Whole-Grain Pasta with Wild Mushrooms

Serves 4 / Wild mushrooms, or specialty mushrooms, pair up with nutritious whole-wheat noodles for a light, one-dish meal.

8 ounces whole-wheat spaghetti or linguini
4 ounces wild mushrooms (shiitake, cremini, or porcini)
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup low-fat cottage cheese
1/4 cup nonfat milk
1/4 cup grated Asiago cheese, plus more for garnish
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

1. Prepare pasta according to package directions. While pasta is cooking, clean mushrooms and trim stem ends. (Remove all stems if using shiitakes.) Slice mushrooms into 1/4-inch slices.
2. Melt butter over low heat in a large skillet with a tight-fitting lid. Add mushrooms, garlic, and parsley. Cover skillet and let mushrooms cook until they are completely tender and have released their liquid, about 15 minutes. Check once or twice during cooking to make sure mushrooms are not browning.
3. Meanwhile, combine cottage cheese, milk, and Asiago in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Just before draining pasta, blend 1/4 cup of the pasta cooking water into the cottage cheese mixture.
4. Drain pasta and add to skillet with mushrooms. Add cottage cheese mixture and return to low heat. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Toss until pasta is evenly coated and mushrooms are evenly distributed. Garnish with extra Asiago and serve immediately.

FUNctional Kitchen is provided by James Rouse, ND, the creator of Optimum Wellness and The Fit Kitchen, seen weekly on NBC’s KUSA television news.

PER SERVING: 269 cal, 18% fat cal, 6g fat, 2g sat fat, 9mg chol, 13g protein, 46g carb, 0g fiber, 148mg sodium