Cheesy Spinach Baked Penne

As we continue our new Meatless Monday habit, I tried a new recipe tonight for Cheesy Spinach Baked Penne (courtesy of Food Network Kitchen).  If you are looking for a delicious (and meatless) pasta casserole, look no further.  The combination of whole wheat penne with the cheeses and spinach was absolutely yummy.  As a testament to the recipe, Will (our carnivore) had two helpings.  Keep in mind this is the kid who is vocally opposed to Meatless Monday, and has requested Tons of Meat Tuesday to counterbalance (see the post for Eggplant Parmesan).

The great thing about this casserole is you can make it ahead of time, and then bake it when ready.  This afternoon we went to Jake's baseball game, and I knew we would not be home before 6pm.  Since it was ready to go in the oven, dinner was on the table by 6:45 pm, which was good as all the boys of the house were hungry tonight.  This paired with a salad, made for a healthful and satisfying dinner.  Unfortunately the casserole was more of a winner than the Good Shepherd Cougars (darn).

As a side note, I pulled one over on my cottage cheese hating family.  I personally love cottage cheese, but it grosses everyone else out when I eat it.  Instead of using ricotta in this recipe, you puree cottage cheese.  I promise - those of you that may side with my family - that you cannot taste the cottage cheese. Seriously.  It has enough mozzarella and Parmesan cheese to have those be the prominent cheese flavors.  I just found it amusing as they all ate multiple helpings.  (Sorry, Walter.)