Penne with Cottage Cheese Alfredo

Since I made Alfredo sauce with cream cheese already, I decided to experiment with cottage cheese. The taste is similar but the texture is a bit different, obviously. Still good, but a bit more tricky. I made this dish three times in order to get it right. Third time’s a charm.

Ingredients
3 oz. Penne pasta, dry
4 oz. chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces
3 baby bella mushrooms, sliced
1 1/2 cup broccoli florets
2 Tbs. fat-free chicken broth
3 cloves garlic, minced
2/3 cup yellow onions, diced
6 cherry tomatoes, cut into halves
1/4 cup parsley, chopped
1/8 tsp. salt
1 Tbs. fat-free mozzarella cheese
Freshly ground black pepper

Alfredo sauce
3/4 cup fat-free cottage cheese
1/4 cup fat-free milk
1/4 cup fat-free chicken broth
1 clove garlic, diced

Roux
2 Tbs. All-purpose flour
1 Tbs. water

In a pot of water, add salt and put over high heat. Bring to boil, add pasta, and cook according to directions. When finished, strain and set aside.

In a pan, spray a few spritz of Pam and place on high heat. Add chicken breast and stir. When chicken is almost fully cooked, remove from pan and set aside.

In the same pan that you cooked the chicken, add the garlic and onions. Stir until onions begin to brown. Add the broccoli and 2 tablespoons of chicken broth into the pan. Continue to stir. If the pan becomes too dry, add more chicken broth. When the broccoli starts softening, add the mushrooms. Stir until broccoli is cooked but still crunchy. Remove from pan and set aside.

Put all the ingredients for the sauce into a food processor and blend until you get a smooth texture. There will still be lumps of cottage cheese. Just make sure it’s evenly distributed. Set aside.

To make the roux, first heat a clean pan on high heat for 20 seconds. Add the flour and turn to medium heat. Stir until the flour is a light shade of brown. Remove and place into a bowl. Slowly add the water, one teaspoon at a time. Mix with a spoon and dissolve the flour into the water until it becomes pasty but not clumpy. If you need more water, add it slowly and in small amounts.

In a new pan, place on medium heat and add the cottage cheese mixture. Stir frequently until the sauce begins to boil. Add the roux slowly, allowing for the sauce to thicken.

When the sauce becomes thick, add the broccoli, mushrooms, onions, garlic, chicken and parsley. Mix for 10 seconds and then add pasta and salt. Stir for 20 seconds before adding the tomatoes. Combine thoroughly and coat pasta with sauce. Do not cook the tomatoes too long or else they will become mushy.

Remove and top with mozzarella cheese and freshly ground black pepper. Serve hot and enjoy!

Serves: 1

Calories: 796, including pasta
Fat: 3.9 grams