Cottage Cheese Pizza Pasta Bake

We tried the cottage cheese pasta again, but this time in a baked casserole and it was SOOO GOOD!

I started off by roasting some tomatoes, peppers, onions and garlic in the oven, They were seasoned with some salt, pepper, basil and EVOO. I removed them once finished and added them to the blender with 1 cup cottage cheese, splash of cream and blended until smooth. I seasoned a bit more after tasting it. I then poured this sauce into a large bowl with about a cup or some of cavatappi noodles (uncooked).  I mixed in chunks of fresh mozzarella, chopped pepperoni and salami. Then added one cup of beef broth as I felt like there wasn’t enough liquid for the noodles to cook in. I had preheated the oven to about 400. I poured everything in a greased glass baking dish and covered with foil; baking for about 25-30minutes. When I checked it, I removed the foil, gave it a stir, topped it with some parmesan and baked it another 15-20minues until it was bubbling.  

It baked so well together with pockets of sauce and cheese. Unlike the last sauce, I felt like this wasn’t gritty and it was smoother. I couldn’t event tell that it was cottage cheese base! I think the only ingredient I was missing was fresh basil. I wanted more of a fresh pizza pasta taste, but I still ate all of it with no problem! Next time there may be more veggies or a different combination of sauce/flavors. Cottage cheese did not let me down this time, so I think there is more exploring and experimenting with recipes to be done – stay tuned!

Live to Eat,
Tiv