Cottage cheese is the secret to a pasta filling that will stay creamy after baking. Try it as a layer in your next lasagna or in the sauce for a baked mac & cheese.
Ingredients
- Cooking spray
- 1 (12 oz) box jumbo pasta shells
- 1 tbsp olive oil, plus more for drizzling
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ (16 oz) pkg Nature's Promise ® Sweet Italian Sausage, casings removed
- 1 (12 oz) pkg frozen riced cauliflower, thawed
- 1 tbsp Italian seasoning
- 1 (16 oz) container cottage cheese
- 1 large egg
- 1 ½ cups shredded 5 cheese Italian blend cheese, divided
- ½ cup fresh basil, thinly sliced, plus more to garnish
- 1 (24 oz) jar marinara sauce, divided
Steps
- Preheat oven to 375°F with a rack in the center position. Lightly coat a 9x13" baking dish with cooking spray. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook shells according to package directions for al dente. Drain. Drizzle with a little oil and toss to coat. Set aside.
- In a 12" skillet, heat oil on medium-high. Add onion and garlic. Cook 3 to 4 minutes, until tender. Add sausage and cook 7 to 8 minutes, breaking up with wooden spoon, until browned and cooked through. Add riced cauliflower rice, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Cook another 2 to 3 minutes, until cauliflower is warmed through. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
- In a large bowl, combine cottage cheese, egg, ½ cup shredded cheese and basil. Whisk until combined. Season with salt and pepper. Using a slotted spoon, transfer sausage mixture to the same bowl. Mix to combine.
- Spoon 1 cup marinara onto bottom of prepared baking dish. Spoon sausage-cauliflower filling into shells and place in baking dish. Spoon remaining marinara sauce over filled shells.
- Bake shells 35 minutes, until filling is bubbling. Sprinkle with remaining 1 cup shredded cheese. Bake another 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let stand 5 minutes. Garnish with basil.
This recipe is
- Nut-free
Tags
- Nut Free
- Meal Prep