Here is the perfect easy weeknight dinner: Cheesy baked pasta, trim healthy mama s

If your family likes comforting, cheesy casseroles, I have the recipe for you! And I used blended cottage cheese to help lighten the recipe up. You could definitely us ricotta in place of the blended cottage cheese. I am just trying to find ways to u0se blended cottage cheese. And it worked great in this recipe!

This is budget friendly too.

I used hamburger meat I bought on sale, store-brand marinara, blended cottage cheese, and very little parmesan and mozzarella. BUT, you can use Italian sausage, ricotta cheese, and as much shredded cheese that your heart (or family) desire. The most expensive item was the pasta, I used Dreamfields, but you can use whatever you and your family like. One tip, if your family doesn’t like your pasta, you can use a veggie pasta and you can use your pasta, and bake in 2 different dishes ( I have done that before).

This is approved from my hubby and our youth!

I love sharing recipes on here that not only my hubby loves but also that our youth love as well. This received 2 thumbs up! If you don’t want to take the time to layer the pasta with the meat sauce like I did, just mix it all together, especially if you have picky kids. Adjust this to make it how your family would eat it. I totally get having picky family members. I try to come up with recipes that your whole family will eat.

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Perfect Cheesy Baked Pasta- THM S

Course Main Course

Cuisine Italian

Diet Diabetic

Keyword Trim Healthy Mama Dinner

Author Jennifer Overstreet

Ingredients

• 1 lb Ground Beef, can substitute Italian Sausage
• 1 M Onion, Diced
• 2 T Minced garlic
• 1 t Salt
• 1/2 t Pepper
• 1 t Garlic Powder
• 1 t Onion Powder
• 2 t Italian Seasoning
• 1 t Fennel Seed, crushed- Optional especially if using Italian sausage
• 1 Jar Marinara Sauce
• 1 Box On Plan Pasta
• 1 1/2 C Blended Cottage Cheese (can leave unblended if desired)
• 1/2 C Parmesan Cheese
• 1/4 C Shredded Parmesan Cheese
• 1/2 C Mozzarella Cheese

Instructions

• Brown Ground Beef. Add diced onion. Start your water to boil the pasta while you are preparing the ground beef.
  
• Cook for a few minutes. Add minced garlic. Cook for about a minute.
  
• Add seasonings and cook another minute or so.
  
• Add marinara sauce to the ground beef. Start preparing the blended cottage cheese mixture. I used the pot that I cooked the noodles in. Place cottage cheese and the rest of the cheeses. Add the drained pasta into the cheese mixture and stir.
  
• In a 9x13 or a casserole dish place half of the ground beef mixture in the bottom.
  
• Spread the ground beef mixture to cover the bottom of the dish. Top with the pasta mixture. When the pasta mixture has been spread and covers the ground beef mixture, top with the remaining ground beef mixture.
  
• Once the ground beef mixture has been spread sprinkle the top with a little cheese, if desired. Bake at 350 for about 15 minutes. Everything is warm, you just want to get it hot.
  
• When bubbly, carefully remove from the oven.
  
• Serve warm.