🔥 Station Series Ep. #3
Big shout out to my good buddy Jay from Charlotte County Fire & EMS for this recipe idea! We took Station 15’s favorite 4 Cheese Pasta dish and made a few healthy tweaks to cut down on some fat and calories and boost the protein. If you missed any of our other Station Series episodes, check them out here. We take fire station favorites and give them a healthy spin. If you’ve got a favorite you’d like to share, send us a message!
Watch me make this recipe here.
This Four Cheese Pasta recipe combines ground turkey, a creamy blend of cottage cheese, cream cheese, and nutritional yeast, with fusilli pasta, spicy pork rinds, and a touch of fennel and paprika, baked to a golden, bubbly perfection. If you love cheese pasta as much as I do, I figured swapping out some of the heavy calorie and fat ingredients could help a lot. Coming in at 631 calories and a whopping 51g of protein per serving, I think it’s fair to say we’ve helped to keep your guilt at bay.
If you’re looking for an easy, hearty meal to make for a large group – this one is perfect. Although I recommend the spicy pork rinds for the topping, you can easily switch this out to whatever you’d like. If you’re looking for meal prep ideas, this is also my go-to. Make this 4 Cheese Pasta recipe in advance, and you’ll have satisfying, delicious meals to fuel you through the week.
4 Cheese Pasta
Helpful Kitchen Tools
- Custom Cutting Board Use code STATION for 10% off
Ingredients
Cheese Sauce
- 3 cups fat-free cottage cheese
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
- 4 oz less-fat cream cheese
- 1/2 cup reduced-fat shredded four cheese mix
Turkey Sausage
- 2 lbs ground turkey
- 1 tbsp ground fennel
- 1 tbsp paprika
Remaining Ingredients
- 10 oz Rotel diced tomatoes
- 16 oz Fusilli pasta noodles
- 1.5 oz pork rinds I recommend spicy if you can take the heat!
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
Cook The Pasta
- In a pot of boiling water, add a pinch of salt and 16 oz Fusilli pasta noodles
- Cook per instructions on the package to al-dente
- Just before draining, reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water
Make The Sauce
- In a blender, add 3 cups fat-free cottage cheese, 1/2 cup milk, 1/4 cup nutritional yeast, 4 oz less-fat cream cheese, 1/2 cup reduced-fat shredded four cheese mix, and a pinch of salt and pepper
- Blend until smooth and creamy
Turkey Sausage
- In a frying pan over medium heat, add 2 lbs ground turkey
- Season with 1 tbsp ground fennel, 1 tbsp paprika, and a pinch of salt and pepper
- Cook through then remove from heat
Mix & Bake
- Pre-heat your oven to 350F
- Crush 1.5 oz pork rinds into fine crumbs
- In a large bowl, add in your cooked pasta, cooked ground turkey, cheese sauce, 10 oz Rotel diced tomatoes, and 1/2 cup of pasta water
- Mix well and adjust your seasoning as needed
- Transfer the pasta to an oven safe baking dish
- Top the pasta with your crushed pork rinds and some freshly grated parmesan cheese
- Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes, or until bubbly and crispy
Notes
Nutrition
