“If you could do something with 2 cups of cottage cheese, that would be great.”
Lunch making challenge accepted. And it actually was a challenge — searches for recipes online either didn’t take enough cottage cheese or didn’t sound like they’d taste very good. So I made something up. It actually worked and tasted good on the first try, too, which was a pleasant surprise. We’ll probably make it again.
Cottage Cheese Chicken Bake
2 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon olive oil
3 cups uncooked rotini pasta
2 cups cottage cheese
1 can cream of chicken soup or one batch “cream of …” soup substitute
1/3 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1 slice of bread, toasted
1/4 teaspoon Italian seasonings
1 Tablespoon butter, melted
Slice or pound chicken breast to 1/3-inch thickness. Sprinkle chicken evenly with salt and pepper. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken to skillet, and cook 5 to 6 minutes on each side or until browned. Slice chicken into bite-sized pieces.
Bring large pot of lightly salted water to a boil and cook pasta until al dente, according to package directions. Put cooked pasta into lightly oiled 13x9x2-inch baking dish.
Meanwhile, place cottage cheese, soup, milk, and dried seasonings in a food processor and blend until smooth. Transfer the blended mixture to a saucepan. Add chicken and cook over medium heat until heated through.
While chicken mixture is cooking, crumble the toasted bread into the melted butter, then stir in Italian seasoning. Once chicken mixture is done, pour it over the pasta. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and breadcrumbs. Cover the pan with aluminum foil. Bake in at 350°F for 15 minutes. Remove foil. Bake 5 minutes more or until heated through and bubbling.
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