Healthy, Fast, and Delicious Macaroni and Cheese With Vegetables

I love macaroni and cheese. It's homey, comforting, delicious, and versatile. I love this mac and cheese recipe because in addition to being cream and soul-satisfying as all mac and cheese should be, it is also incredibly easy to prepare and lower calorie. I have adapted the recipe from this New York Times recipe: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/15/health/healthspecial2/15recipekids-pasta.html

• Ready In: 35 mins
• Serves: 6

Ingredients

• 1  lb whole wheat spiral pasta (or another pasta of your choice)
• 1  cup cottage cheese (I use the 4% fat, but use the variety of your choice)
• 3  garlic cloves (more or less to your tastes)
• 2  tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1⁄4 cup  freshly grated parmesan cheese
• 8  ounces mushrooms
• 1  pint cherry tomatoes
• 1⁄2 lb broccoli, cut into bite-sized pieces
•  salt and pepper

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of salted water (for the pasta) to a boil.
2. Saute (dry or with a little extra virgin olive oil) sliced or diced mushrooms until they release their juices and the juices mostly evaporate. Turn off heat. Add washed and dried cherry tomatoes to the pan to warm through.
3. In a food processor, process garlic cloves until minced. Add cottage cheese, extra virgin olive oil, and parmesan cheese and process until smooth.
4. Cook pasta according to package directions. A few minutes before pasta is done cooking, add broccoli to the pot. Before draining pasta/broccoli mixture, set aside 1 cup of pasta cooking water. Drain pasta/broccoli.
5. Add cottage cheese sauce, mushrooms, and tomatoes to pasta/broccoli. Stir to combine. Taste for seasonings. Salt and pepper as necessary. Use reserved pasta cooking water to adjust sauce consistency as necessary.
6. Make this recipe your way! Substitute your favorite vegetables, substitute your favorite cheese in place of the parmesan, add herbs, or add beans to make a complete protein!