The Baked Pasta Compromise

I love pasta, well, if the truth be told, I love most things starchy and full of carbs.  Part of successfully eating a healthy diet is compromise.  That is what I tried to achieve with this recipe -- I wanted to capture the richness of baked ziti but without so much of the guilt.  The usual ziti pasta was replaced with whole grain penne and chopped broccoli.  The sauce contains no meat, so it's lower in fat, plus to make it richer, I added fat free cottage cheese.  Some of my friends think I'm 'off my rocker' for using cottage cheese in something like this, but the sweetness of it balances nicely with the tang of the tomato.
(Ross)

Whole Grain Baked Pasta
2 tbsp olive oil
2 onions
1 large green pepper
2 tbsp dried oregano
Cracked pepper
2 tbsp garlic puree
16 oz package of frozen broccoli
2 28 cans of tomatoes, crushed tomatoes, or tomato puree
Cayenne pepper
6 oz can of tomato paste (only needed if sauce is too thin)
12 oz package of whole grain pasta.  Penne, ziti, macaroni, etc work best.
24 oz fat free cottage cheese
12 oz low fat mozzarella - grated

• Chop onions and green peppers then saute in olive oil in a large pot.
• Once the onions have started to become translucent, add the oregano and several good grinds of cracked black pepper.  Let this cook for a couple of minutes.
• Add the broccoli and the garlic and stir together.
• Let sit for no more than a minute or two (otherwise the garlic may burn) and add the canned tomatoes.  Depending on the type of tomato being used, a small can of tomato paste may be needed too.  I used pureed tomato and didn't need the tomato paste.
• The cayenne pepper is also optional -- I used 1/2 tsp, but everyone's preferences are different.
• Let this mixture simmer over a low heat.  The longer this type of sauce cooks, the better it tastes.  Just make sure it doesn't stick to the bottom of the pot and burn.
• Boil the pasta according to the instructions on the box, but keep it on the firm side as it will continue to cook in the oven.
• Drain the pasta and mix it plus the cottage cheese into the sauce.
• Pour the mixture into a large glass dish such as a lasagna pan.
• Top with the grated mozzarella and bake.
• Remember to turn the oven on.
• 375 F for about 30 minutes or so.  The cheese should be starting to turn brown and the mixture making that lovely sizzling sound.
• Remove from oven and let stand for at least 10 to 15 minutes before serving.

In the pot:

Ready to bake:

Just out of the oven:

On the plate: