Who doesn’t love Italian? Try this simple broccoli and brown rice pasta medley. Cottage cheese adds a “twist”!

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  • Preparation Time

    15 minutes

  • Cooking Time

    30 minutes

  • Difficulty Rating

    1

  • Serves

    6

Total Shares 0

Ingredients

  1. 8 oz / 225 g brown rice pasta
  2. 8 oz / 225 g broccoli
  3. 3+ qt /L water
  4. ½ cup / 120 ml organic grass-fed cottage cheese
  5. ¼ cup / 30 g carrots, julienned
  6. 1 Tbsp. / 14 ml olive oil
  7. 1 garlic clove, minced
  8. ¼ tsp. / 1½ g red pepper flakes
  9. Salt or substitute to taste (optional

Directions

  1. Place a steaming device in a stockpot, add 1 quart/liter water to the base of the device, and bring to a rolling boil.
  2. Trim the bottom stems of the broccoli and slice them into half-inch thick pieces. Cut the broccoli head into florets. Place the broccoli florets and stems in the steamer.
  3. Add the carrot strips to the pot. Cover and cook for 5-10 minutes, until the vegetables are tender but still crisp. Transfer the cooked vegetables to a bowl containing ice water. Soak for 3 minutes before draining.
  4. In a large non-stick skillet, heat the oil over medium heat; add the garlic and sauté for a few seconds.
  5. Stir in the red pepper flakes and the vegetables. Stir well to combine and season with salt or substitute to taste (if desired).
  6. Remove the steamer from the stockpot, add remaining water, and bring to a rolling boil; add the brown rice pasta. Cook for about 10 minutes, adding more water as needed to keep pasta covered.
  7. Stir in ½ cup of the pasta water into the bowl of vegetables. Drain the pasta and toss in with the vegetable mixture.
  8. Stir in the cheese and toss to combine well.
  9. Serve immediately.

Serving Size: ½ cup / 85 g

Exchanges per Serving: 1 Carb, ¼ Protein, 0 Fat

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Comments 37

  9. dkmett16

    I just signed on to the Trim Down Club yesterday and will be making this recipe today with Trader Joe’s Fat Free Crumbled Feta Cheese. I also read some of the other notes and have a helpful tip for calorie and other nutrient counting. I use the MyFitnessPal app to do this with and you can add recipes to the app which will calculate all the calories and nutrients for you. The Trim Down Club looks like it will be a great tool in the kitchen for me when it comes to meal planning. My husband at 49 yrs. old had a heart attack last year and we are working on trimming down together in the kitchen. I’m glad I found it!

  14. Maybabe

    This dish tastes so healthy, but I ran into a problem preparing it. (Be sure you read the recipe through before you begin!) Didn’t know I would need the steaming water in the second phase, and I threw it out! I had some vegetable stock on hand, so I mixed that with some water ( 1 1/2 water to 1 1/2 cups veg stock) to cook the pasta. Then, you have to save some of that to add to the vegetable mixture. It turned out well! If you plan to add the cottage cheese, it is best to add it to the portion you will be eating/serving. I personally, like the dish better without the cheese. Also, I added a sprinkle of all-purpose Greek seasoning (no MSG), which is perfect on this.

  18. Ossie-Sharon

    Hi, Bevhilliker. If you are not overly sensitive to saturated fats, you can substitute coconut oil here. It is a fairly small amount in any event. As far as heating, we actually do not encourage frequent “frying” that results in superheating of any fats.

  19. Bevhilliker

    I was wondering if Coconut Oil can be substituted for the Olive Oil since the Coconut oil is the only product that I know of that doesn’t become rancid ore carcinogenic when it’s heated for any type of sautéed or fried applications?

  27. Ossie-Sharon

    Regarding freezing: cottage cheese does not freeze well. However, since it is the last ingredient to be added, you can freeze all but the portions you are going to use at a sitting, then add the cottage cheese just before serving.

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