Lighten It Up

Disappeared for awhile again.
I found another project.
Hubby and I spent 3 days helping to build some porches on the Parsonage at church.
They were full days and there was no time for anything past Bible reading and prayer, exercise, meal prep, and building.
It was a lot of fun.

Last week, I said that I had tried some new recipes that were a hit around here.
One recipe was a result of trying to replace a meal on our eating plan.

The plan called for a cold pasta salad that included pasta, cottage cheese, and tomatoes.
I tried it once and with cold gluten free pasta, it was YUCK!

So, I visited my friend google and found a hot dish.
I love Italian, so it looked promising.

It is not as cheesy as the Italian that I usually crave,

but is much easier on my dairy sensitivities.

Baked Pasta Cottage Cheese

• 8 ounces pasta (such as penne or rotini)
• 1-1/2 cups low fat cottage cheese
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon dried parsley flakes
• 1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained
• ½ cup sliced black olives
• 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
• ½ cup reduced fat shredded mozzarella cheese

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
   Lightly spray a 9-inch square baking dish with nonstick cooking spray and set it aside.
2. Prepare the pasta according to the package instructions.
   Drain and return to the pasta pot.
   Add the cottage cheese, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, parsley flakes, zucchini, tomatoes and olives.
   Stir until well combined.
3. Spread the pasta mixture evenly into the prepared baking dish.
4. Sprinkle evenly with the Parmesan and mozzarella.
   Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes.
   Remove the foil and bake until the top begins to brown lightly, 5 to 10 minutes.

Bon Appetit!