cottage cheese sausage pasta

Cottage Cheese Sausage Pasta

This cottage cheese sausage pasta is a hearty pasta dish featuring sautéed bell peppers, mushrooms, and zucchini with savory chicken sausage, all tossed in a rich and creamy cottage cheese and Parmesan sauce.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup gemelli pasta
2 links tomato basil chicken sausage, sliced diagonally
2 mini red bell peppers, cut into bite-sized pieces
2 mini yellow bell peppers, cut into bite-sized pieces
4 mushrooms, quartered
1 (1 1/2 inch) piece zucchini, cut into matchsticks
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons cream cheese
3 ounces high protein cottage cheese, such as good culture®
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 ounce shredded parmesan cheese
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 pinch italian seasoning

Direction

Fill a large pot with lightly salted water and bring to a rolling boil. Stir in gemelli and return to a boil. Cook pasta uncovered, stirring occasionally, until tender yet firm to the bite, about 7 minutes; drain and set aside. Keep warm.
Combine sausage, red peppers, yellow peppers, mushrooms, and zucchini in a heavy skillet. Cook until sausage is browned, about 7 minutes. Add garlic; cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add sausage-vegetable mixture to cooked pasta; set aside.
Melt butter in a skillet over medium-low heat; add cream cheese and stir until smooth.
Add cottage cheese and whipping cream to the jar of a blender; blend until smooth. Pour into cream cheese mixture; stir until heated through. Add Parmesan, and season with salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning to taste. Pour sauce over pasta mixture; serve immediately.

Slow Cooker Pasta Bake

I don’t mean to turn this into a confessional, but this dish came together because I saw a jar of marinara sauce sitting on the kitchen counter. Hey, inspiration comes in all shapes, sizes, and forms. But this is a traditional baked ziti with creamy ricotta and mozzarella, salty parm, and tender pasta, all just so yummy together, plus the carrots and zucchini. On occasion when I’m really busy, I’ll go to the grocery store and get vegetables already chopped, and throw everything into the slow cooker for a nice dinner later on. It’s a shortcut on top of a shortcut. I’m gentle when folding in the spinach, as the pasta could start to fall apart if you do this with hurried, crushing blows. Tom and I both like this with a fresh Caesar salad, but any crisp, cold, and simple green salad will go well with this dish.