Baked Cheese and Macaroni Casserole

This comforting pasta bake uses fat-free cottage cheese and part-skim mozzarella to deliver a high-protein, lower-fat alternative to traditional cheesy casseroles.

Ingredients

Calories next to each ingredient are for that ingredient across the whole recipe (4 servings), not per serving.

• 1 jar (24 ounces) low-sodium meatless spaghetti sauce · 303 kcal in the whole recipe
• 1/3 cup water
• 6 ounces fat-free cottage cheese · 149 kcal in the whole recipe
• 1 egg, slightly beaten · 60 kcal in the whole recipe
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 cup dry macaroni pasta · 309 kcal in the whole recipe
• 4 ounces shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese · 279 kcal in the whole recipe

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and lightly grease a 1-quart casserole dish.

   

2. In a medium bowl, stir together the spaghetti sauce and water. In a separate bowl, mix the cottage cheese, beaten egg, and oregano until well combined.

   

3. Spread 1/3 of the spaghetti sauce mixture at the bottom of the prepared dish. Layer with half of the dry macaroni, half of the cottage cheese mixture, and half of the mozzarella cheese.

   

4. Pour another 1/3 of the sauce over the top, then repeat the layers with the remaining macaroni, cottage cheese mixture, mozzarella, and the rest of the sauce.

   

5. Cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 45 minutes. Remove the foil and bake uncovered for an additional 15 minutes until the pasta is tender and the cheese is bubbly.

   

Adapted from a USDA MyPlate Kitchen recipe (public domain). Portions, macros, diet checks and step photos by Besly.