Creamy Cottage Cheese Pasta (Printer-friendly)

Protein-packed pasta tossed in a creamy, smooth cottage cheese sauce with basil and Parmesan accents.

# What You Need:

→ Pasta

01 - 6 oz dried pasta (penne, rigatoni, or spaghetti)

→ Sauce

02 - 7 oz cottage cheese (low-fat or full-fat)
03 - ¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
04 - 2 tbsp milk
05 - 1 clove garlic, minced
06 - 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
07 - ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
08 - ¼ tsp salt, or to taste
09 - ½ tsp dried Italian herbs (optional)

→ To Serve

10 - Fresh basil leaves, torn
11 - Extra grated Parmesan cheese
12 - Crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

# Steps:

01 - Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta until al dente according to package instructions. Reserve ½ cup of pasta cooking water, then drain the pasta.
02 - Combine cottage cheese, Parmesan, milk, garlic, olive oil, black pepper, salt, and Italian herbs in a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth and creamy.
03 - Pour the blended sauce into a large skillet over low heat. Gently warm while stirring until heated through. Add reserved pasta water or additional milk as needed to adjust the consistency.
04 - Add the drained pasta to the skillet and toss to coat evenly with the sauce. Add extra pasta water if necessary for a silky texture.
05 - Divide into bowls and garnish with torn fresh basil, extra Parmesan cheese, and red pepper flakes if desired. Serve immediately.

# Top Tips:

01 -
  • It tastes indulgent and creamy without the guilt, packing nearly 30 grams of protein into something that feels more like comfort food than a health meal.
  • The whole thing comes together in 25 minutes, which means you can go from craving to eating faster than most delivery would arrive.
02 -
  • Don't skip the reserved pasta water—it's not just backup, it's the ingredient that transforms thick and gluey into flowing and elegant, and each splash actually matters.
  • Low heat while warming the sauce is non-negotiable; high heat will make the dairy seize and separate, turning silk into scrambled eggs, and there's no graceful recovery from that.
03 -
  • Bring all your ingredients to room temperature before blending if you have time—cold cottage cheese can be stubborn and resistant, while room temperature everything blends into submission without complaint.
  • The texture of your final sauce depends entirely on how much pasta water you add, so start conservative and build up, tasting as you go until you hit that perfect balance between creamy and clingy.
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