Cottage Cheese Baked Ziti
Make the best cottage cheese baked ziti in less than 30 minutes! It’s packed with protein from a combination of protein pasta, ground turkey, and cottage cheese.
Servings: 6 servings
Ingredients
- 16 oz. Ziti like Barilla Protein+ or Kaizen
- ¼ cup Low-Sodium Chicken Broth or vegetable
- 1 lb. Ground Turkey
- 3 tbsp Garlic minced
- ½ cup White Onion diced
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- 2 ½ cups Marinara Sauce
- ½ tsp Italian Seasoning
- ½ tsp Onion Powder
- ½ cup Low Fat Cottage Cheese
- ½ cup Low Fat Ricotta Cheese
- 1 cup Low-Moisture Mozzarella divided into ¾ cups
- ½ cup Parmesan shredded or grated
- Fresh Basil for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400° F.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook the pasta according to pasta a few minutes less than the instructions as it will continue cooking in the oven.
- In a large, deep skillet add the broth, garlic and onion and bring to a medium heat. Once the onions soften, add the ground turkey to the skillet breaking it up with a spatula.
- Add the salt, pepper, Italian seasoning and onion powder. Cook 5 minutes or until the meat is browned. Reduce the heat to low then add the marinara sauce and water. Simmer while you prepare the cheese.
- Blend the cottage cheese and ricotta together in a small blender or with a hand mixer. Then fold in 3/4 cup of the mozzarella and all the Parmesan by hand.
- Add the pasta to the skillet and stir to combine.
- Then add half the pasta and meat mixture to a 9-inch by 13-inch casserole dish. Add the cheese layer and smooth into an even layer. Top with the remaining pasta and meat mixture and add the 3/4 cup of mozzarella evenly on top.
- Bake in the oven for 25 minutes until golden brown then remove, garnish with fresh basil leaves and serve.
Notes
- Use broth to saute the onions, garlic, and ground turkey instead of oil to reduce the calories in the dish and to amplify the flavor.
- Blend the cottage cheese completely smooth and lump-free to help disguise the flavor in the pasta.
- Stop cooking the pasta a few minutes before it cooks through
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 534kcal | Carbohydrates: 67g | Protein: 42g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 67mg | Sodium: 899mg | Potassium: 814mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 730IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 343mg | Iron: 3mg