I saw this recipe and decided to make a (sorta healthier) version of it (wheat pasta, low-fat versions of the cottage cheese and sour cream).  I don’t know why it is called “sour cream” as it seems the cottage cheese is more plentiful.  Whatever.  It’s good.  The kids ate ALL of it.  That in itself is an amazing feat and enough of a reason to put it in the recipe rotation.

Recipe:

1 lb hamburger
1 TBSP fresh rosemary, minced fine
1 can diced tomatoes
1 small can tomato sauce
sea salt, to taste
pepper, to taste

3/4 lb whole wheat rotini pasta
1 1/2 cups small curd cottage cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup sliced green onions
sea salt, to taste
pepper, to taste
1 TBSP olive oil infused with Italian seasonings (optional)

1/2 cup shredded mozarella cheese
1 cup shredded cheddar/Parmesan/other salty cheese (Mine didn’t have a label anymore so I forgot what it was, but it was a white Italian cheese. It wasn’t Parmesan or Reggiano…it had a different texture and flavor. Need to find it again at Costco.)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Brown the hamburger. When done add the tomatoes, rosemary, and salt and pepper to taste. Let this simmer for 5-10 minutes.

Meanwhile boil the noodles. When the noodles are done, drain and put back in the pot. Add the rest of the ingredients listed with the noodles and mix up.

In a 9×13 baking dish, layer sauce, noodles and cheese. I did two layers of each. Put in the oven and bake for 20 minutes. Take out and allow to cool for 5 minutes and then serve. We added a bit of Parmesan on the top.  Crusty bread would be a good accompaniment.  I forgot to throw it in the oven.

This has different flavors than what the Pioneer Woman’s recipe has, but it is basically the same. I really love adding the olive oil. I got it from a local shop that sells just olive oil and vinegars. There is definitely a difference in flavors from what you can buy in the grocery store.