This healthy baked pasta with cottage cheese tastes like cozy comfort food with creamy sauce, tender pasta, melty cheese, and plenty of family-friendly flavor. Cottage cheese makes the texture rich and satisfying while keeping this easy dinner simple and a little lighter.
Cook the pasta 2 minutes less than the instructions suggest, then drain but do not rinse.
Brown the ground beef, breaking it up as it cooks. Drain well and rinse if desired.
Mix together 1½ cups pasta sauce, cottage cheese, browned ground beef, cooked pasta, 1 cup mozzarella, egg, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder.
This recipe will fill a very deep 9x9 or a shallow 9x13. Spoon in a little sauce, just enough to cover the bottom. Pour in the pasta mixture then top with remaining pasta sauce, remaining mozzarella, and Parmesan cheese.
Bake at 375ºF for 30-50 minutes, depending on the size and shape of the pan. See note below for cooking times. When it's done, the cheese will be melted and the sauce will be bubbly around the edges and it will smell great.
Notes
I make this in a 6-inch deep 9x9, and I bake it for 50 minutes at 375ºF. If you're using a 9x13, it will cook much more quickly because it will be more shallow. When it's done, the cheese will be melted and the sauce will be bubbly around the edges and it will smell great. If you use a 9x13 or two shallow 9x9s, start checking it around 30 minutes and then every 5 minutes until it's done.