Creamy Cottage Cheese Pasta (Printable)

A luscious pasta with cottage cheese and Parmesan sauce, perfect for a fast and wholesome dinner.

# What You'll 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)

# How to Make It:

01 - Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta according to package instructions until al dente. Reserve ½ cup pasta cooking water before draining.
02 - Combine cottage cheese, Parmesan, milk, garlic, olive oil, black pepper, salt, and Italian herbs (if using) in a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth and creamy.
03 - Pour sauce into a skillet over low heat. Stir gently until heated through. Adjust consistency with reserved pasta water or additional milk if necessary.
04 - Add drained pasta to skillet and toss to coat evenly with sauce. Use extra pasta water to achieve a silky texture as desired.
05 - Divide into bowls and garnish with torn basil, extra Parmesan, and red pepper flakes. Serve immediately.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • It's ready in under 30 minutes but tastes like you spent hours simmering a sauce.
  • Packed with 27 grams of protein per serving, so it actually keeps you full.
  • The cottage cheese becomes so creamy when blended that nobody will guess what the secret ingredient is.
02 -
  • Do not skip the blending step or try to use cottage cheese straight from the container; it won't integrate into the sauce and you'll end up with lumps, which defeats the entire purpose.
  • Reserve that pasta water before you drain—this starchy liquid is what transforms a thick paste into a flowing, luxurious sauce that actually coats the noodles.
  • Taste the sauce before adding salt because both the cottage cheese and Parmesan bring their own saltiness to the party.
03 -
  • If your blender struggles with thick mixtures, add an extra splash of milk or use some of the pasta water to help the blending process—a few extra seconds of blending means the difference between grainy and silk-smooth.
  • Low heat is your friend when warming the sauce; too much heat can cause the proteins in the cottage cheese to seize up, and you'll end up with something less creamy than you deserve.
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