Creamy Cottage Cheese Pasta (Printer-Friendly)

A luscious pasta dish with a smooth cottage cheese sauce, offering a quick and healthy meal option for two.

# 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 (adjust as needed)
05 - 1 clove garlic, minced
06 - 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
07 - ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
08 - ¼ tsp salt (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)

# Method:

01 - Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta according to package instructions until al dente. Reserve ½ cup of pasta cooking water, then drain 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 - Transfer sauce to a large skillet over low heat. Warm gently while stirring until heated through. Adjust consistency with reserved pasta water or additional milk as necessary.
04 - Add drained pasta to the skillet and toss to evenly coat with sauce. Add extra pasta water if needed for a silky texture.
05 - Divide pasta between bowls. Garnish with torn fresh basil, extra Parmesan, and red pepper flakes if desired. Serve immediately.

# Expert Suggestions:

01 -
  • The whole thing comes together in under 25 minutes, which means you can have dinner on the table faster than you can order takeout.
  • It's packed with protein from the cottage cheese and Parmesan, so you actually stay full for hours afterward.
  • The sauce has this luxurious, creamy texture that tricks your brain into thinking you're eating something decadent, when it's really quite light.
02 -
  • Do not skip the blending step or attempt to manually mash the cottage cheese—you'll end up with chunks in your sauce instead of that silky texture that makes this dish special.
  • Keep the heat low when warming the sauce; I learned this the hard way when I got impatient and cranked the burner, which caused the cheese to separate and left me with a grainy mess that couldn't be saved.
  • Reserve that pasta water before draining—it's essential for adjusting consistency, and you can't get it back once it's gone down the drain.
03 -
  • Blend your sauce mixture until it's absolutely silky—lumpy sauce is the difference between this tasting fresh and restaurant-quality versus homemade and slightly off.
  • Keep that pasta water within arm's reach while you're tossing everything together; adding it gradually gives you perfect control over the final consistency instead of overshooting it.
Return