High Protein Pumpkin Pasta Sauce
High Protein Pumpkin Pasta Sauce made with real pumpkin, full-cottage cheese, Parmesan, garlic, and fresh sage. It's smooth and creamy without heavy cream, with plenty of savory pumpkin flavor.
Servings: 6
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1 small yellow onion chopped
- 1 red bell pepper chopped
- 3-4 large fresh sage leaves
- 6 cloves garlic roughly minced
- 1 cup pumpkin puree not pumpkin pie filling
- 1 cup cottage cheese full fat
- 1 cup parmesan cheese shredded or grated
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 tbsp lemon juice more to taste
- 1/2 tsp salt more to taste
- 1/4 tsp black pepper more to taste
- 16 oz. chickpea pasta cooked
Instructions
- Melt butter in a sauté pan over medium heat. Add garlic, onions, red pepper and sage. Saute 6–7 minutes until veggies are soft.
- Add sauteéd onions, garlic, pepper and sage as well as all remaining ingredients to a high speed blender.
- Blend on high for 1-2 minutes until completely smooth (it should very very smooth, if it’s not– keep blending or turn up the power higher) Stop to scrape down the sides as needed. Taste test and add additional salt, pepper or lemon juice to taste.
- Pour over cooked pasta and toss until combined. Heat on low until warm enough to serve. Be careful to not overheat or the sauce may separate a bit.
- Top with extra parmesan cheese and fresh herbs if desired.
Notes
- Use full-fat cottage cheese: I get the smoothest, creamiest sauce with 4% cottage cheese. Lower-fat versions are more likely to separate when heated.
- Blend until completely smooth: Blend on high for 1–2 minutes, scraping down the sides as needed, until no visible bits of cottage cheese remain.
- Keep the heat low: Warm the finished sauce gently. Avoid simmering or boiling, which can cause the cottage cheese sauce to separate.
- Adjust the consistency as needed: If the sauce is too thick, add a splash of milk, reserved pasta water, or broth until it reaches the texture you like.
- Nutrition note: The listed protein and fiber are calculated using chickpea pasta. Regular pasta will change the nutrition information.
Nutrition
Serving: 2cups | Calories: 397kcal | Carbohydrates: 53g | Protein: 30g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 20mg | Sodium: 708mg | Potassium: 260mg | Fiber: 12g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 7210IU | Vitamin C: 30mg | Calcium: 331mg | Iron: 8mg
