What is up with the relationship between children and pasta? They love it. They love to play with dried pasta, they love to make pasta and they love to eat pasta. I suppose pasta is a full sensory treat. One of my favourite go-to weeknight meals is a simple baked pasta. Somehow, adding some cheese and spinach or kale to the pasta and a golden top crust elevates pasta to a whole new level. Today I'm sharing a healthy three cheese baked pasta recipe. 
Three Cheese Baked Pasta
So, what three cheeses are in this pasta? We went with nutty parmesan cheese, stringy mozzarella cheese and protein packed cottage cheese. While I would usually use ricotta cheese, I substituted Gay Lea's Nordica Cottage Cheese in the recipe. Cottage cheese has fewer calories, less fat and less cholesterol than ricotta cheese. I wasn't sure how my family would respond to the swap out, but they loved it. The three cheese baked pasta was a hit. 
Three Cheese Baked Pasta
1 lb rotini pasta
25 oz tomato sauce (homemade or your favourite jar of store bought)
1 head of kale
1 cup cottage cheese
½ cup mozzarella cheese
2 tablespoon grated parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste
Preheat the oven to 375°F.
Process the kale in a food processor, stir in the cottage cheese and 1 tablespoon of grated parmesan...set aside.
Boil pasta until al dente...depending on the size and type of pasta.
Mix together pasta, sauce and kale with cheese.
Scoop pasta into individual ramekins or one large baking dish. Top with mozzarella and a sprinkle of parmesan.
Bake in 350°F oven for 20 minutes for small portions, or 30-40 minutes for a large baking dish. Until sauce is bubbling.
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