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This Baked Pasta with Zucchini and Cottage Cheese is one of those simple recipes that manages to be filling and comforting without feeling heavy.
I adapted it years ago from Quick and Light: Healthy Recipes You’ll Fall in Love With (affiliate link) by Janie Samuels, making several changes along the way to better suit our tastes.
I especially like the combination of whole wheat pasta, zucchini, tomatoes and olives with creamy cottage cheese mixed right in. A light sprinkling of Parmesan and mozzarella on top gives you that satisfying cheesy baked-pasta experience without needing a heavy sauce.
It’s an easy vegetarian dinner and a good one to remember when zucchini is plentiful.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Simple ingredients – Nothing fancy here, just pasta, cottage cheese, vegetables, seasonings and a little cheese.
- Filling without being heavy – Cottage cheese adds creaminess and protein without turning this into a rich, heavy pasta casserole.
- Lots of vegetables – Zucchini and tomatoes are mixed right into the pasta.
- Easy meatless meal – It’s substantial enough to serve as a vegetarian main dish.
- Four generous servings – This makes a nice small casserole without leaving you with an enormous pan of leftovers.
Ingredients and Substitutions
Whole wheat pasta – I like rotini or penne because the shapes hold onto the cottage cheese and bits of vegetables. Regular pasta will work too.
Low-fat cottage cheese – Makes the pasta creamy while adding protein. I wouldn’t bother blending it for this recipe—the curds become part of the texture of the finished dish.
Italian seasoning – An easy way to add a blend of Italian herbs without measuring several different spices.
Garlic powder – Adds a little extra savory flavor.
Dried parsley – Fresh chopped parsley would also be good if you have it.
Zucchini – Slice it into thin half-moons so it cooks through while the pasta bakes. Yellow summer squash would be an easy substitute.
Diced tomatoes – Add the entire can, including the juices. The liquid helps keep the pasta moist as it bakes.
Black olives – I love the salty little bites they add, but you can leave them out if you’re not an olive fan.
Parmesan cheese – Just a couple of tablespoons adds plenty of savory flavor.
Reduced-fat mozzarella – Melts over the top for that classic baked-pasta finish.
How to Make Cottage Cheese Baked Pasta
Step 1: Prepare the Oven and Baking Dish
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly coat a 9-inch square baking dish with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
Step 2: Cook the Pasta
Prepare the pasta according to the package directions. Drain and return it to the pot.
Step 3: Add the Cottage Cheese and Vegetables
Add the cottage cheese, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, parsley, zucchini, diced tomatoes with their juices, and olives.
Stir until everything is well combined.
Step 4: Assemble the Casserole
Spread the pasta mixture evenly in the prepared baking dish.
Sprinkle the Parmesan and mozzarella evenly over the top.
Step 5: Bake Until Hot and Cheesy
Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes.
Remove the foil and continue baking for another 5 to 10 minutes, until everything is hot and the cheese on top is beginning to brown.
Recipe Notes
I love how this baked pasta manages to be flavorful and satisfying without being overly rich. I think it’s the combination of whole wheat pasta, vegetables and cottage cheese, with just enough Parmesan and mozzarella to make it feel like comfort food.
The cottage cheese isn’t meant to disappear into a perfectly smooth sauce. It stays a little textured, which works nicely with the pasta and vegetables.
Because the zucchini goes into the casserole raw, slicing it fairly thinly helps it cook through in the relatively short baking time.
This is also an easy recipe to play with depending on what you have. Yellow summer squash can replace the zucchini, and you could add mushrooms, spinach or chopped roasted red peppers.
How Many Calories and WW Points?
The recipe makes four generous servings, each with 310 calories and 8 WW Points.
To see your WW Points for this recipe, track it in the WW App!
(You must be logged into WW on a smartphone or tablet.)
8 PointsPlus (Old plan)
If you’ve made this Baked Pasta with Zucchini and Cottage Cheese, please give the recipe a star rating below and leave a comment letting me know how you liked it. And stay in touch on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for the latest updates.
Baked Pasta with Zucchini and Cottage Cheese Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 8 ounces whole wheat pasta, such as penne or rotini
- 1-1/2 cups low-fat cottage cheese
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
- 2 small zucchini sliced into thin half moon shapes
- 1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained
- 1/2 cup sliced black olives
- 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/2 cup reduced-fat shredded mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F degrees. Lightly spray a 9-inch square baking dish with nonstick cooking spray and set it aside.
- Prepare the pasta according to the package instructions. Drain and return to the pasta pot. Add the cottage cheese, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, parsley flakes, zucchini, tomatoes and olives. Stir until well combined.
- Spread the pasta mixture evenly into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle evenly with the Parmesan and mozzarella.
- Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes.
- Remove the foil and bake until the top begins to brown lightly, 5 to 10 minutes.
Notes
(Must be logged into WW on a smartphone or tablet.) 8 PointsPlus (Old plan)
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe Source: Adapted from Quick and Light: Healthy Recipes You’ll Fall in Love With (affiliate link)
More Easy Healthy Pasta Recipes
- Weight Watchers Tomato, Chicken and Feta Pasta – A simple pasta dinner combining chicken, tomatoes and salty feta.
- Light and Creamy One Pot Pasta – An easy one-pot option when you’re craving something creamy without a heavy sauce.
- Pasta with Broccoli and Chicken – A straightforward combination of pasta, chicken and broccoli that works well for an easy dinner.
- Gluten Free Pasta alla Puttanesca – Tomatoes, olives and other bold Mediterranean flavors make this an especially flavorful pasta dish.
- Baked Spinach Artichoke Pasta – lighter baked pasta casserole with plenty of vegetables and cheesy flavor.
This is a very tasty recipe. I do blend the cottage cheese till smooth. You end up with a rich velvety sauced pasta dish that tastes like it should be more calories. They black olives really add a nice little flavor punch. We eat a lot of side salads with our dinners and it’s the perfect light side to this casserole. Great recipe!
Looks great and just might be my lunches for the week! Plan on subbing FF ricotta for the cottage cheese and adding some cooked ground turkey breast.
I followed the recipe to the letter and ending up with the most disgusting lump of mess on the plates.It looked like seagull vomit!! However it tasted absolutely fantastic. Might I suggest, for aesthetic value that the cottage cheese and tomato (maybe a squizz of tomato puree for better colour) be blitzed in a food processer for 20 seconds before adding.
Sorry to seem negative….This recipe is absolutely delicious..but I did have to pre warn my family to eat it in the dark.
Thanks for the honest feedback. Maybe you should hand out blindfolds before filling your family’s plates, lol 🙂 As a cottage cheese lover I forget the the sight/texture can be off-putting to many. A quick blitz in the blender would help to create a creamier texture. Thanks for the suggestion.
can i use ricotta cheese in place of cottage cheese ?
Hi Maryann,
Yes, absolutely, ricotta will work in place of cottage cheese in this baked pasta recipe. Enjoy!