Cheese/6 recipes

Lighter baked mac and cheese made with pureed cottage cheese, skim milk, and sharp cheddar for creamy comfort with less fat.

Vegetable lasagna layered with zucchini, spinach, mushrooms, and a red wine tomato sauce. Make-ahead and lighter than meat lasagna, with cottage cheese standing in for ricotta.

Lo-cal cheese cake swaps cream cheese for low-fat ricotta and cottage cheese, fruit sugar for white, and folds in beaten egg whites for an airy, lighter cheesecake without the dairy bomb.

Low-calorie eggplant mozzarella casserole layered with cottage cheese instead of ricotta, mushroom-enhanced spaghetti sauce, and melted mozzarella. Light and satisfying.

Light Pennsylvania Dutch cheesecake with low-fat cottage cheese and beaten egg whites for cloudlike texture. Sinks in the middle to cradle fresh berries or peaches.

Crustless broccoli, corn, and red bell pepper quiche bound with cottage cheese, yogurt, and parmesan. Lighter, lower-fat vegetarian quiche, no pastry crust required.

Yukon Gold potatoes layered with Asiago cheese sauce, crispy bacon, chives, and Parmesan, baked until bubbly and golden. The ultimate potato gratin.

Low fat turtle cheesecake sets with gelatin instead of baking, blending nonfat cream cheese and low-fat cottage cheese into a silky filling crowned with caramel, hot fudge, and pecans.

Quick beef and cheese burritos with seasoned ground beef, cottage cheese, salsa, and melted mozzarella wrapped in flour tortillas. A lighter take on the classic, ready in 30 minutes.

Lean chicken tetrazzini using melted cottage cheese instead of cream sauce, with spaghetti, mushrooms, dry sherry, and a Parmesan breadcrumb topping. Lower fat, full flavor.

Low-fat marbled pumpkin cheesecake swirls spiced pumpkin into a creamy vanilla filling over a gingersnap crust. Pureed cottage cheese keeps it light while a water bath gives a silky, crack-free top.

Chocolate amaretto cheesecake with a chocolate wafer crust and a lightened filling that blends cream cheese with cottage cheese, cocoa, almond liqueur and chocolate morsels. A small 7-inch springform pan dessert.

Twice-baked stuffed potato loaded with cottage cheese, cheddar, sunflower seeds, green pepper, carrots, and scallions. A lean, vegetable-packed baked potato made in the microwave.

Low-fat open-faced vegetable sandwiches on whole wheat toast with a cottage cheese, mushroom, and sprout spread topped with melted low-fat cheese. A vegetarian lunch under 100 calories.

Farfalle tossed in a creamy cilantro pesto made with cottage cheese and yogurt, finished with garlic and red pepper flakes. Light, fresh, and easily made vegan.

Ham and broccoli casserole topped with homemade drop biscuits. Cubed ham, cheddar cheese, and cream of mushroom soup baked under a golden Bisquick biscuit crust.