz piece part-skim mozzarella (half grated, half cut into small cubes)
- One 16-oz tub 1% cottage cheese
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- One 10-oz package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and thoroughly squeezed
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 400F. Spray a 22quart rectangular or oval baking dish with nonstick spray.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt generously. Cook the penne according to package directions until just al dente, then drain.
- While the pasta cooks, heat olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add crushed fennel seeds and sliced garlic and cook about 2 minutes until fragrant. Stir in crushed tomatoes, the whole basil sprig, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper. Simmer gently, lowering the heat if needed, for 1015 minutes until the sauce thickens and the raw tomato taste mellows. Remove from heat, discard the basil sprig, and adjust seasoning as needed. Pour the sauce over the drained penne and stir to combine, then fold in the cubed mozzarella. Spoon half the sauced pasta into the prepared baking dish.
- Process the cottage cheese in a food processor until smooth. Add the shredded mozzarella and Parmesan and pulse 23 times to combine. Stir half of this cheese mixture into the squeezed spinach, breaking up any clumps. Drop spoonfuls of the spinach-cheese mixture over the pasta layer. Spread the remaining pasta over the top and dot with the remaining cheese mixture.
- Bake until the top is golden and the sauce is bubbling, about 30 minutes. Let the casserole rest 10 minutes after removing from the oven, then sprinkle with torn basil leaves just before serving.
