This creamy cottage cheese pasta sauce is high protein, velvety smooth and mind blowingly good. It’s perfect for bumping up the protein of your favorite alfredo sauce recipes.

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Why you need to try this protein-packed sauce

If you’re thinking “ANOTHER cottage cheese recipe??”- I get it. But I promise this one is worth your attention.

This creamy sauce uses cottage cheese instead of ingredients like heavy cream and lots of butter like you’ll typically find in traditional alfredo sauce pasta dish.

It’s blended up with parmesan cheese, sauteéd onions and garlic for a seriously yummy and nutrient-packed sauce.

I love incorporating cottage cheese into recipes because it blends into a silky smooth texture and has the perfect mildly cheesy flavor for sauces like this. Plus, it’s a great source of protein! My favorite brand (Good Culture) has 28 grams of protein per cup!

It’s also done in less than 15 minutes so it’s perfect for a weeknight meal when you’re low on time but you still want a nutritious, delicious meal on the table that your whole family will love.

There’s just nothing like a creamy pasta sauce with noodles to satisfy your comfort food cravings, and this one definitely fits the bill!

Let’s get into what you’ll need to make this protein-packed twist for pasta night!

Ingredients

You only need a handful of simple ingredients to make this high protein pasta sauce!

1. Cottage cheese: For this recipe I highly recommend using a full-fat cottage cheese because it makes the creamiest sauce and helps to keep the sauce from separating when it’s heated. I love Good Culture best, but you can use any cottage cheese that you like.
2. Parmesan cheese: You can use either grated or shredded parmesan cheese since it will be blended up.
3. Milk: You’ll need a small amount of milk just to thin out the sauce a bit. Use any milk that you normally use to drink.
4. Butter: Just a little butter adds so much flavor and is used to sauté the onions and garlic! You can also use olive oil if you prefer.
5. Onion and fresh garlic: These are a must to majorly up the flavor of this sauce! If you don’t have fresh on hand, just add onion powder and garlic powder to the blender instead.
6. Pasta: I recommend using chickpea pasta to make this a high protein meal with just pasta and sauce. My favorites are Banza Cavatappi and Barilla Chickpea Rotini. You can also use your favorite pasta, of course!
7. Salt and pepper

Step-by-step instructions

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook pasta according to package directions, usually about 6-8 minutes.
2. While the pasta is cooking, sauté onions and garlic in butter on low-medium heat in a sauté pan for about 4-5 minutes. Remove from heat.

3. In a high-speed blender or food processor, combine cottage cheese, parmesan cheese, milk, salt, black pepper, and the cooked onions and garlic. Blend on high until completely smooth and creamy.

4. When the pasta is finished cooking, drain noodles and return back to the pan but do not return to heat.

5. Let noodles cool for 3-4 minutes before pouring sauce over the noodles and then stirring to combine. *Note: To prevent the sauce from separating, do not add the sauce to scalding hot pasta. If the noodles aren’t warm enough after adding the sauce, return the pan to low heat and heat the pasta and sauce until warm enough to serve.

6. Top with extra parmesan cheese and salt and pepper to taste and enjoy!

Recipe FAQ

Help! My sauce is separating! What did I do wrong?

The key to creamy cottage cheese sauce is making sure that you don’t add the sauce to scalding hot noodles. After draining your pasta, allow them to cool for a few minutes before stirring in your sauce. If the noodles aren’t hot enough after adding sauce, heat on low heat until warm enough to serve. I also recommend using full-fat cottage cheese to prevent separation.

Can you store and reheat leftovers?

Yes! To store, put leftover cottage cheese sauce pasta in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. To reheat, microwave in 30 second increments, stirring in between microwave sessions. Be careful not to over-cook or you may notice the sauce separating.

Variations

• Turn this cottage cheese alfredo sauce into a broccoli chicken cottage cheese alfredo pasta by adding steamed broccoli and chicken breast to the dish.
• Make it spicy by adding cayenne pepper, red pepper flakes or hot sauce.
• Make it a creamy tomato sauce by adding a jar of marinara sauce or pasta sauce to the blender and doubling the amount of cooked pasta.
• Use it as the alfredo sauce in my Ground Turkey Alfredo Pasta with Broccoli.

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