Baked Marzetti with Homemade Pasta Sauce

This is one of my dad's favorite dishes. My mom used to make this all the time for us when we were little, as the "casserole" method can feed a lot of people, with minimal expense. I've changed the recipe a bit to include low-carb pasta & utilize homemade pasta sauce. To save time, omit the homemade sauce, and use a large container of your favorite store brand. My preference is Ragu's Chunky Garden Combination. Brown 1 lb. of hamburger meat, and layer as desired. Also, this dish freezes well, and tastes better the second day after it's made.

Baked Marzetti with Homemade Pasta Sauce:

1 recipe Homemade Pasta Sauce with Beef & Basil
12 oz. cottage cheese
16 oz. low-carb elbow macaroni, cooked 7 minutes in salted water & drained
1 can sliced mushrooms
1 can diced tomatoes with sweet onion & garlic
16 oz. mozzarella cheese, shredded

1. Preheat oven to 350. Spray 9 x 13 glass dish with non-cook spray.

2. In bottom of dish, place half of pasta. On top, place half of the homemade pasta sauce.

3. On top of sauce, drop half the cottage cheese by spoonfuls. Arrange mushrooms over top. Pour half the can of tomatoes & juice over mixture. Stir in dish slightly, just to incorporate. Top layer with half the bag of shredded cheese.

4. Repeat with remaining pasta, sauce, cottage cheese & tomatoes. Mix slightly. Top with remaining cheese.

5. Bake dish at 350 degrees until sauce & cheese are bubbling. Remove from oven, cover with foil & allow to rest for 20 minutes before serving, to finish cooking - that's why you don't want to overcook the low-carb pasta, as it will continue to cook in the oven.

6. When slightly cooked, cut into squares and serve with salad & fresh bread. Enjoy!