Cooking Done Light

Tex-Mex has come to be one of my favorite flavor combinations. This low-fat dish doesn’t disappoint when it comes to flavor and satisfaction. It is filling, quick and easy to prepare, freezes well, and makes awesome leftover; as a matter of fact, I think it tastes even better the next day! The servings are really large, so even though I calculated the nutrition information based on 4 servings, I usually get about 6 servings out of it. The flavors and spices in this dish can easily be altered to suit your taste, so by all means, change up the spices called for with your favorite tex-mex spices.

8 ounces whole wheat thin mostaccioli pasta (or penne, or ziti)

1 pound lean ground turkey breast

1 package (10 ounces) frozen corn, thawed and drained (or about 2-3 ears fresh corn)

2/3 cup salsa

1 (16 ounce) container fat free cottage cheese

1 whole egg

1 tablespoon fresh cilantro, minced (or 2 teaspoon dried)

1/2 teaspoon white pepper (black pepper is fine, too if you don’t have white on hand)

1/4 teaspoon cumin

1/2 cup shredded low fat Monterey Jack cheese

Cook the pasta according to the package directions (omitting the salt called for) ;rinse, drain and set aside.

Spray a large skillet with cooking spray, add the ground turkey, and cook over high heat until no longer pink (about 5 minutes). Stir in the corn and salsa, and remove from the heat. (you can also try stirring in a packet of taco seasoning mix for even more flavor)
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine the cottage cheese, egg, cilantro, pepper, and cumin in a small bowl.

Spoon half of the turkey mixture into the bottom of a sprayed baking dish. Top the turkey with the pasta, then spoon the cottage mixture over the pasta and top everything with the remaining half of the turkey mixture. Sprinkle the cheese on top, and bake 25 – 30 minutes.

Makes 4 servings. Per serving: 356 calories, 5 g total fat, 2 g saturated fat, o g trans fat, 29 mg carbohydrates, 5 g fiber, 0 g added sugar, 38 g protein, 402 mg sodium, 69 mg cholesterol.