3 Cheese Spaghetti Nests

Three Cheese Spaghetti Nests

This recipe was for our Meatless Monday and I have to say that I was happy with how it turned out. My son was very excited to try these because of the nests. I think the nests would be a good way to motivate kids to help make supper or to help a fussy eater try something new.

This was a light pasta and my man said that it reminded him a bit of mac and cheese. The pasta would have gone nicely with a salad or garlic bread if I had thought of it at the time.

PS: The only downfall is that the tumeric in the recipe stained my muffin tin pans. I don't mind, but I know some people might. I am not sure how to avoid this in the future.

PPS: I think I will add garlic next time

• 10 ounces dry Whole Wheat Spaghetti (or gluten free option) **I used half of some Quinoa pasta and I loved it**
• 1/2 cup of reserved pasta water
• 1/2 cup grated regular or low fat Cheddar Cheese
• 1 cup fat free or low fat Cottage Cheese
• Olive Oil
• pinch Garlic Salt
• 1/4 teaspoon Pepper
• 1 teaspoon Tumeric
• 1/4 teaspoon Smoked Paprika
• shaved Parmesan for garnish
• dried parsley or basil for garnish

• Pre heat oven to 425 F with the rack in the center of the oven. Lightly spray Muffin tins. 
• Cook pasta according to directions, reserve 1/2 cup of cooking liquid. Be sure not to break spaghetti while cooking so you can twirl it into nests.
• Combine cottage cheese and cheddar cheese in a bowl. 
• Toss cooked pasta with a splash of olive oil, all spices and seasonings. Add some of the reserved cooking liquid if you need to. **I needed to**
• Mix with cheese mixture in with the pasta. Reserve a bit of cheese to top each nest.
• Twirl spaghetti with a fork and add to muffin tins, create nest shapes. Top each nest with a bit of the cottage cheese mixture. 
• Bake for about 10 minutes. The tops of your nests will be lightly browned and a bit crispy. Let cool for a few minutes. Gently loosen spaghetti nests from muffin tins with a spatula and serve. 
• Top with parmesan & dried basil or parsley if desired.