Ingredients

• 16 oz chicken Italian sausage
• 400g marinara sauce (or canned tomatoes for a lower-calorie option)
• 1 box (411g) protein rigatoni
• 454g low-fat cottage cheese
• 70g parmigiano cheese
• 1/3 cup fat-free milk
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (or to taste)
• Salt and black pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Cook the chicken Italian sausage in a pot until browned
2. Pour the marinara sauce into the pot with the cooked sausage and stir
3. Cook the protein pasta according to the box instructions, then add it to the sausage and sauce mixture
4. In a blender, combine the cottage cheese, parmigiano, fat-free milk, garlic powder, oregano, salt, and black pepper. Blend until smooth
5. Let the pasta and sauce mixture cool down before moving to the next step
6. Once cooled, pour the blended cheese mixture over the pasta and stir until evenly coated

Yields 5 servings — great for meal prep.