Baked Mostaccioli

Okay. First of all, I know this isn't really mostaccioli - I used penne noodles. In my defense, I wanted whole wheat noodles and I couldn't find them in the mostaccioli shape. (Would you believe that each time I have typed "mostaccioli", I have spelled it a different way?) At any rate, no matter what shape of pasta you use, this recipe is delicious. I served it with some spinach and we were full & happy. As usual, I adapted the recipe from the original, which can be found here.

Baked Mostaccioli

8 ounces uncooked mostaccioli (or penne!)
1/2 pound lean ground beef
1 small onion, chopped
1 can (14-1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste
1/3 cup water
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/8 teaspoon pepper
2 cups (16 ounces) fat-free cottage cheese
1 teaspoon italian seasoning
1-1/2 cups (6 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350°. Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, cook beef and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink. Stir in the tomatoes, tomato paste, water, oregano and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15 minutes. In a small bowl, combine cottage cheese and italian seasoning. Drain pasta. Spread 1 cup meat sauce into an 9x13 baking dish coated with cooking spray. Layer with half of the pasta, meat sauce and mozzarella cheese. Top with cottage cheese mixture. Layer with remaining pasta, meat sauce and mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake, uncovered,for 30-40 minutes or until bubbly and heated through. Makes 6 servings