Beef and Vegetable Penne Casserole

Ingredients

• •15 leaves basil plus extra
• •2 eggs
• •3 cloves garlic
• •¾ pound ground beef
• •1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• •2 teaspoons kosher salt
• •1½ cups cottage cheese
• •1 cup mushrooms
• •olive oil
• •½ pound penne pasta
• •1 bell pepper
• •½ onion
• •1 teaspoon pepper flakes
• •¾ cup cheddar cheese
• •¾ cup mozzarella cheese
• •3 cups spinach leaves
• •2 large tomatoes
• •1 squash
• •1 zucchini

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Method

From foodista.com — read the original

1. 1Cook pasta salted water for the minimum cooking time suggested, approximately 5 minutes.
2. 2Drain and set aside. In a pan, swirl a bit of olive oil in a pan and add garlic and onions. Cook down, stirring occasionally, until onions soften.
3. 3Add beef to pan with salt, nutmeg and red pepper flakes. Cook meat until almost completely browned, approximately 5-7 minutes. Take off the heat.
4. 4Spray a 9 x 13 baking dish with cooking spray and press pasta down on bottom layer. Top with cooked beef mixture then tomatoes.
5. 5In a small bowl, mix cottage cheese with eggs and spread over the tomatoes.
6. 6Layer the spinach leaves, followed by red peppers then mushrooms. Alternate zucchini and squash in rows on the very top. Tuck the basil leaves in between the zucchini and squash pieces.
7. 7Sprinkle the cheddar and mozzarella on top and cover with aluminum foil.
8. 8Bake in a preheated oven at 375°F for 35 minutes. Raise oven heat to 450, remove foil and bake another 5-10 minutes or until bubbly and cheese browns slightly. Allow to rest at least 10 minutes after taking it out of the oven.
9. 9Sprinkle with extra basil.