Three-Cheese Bowtie Pasta

TODD VAN PATTER

This is a fun, cheesy pasta dish that works great as an item to take to a friend. It reads as kind of a cross between lasagna and macaroni and cheese, and could easily be a great jumping-off point for lots of other flavors and ideas. It was also very simple to make, and the grocery list to put it together was not overly complicated or expensive

A cooking note: we slightly undercooked the pasta, worrying that it would turn to mush once it was baked. This turned out to be unnecessary, and the result was a dish that was a little too dry and "al dente" for our tastes. Fully cook your pasta so it can be as soft and creamy as possible, and consider having a sauce of some sort (tomato, roasted pepper, pesto) on the side to give some more liquid and bolder flavors to the dish.

Preheat oven to 375° F. Boil pasta according to directions in a large pot of water, until tender.

Mix ricotta, cottage cheese, 2 tablespoons parmesan, egg, nutmeg, salt and pepper.

Fold pasta into cheese mixture, and spread evenly in a baking dish.

Mix bread crumbs, melted butter and remaining parmesan, and top the pasta evenly.

Bake, covered, for 40 minutes, then uncovered for 10-15 minutes until browned lightly.

Three-Cheese Bowtie Pasta

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 60 minutes
Total time: 1 hour, 10 minutes
Serves: 4-6

Ingredients:

1 lb mini farfalle or other dried pasta
8 oz part-skim ricotta cheese
8 oz fat-free cottage cheese
1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1 large egg
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp fresh black pepper
1/2 cup panko or dry bread crumbs
2 Tbsp butter

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375° F.
Boil pasta according to directions in a large pot of water, until tender
Mix ricotta, cottage cheese, 2 tablespoons parmesan, egg, nutmeg, salt and pepper.
Fold pasta into cheese mixture, and spread evenly in a baking dish.
Mix bread crumbs, melted butter and remaining parmesan, and top the pasta evenly.
Bake, covered, for 40 minutes, then uncovered for 10-15 minutes until browned lightly.
Serve hot to hungry friends!

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