Skinny Mexican Mac & Cheese

Being a native east coaster for my entire life has made me love and adore Mexican food more than most people.  Not only is it tasty, it's rare to find an authentic eatery on this side of the country.  So, to compensate for the lack of authentic food, I figured Id make something that is as close as it'll get until Im on the west coast permanently.

Recipe from Skinny Kitchen dot com.
Yields 6 servings.
329 calories per serving.

INGREDIENTS

2 c dry whole wheat penne

1.5 c fat free cottage cheese

1.5 c grape tomatoes, halved

1 1/4 c salsa

1 tbsp margarine

1 egg

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp chili powder

Black pepper, to taste

1 c fat-free sour cream

1/2 c scallions, sliced

1/2 c reduced-fat shredded cheddar cheese

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Coat a 9x9 pan with cooking spray.

Cook pasta for 6 minutes.

Drain & rinse in cold water.  Drain again.

In a large bowl combine pasta, cottage cheese, tomatoes, salsa, & margarine.

Blend in egg, cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, & pepper.

Mix well.

Transfer pasta mixture to baking pan.

Bake for 20 minutes.

In the meantime, in a small bowl, mix together sour cream & scallions.

After removing pan from oven, spread scallion mixture over top of the casserole.

Sprinkle cheese over top of that and put back in the oven for 6 minutes.