Italian Broccoli Cheese Casserole

1-1/2 lbs fresh broccoli, cut into 1/4-inch slices
1/8 tsp sea salt (to add to water to cook broccoli in)
2 cups cottage cheese, (I used lowfat)
1 Egg
1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated
1/2 tsp Italian Seasoning
3/4 cup Spaghetti Sauce
1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, grated
2 cups sliced shiitake mushrooms

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In a large saucepan, bring 1-inch of water, broccoli and salt to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 5-8 minutes or until crisp-tender. Drain well and set aside. In a blender, combine the cottage cheese, eggs, Parmesan cheese, and Italian seasoning; cover and process until blended.

Spray an 11x7" baking dish with fat-free no-stick spray and place half of the broccoli in the bottom; top with half of the cottage cheese mixture, add 1/2 the mushrooms. Repeat layers. Spoon spaghetti sauce over the top; sprinkle with mozzarella cheese.

Bake, uncovered, at 375 for 25-30 minutes (until bubbly). Let stand for 5-10 minutes before serving.

Makes 4 generous servings, or 6 side-dish servings.

[photo © 2011 Robert Niles. All Rights Reserved]

Number of Servings: 4

Recipe submitted by SparkPeople user KINI08.