slow cooker roasted red pepper pasta

This slow cooker roasted red pepper penne is perfect for a quick weeknight dinner when you’re short on time, but want a bowl of comfort food–just lighter! The sauce is creamy, rich and SO delicious. It tastes like something from your favorite Italian restaurant, yet it’s higher protein and less effort. This one is definitely going to be one to add to your weekly lineup!

serve’s 4! macros: 44g p / 46g c / 8g f ; 430 cals

If you need a crockpot to make it in, I am OBSESSED with our new slow cooker from Walmart! So affordable, looks pretty, and works great.

Ingredients:

• 1 box (8 oz) Goodles Penne (or your favorite high protein pasta!)

• 1 lb shrimp, raw and peeled, and cooked! (you can use precooked or just cook the shrimp however you’d like)

• 1 tbsp olive oil

• 12 oz jar of Roasted Red Peppers, drained

• 2 large handfuls of fresh spinach

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 cup of reduced fat cottage cheese

• 1 tsp dijon mustard

• 1/3 cup reduced fat parmesan

• 2 tsp salt + pepper

• 1/2 tsp paprika

• 1/2 tsp dried dill

• 1/2 tsp dried rosemary

• 1/3 cup Fairlife nonfat milk

• 1/2 cup fat free chicken broth

Directions

1. Prep your crockpot by either using a liner or spraying the inside with a little EVOO or cooking spray.

2. Add the roasted red peppers (drained as much as you can), cottage cheese, dijon, paprika, 1 tsp olive oil, dried drill, dried rosemary, and salt + pepper to a blender. Blend until creamy (it may need a minute to get creamy, so just let it run until it’s a nice pink/red and creamy). Set aside.

3. Chop up your mushrooms.

4. In your crockpot, layer with 1/2 of the pasta sauce, then your uncooked penne (I like Goodles!), chopped mushrooms, another layer of sauce, and then chicken broth. Mix really well.

5. Cover and set to high for 1.5-2 hours or low for 3-4 hours. If you double the recipe you’ll need to go on the longer side.

6. Once the pasta is fully cooked, stir again, and then add in your milk, parmesan cheese, cooked shrimp and spinach. Stir really well and cover and let cook for a few more minutes until the spinach wilts.

7. Give it a big stir again and serve warm with more parmesan! Reheats great as well, I just add about a tbsp of milk to it when I reheat so the cottage cheese based sauce stays creamy.

enjoy!