Creamy, cheesy pasta casserole with a hint of sun-dried tomato flavour.

Sometimes you just want a big bowl of comfort food. It’s rich, delicious and oh so crave-worthy. With perfectly cooked al dente noodles and a creamy, cheesy sauce, Cheesy Sun-Dried Tomato Baked Pasta can melt your cravings away.

With a tasty twist on macaroni and cheese, this casserole incorporates penne noodles, dried herbs and sun-dried tomatoes. By enhancing the savoury flavours, this cheesy pasta is even more delectable. For an additional pop of flavour, add some red pepper flakes for an instant flavourful pizzazz.

While some comfort food is definitely winter food, this dish can be enjoyed any time of the year. With a tasty mix of lower fat ingredients, you can indulge in your cravings without neglecting your healthy eating.

The sauce is a combination of low fat cottage cheese, cheddar cheese and egg whites. Together they create a rich sauce that tastes wonderfully cheesy, without being too fatty. Cottage cheese enhances the creamy texture of the sauce and adds a subtle cheesy flavour. While egg whites add a rich, almost buttery flavour.

To help keep the casserole extra creamy, cover the dish with tin foil for the first 20 minutes of baking. For the last ten minutes, remove the foil to give your casserole a lightly crispy crust. When it’s all done, your casserole will have the perfect balance of a crunchy cheesy crust and a richly flavoured middle.

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Cheesy Sun-Dried Tomato Baked Pasta

There’s comfort food and then there’s cheesy, carby comfort food. With a lightly crispy, cheesy crust and a cheesy, herb and sun-dried tomato filled middle, this pasta is a tasty delight.

Author: Jessica
Prep Time: 15 mins
Cook Time: 35 mins
Total Time: 50 mins
Yield: 4 to 6 1x

Ingredients

Scale

2 cups uncooked penne noodles
1 cup low fat cottage cheese
1 and 1/2 cups, shredded cheddar cheese, divided
1 cup milk
3/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, jar with oil
1 and 1/2 tablespoons flour
2 cloves garlic
3 tablespoons egg whites
1/2 teaspoon rosemary, dried
1 and 1/2 teaspoons basil, dried
2 teaspoons parsley, dried
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C).
Prepare baking dish with a quick spray of cooking oil. Cook pasta al dente, according to package instructions.
In a saucepan over medium heat, add one tablespoon of sun-dried tomato oil and saute garlic for 1 minute.
Cover garlic with flour, rosemary, parsley, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes. Stir to combine and cook for 1 minute.
Whisk in milk. Simmer for 1 minute until sauce thickens. Remove thickened milk from heat and add to baking dish.
In a food processor, puree cottage cheese and sun-dried tomatoes until smooth and there are no more curds. Add to baking dish with egg whites and 1 cup of shredded cheese.
Add drained pasta to the baking dish. Gently stir.
Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup of cheddar cheese and cover with tin foil.
Bake for 20 minutes. Remove tin foil and bake for 10 minutes.
Enjoy!