Chicken Broccoli Alfredo Bake

Cottage Cheese Alfredo Sauce:

1. Add cottage cheese and evaporated milk to the jar of a Vitamix blender (or other high-powered blender); blend on high until smooth, about 30 seconds.

2. Pour cottage cheese mixture into a sauce pan over medium high heat. Stir in Parmesan cheese. garlic, and white pepper. Cook, stirring often, until sauce has thickened, 15 to 20 minutes; stir in parsley. Set aside.

Casserole:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

2. Place butter in an 8x8-inch baking dish; microwave on Medium until melted, about 30 seconds.

3. Sprinkle minced garlic, the 1/2 teaspoon salt, and the pinch black pepper over melted butter. Add rotini pasta evenly into the dish; pour chicken broth over pasta. Layer chopped broccoli on top.

4. Sprinkle the cubed chicken pieces with Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Place chicken pieces on top of broccoli. Pour Alfredo sauce evenly over the casserole. Cover tightly with aluminum foil.

5. Bake in the preheated oven until pasta is tender, about 50 minutes.

6. Remove foil; sprinkle casserole with Parmesan cheese. Turn on the broiler and broil until golden, about 2 minutes.

Editor's Note:

To substitute with prepared Alfredo sauce, you will need about 2-1/2 cups.

Cook's Note:

I use a Vitamix® blender to make the sauce; results for other blenders may vary.

You can also serve the sauce alone on pasta of your choice, or use with other recipes that incorporate Alfredo sauce.