Pasta With Cottage Cheese

5 from 1 vote

Aug 23, 2023, Updated Jun 26, 2024

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Pasta With Cottage Cheese Sauce – quick and simple to make, protein packed pasta dish with creamy and flavorful sauce.

A ceramic bowl with cottage cheese pasta

This is one of the easiest pasta recipes I’ve shared on this blog.

Minimal prep work, made with pantry staples, loaded with flavors, creamy and flavorful sauce and a super delicious meal.

The sauce doesn’t even need to be cooked. All you need to do is combine the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.

Pour on top of the cooked pasta, while still very hot and the heat from it warms up the sauce.

By adding cottage cheese to the pasta sauce in today’s recipe, you add more protein to the dish, but also make a creamy and delicious sauce, without adding heavy cream.

How to make Cottage Cheese Pasta?

A saucepan with cottage cheese pasta topped with Parmesan Cheese

Ingredients:

Uncooked pasta – either from a box or fresh, any style works. I love using penne or fusilli for simple recipes like this. They are easy to serve and consume.
Marinara sauce (or just tomato sauce with added salt, pepper, garlic and onion powder, oregano and basil)
Extra seasoning – since we are adding cottage cheese to the dish, which had a very mild flavor, I like to add some extra spices/seasonings
Pasta water
Cottage Cheese – the hero ingredient in the recipe. This cheese does not melt, when added to sauces like this one. You do have to blend it to make the sauce light and creamy. If you happen to have lactose intolerance, you may consider looking for lactose free cottage cheese.
Olive oil
Grated Parmesan Cheese
Red pepper flakes – optional, or extra heat
Fresh basil for garnishing
White wine vinegar (optional), by adding some vinegar to noodles/pasta, it helps them to absorb the sauces better, because it makes them more absorbent

Directions:

Cook pasta according to the directions on the package.
In a blender combine pasta sauce, cottage cheese, olive oil, salt, black pepper, garlic powder, basil and oregano. You may add about 1/4 to 1/3 cup of the pasta water. Blend until smooth.
Transfer to a pan and heat over medium heat.
Add the cooked pasta and stir to coat it in the sauce.
Drizzle with more olive oil. You may add a few drops of lemon juice ( optional). Top with cheese, fresh basil and red pepper flakes. Serve.

Substitutions/Additions:

If you happen to have lactose intolerance, you may consider looking for lactose free cottage cheese. Vegan cottage cheese is an option, too.
No cottage cheese, no problem! About 1/2 cup heavy cream can be substituted, but the final result will not be the same.
Substitute tomato sauce or Tomato Passata for the Marinara sauce.
Add more protein like grilled chicken, baked tofu, shrimp or chickpeas to this pasta meal.

Recipe tips and suggestions:

Add a salad, that contains some fiber to serve together with this meal. Cottage cheese has about 11 grams of protein per 100 grams. A green salad will be the perfect addition to call it a nutritious meal.
Tip: Add some white vinegar (about 1 teaspoon) to the pasta at the and and stir. This will soften it and make it more absorbent to the sauce.
Garnish the pasta with some fresh basil and parsley to add some summer flavor to it.
Add more vegetables like baby spinach, zucchini or mushrooms to the pasta.
You can make it for up to 5 hours in advance, put in a box and take it for lunch.
Tip: Add some butter or ghee to the cooked pasta, before you add the sauce. This will make it extra tasty.