Easy & Creamy Cottage Cheese Pasta Bake with Broccoli
I simply love cottage cheese. I use it in desserts, appetizers, sides, and mains, and today, I’m excited to share my recipe for a high-protein, creamy, and delicious Cottage Cheese Pasta Bake with Broccoli.
The best part? No precooking is required!
This dish is creamy, buttery, flavorful, and packed with both micro- and macronutrients—did I mention it’s loaded with broccoli and spinach, too?
I also made my own marinara sauce from scratch, but feel free to use store-bought if you’re short on time.
How to Make Cottage Cheese Pasta Bake with Broccoli?
If you’re opting to make your own marinara sauce, start there. Don’t worry—it’s so simple you’ll want to whip it up again for spaghetti night.
Next, combine all the ingredients in a casserole dish and bake it covered with aluminum foil.
After that, sprinkle shredded mozzarella over the top, bake for another 15 minutes, and dig into this delightful dish!
How to Store Cottage Cheese Pasta Bake?
This pasta bake is at its peak when freshly made. If you have leftovers, they can sit at room temperature for a few hours.
After that, cover them with aluminum foil or transfer them to an airtight container and enjoy within the next few days.
Since it contains spinach, reheating isn’t usually recommended—though if you must, do so on low heat and only briefly. That said, this dish is just as tasty cold!
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Cottage Cheese Pasta Bake with Broccoli
Equipment
- 1 casserole dish
- 1 Spatula
Ingredients
For the Marinara Sauce:
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 medium onion finely chopped
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 3 cups tomato passata (tomato sauce) (24 oz)
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp dried basil
For the Pasta Bake:
- 14 oz pasta penne, fusilli, or rigatoni (about 3½ cups)
- 2 cups fresh broccoli chopped
- 3½ oz fresh spinach about 2 cups
- 1¼ cups water
- 1½ cups cottage cheese
- 1½ cups shredded mozzarella
- 1 tbsp fresh parsley chopped (optional, for garnish)
Instructions
Make the Marinara Sauce:
- Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add chopped onion and minced garlic, sautéing for 5 minutes until softened and fragrant.
- Stir in passata, pepper, salt, oregano, and basil. Simmer for 3 minutes, then remove from heat.
Assemble and Bake:
- Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
- In a large casserole dish, combine uncooked pasta, chopped broccoli, cottage cheese, water, and the prepared marinara sauce. Stir well to mix. Cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil.
- Bake for 30 minutes.
- While it bakes, roughly chop the spinach.
- After 30 minutes, remove the foil. Stir in the chopped spinach, then sprinkle the shredded mozzarella evenly over the top.
- Return to the oven and bake uncovered for 12-15 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
- Garnish with chopped parsley (if using) and serve hot. Enjoy!
Notes
Reheat gently on low heat if needed, though it’s also delicious cold!
