For all you pasta lovers out there like me, here is a healthy pasta recipe, with lots of cheese and super high in protein!
I love creating recipes with spaghetti squash and veggie rices, but pasta is pasta! The alternatives are yummy but not the same! This recipe is filled with Banza’s chickpea rotini pasta. This pasta is great because it is made from chickpeas so it is high in fiber and protein, but lower in carbs! It tastes super yummy too! After making some recipes with this pasta I usually undercook the pasta. According to the box instructions, it says to cook for 7-8 minutes. I cook the pasta for 5 minutes, otherwise, I find it gets mushy. And no, it does not taste exactly like regular pasta, but with all the fiber and protein it is much more satiating than your typical white flour pasta (which I LOVE btw).
Besides the pasta, this recipe has a lot of cheese! Cheesy lovers unite. I am a big ricotta cheese fan, but I know that not everyone is. You can definitely omit and add more mozzarella in its place. The other cheese in this recipe is romano pecorino, very similar to parmesan so you can sub!
Of course there is hidden veggies in this recipe! This week I decided to get yellow squash instead of zucchini, I chopped it up and added it to the dish. I find that squash is always great to add to any recipe because the taste is so mild but it adds more volume and micronutrients to a meal!
The main source of protein in this recipe is 99% fat free ground turkey. I chopped up 1/2 an onion, cooked it until it was translucent, then added in my extra lean ground turkey! This recipe is super high in protein, 38 grams, per serving! If you love ground turkey as much as me take a look at my Spicy Turkey Stew or my Turkey Bolognese Bake! OR even my Spinach and Artichoke Soup(one of my faves), yes, it has ground turkey in it:)
Here Is Everything You Will Need For This Recipe:
- Tomato Sauce / Marinara, I used my moms Homemade Red Sauce
- 1 package 99% lean ground turkey
- Chickpea Pasta, Banza, or normal pasta will work but nutrition will change
- 1/2 an onion
- 1 Yellow/ summer squash
- Fat free mozzarella
- Fat free Ricotta Cheese
- Shredded Pecorino Romano Cheese
So, did I mention that this healthy, high protein recipe has 3 cheeses in it!! YUM. Ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese, and romano cheese are all a part of this dish. It is a cheesy celebration.
I split this bake into 5 servings so I could bring meal prep and bring it for lunch to work. Each serving is pretty large, so if you wanted to split it into 6 servings or even 7 you could. But if you did split it into 5 servings you get 335 grams for 348 cals 4.2 grams of fat 36.6 grams of carbs and 46.4 grams of protein. Super high protein!!
Full recipe is below, tag me if you try this delicious, healthy pasta recipe! 
Three Cheese Pasta Bake
For all you pasta lovers out there like me, here is a healthy pasta recipe, with lots of cheese and super high in protein!
Ingredients
- 310 grams Tomato Sauce / Marinara Sauce I used my moms Homemade Red Sauce
- 1 package 99% lean ground turkey 556 grams
- 1 Box Chickpea Pasta Banza, or normal pasta will work but nutrition will change
- 1/2 chopped onion 170 grams
- 1 Yellow/ summer squash 288 grams
- 28 grams Fat free mozzarella
- 135 grams Fat free Ricotta Cheese
- 5 grams Shredded Pecorino Romano Cheese
- 1/2 tbsp red pepper flakes
- 1/2 tbsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tbsp dried oregano
Instructions
- Begin by preheating your oven to 350 and greasing a large baking dish (9x13)
- Bring about 8 cups of water to a boil.
- Place a pot over medium heat and chop the onion. Spray the pan and add in the onion.
- Once the onion is cooked you can add in the ground turkey, breaking it up into small pieces.
- If your water has come to a boil, add the pasta and cook for 5 minutes and drain.
- While this is cooking, chop the summer squash and add into the pot when the turkey is cooked through.
- Add in the red sauce and spices. Bring to a simmer.
- When it has come to a simmer turn the stove off and stir in the cooked pasta.
- Transfer this to the baking dish.
- Mix the ricotta cheese with the romano cheese and stir together.
- Dollop the ricotta cheese mixture on top of the pan.
- Lastly, sprinkle with the mozzarella shreds.
- Cover and bake for 30 minutes, remove the foil at 25 minutes allowing the cheese to brown a bit.
- Divide and serve or prep for the week!
Nutrition Information
Serving Size
335 gramsAmount Per Serving Calories 348Total Fat 4.2gCholesterol 78.1mgSodium 185.3mgCarbohydrates 36.6gFiber 5.4gSugar 5.6gProtein 46.2g