Three Cheese Penne Pasta

When you think of pasta and cheese, you rarely think of a dish that is healthy for you.  However with a couple of simple changes, you can turn it into a healthy, low calorie dish!  For this recipe you will need the following:

     1/2 cup yellow onion, diced
     1/2 tsp minced garlic
     24 oz jar of your favorite tomato sauce
     12 oz of penne pasta (whole wheat or regular, your choice)
     1/2 cup low-fat cottage cheese
     1/2 cup fat-free ricotta cheese
     2 cups of part-skim shredded mozzarella cheese (I used the 6 cheese Italian Blend from Giant &
        calories are the same)
     1 tsp black pepper
     1 tbsp of fresh oregano (1 tsp dried)
     1 tbsp fresh flat leaf parsley (1 tsp dried)
     1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (if you like to spice it up)

     Preheat the oven to 375.  Cook the pasta according to the directions to al dente, about 10  minutes.
     In a large skillet over medium heat, add a small amount of oil to the pan and cook the onion and garlic until tender, about 3 minutes.  Turn down the heat to medium-low.  Add the entire jar of pasta sauce to the onion and garlic, stir.
     In a medium size bowl combine cottage cheese, ricotta cheese, and 1 1/2 cup of the shredded cheese and all the spices. 
     In a 9x13 pan, add 1/2 the pasta mixture to the pan.  Then spread all the cheese mixture evenly on top of the pasta.  Next layer with the remaining pasta.  Sprinkle the top with the rest of the shredded cheese.  Bake in the oven for 30 minutes and then enjoy! 
1cup=198 calories!