Cottage Cheese Alfredo Pasta

This easy Cottage Cheese Alfredo Pasta is the ultimate high protein, low calorie alternative to Alfredo. Delicious pasta comes with a rich and cheesy cottage cheese sauce. It tastes like a restaurant-style dish, but made healthy at home for your diet.

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Hey, listen up. This may be the new BEST way to eat cottage cheese: Cottage cheese Alfredo pasta. It’s so cheesy and creamy like the original, but healthy, macro-friendly and packed with protein from the cheese. My recipe takes a twist on the original fat-loaded and calorie rich Alfredo pasta, making it more balanced but still so satisfying for you. Because eating healthy doesn’t have to be boring!

Whether you are into fitness, you are a bodybuilder, or you just want to eat healthier, this recipe is for you. Quick, easy, healthy and SO DAMN delicious!

Why you will love this cottage cheese Alfredo

• Alfredo sauce with cottage cheese is healthy, high protein, low calorie, vegetarian and perfect for weight loss diets. In this recipe, you won’t find whopping amounts of fats and calories from butter, heavy cream, cheeses or creams.
• This cottage cheese pasta is so rich, creamy and satisfying that it will feel like eating real Alfredo. It is cheesy and savory up to the point, and it pairs so well with chicken.
• Making cottage cheese sauce for pasta is so quick and easy, no cooking skills required. Add all ingredients to a blender, and blend until the cream becomes smooth and creamy.
• This recipe is customizable and versatile, perfect to satisfy all the cravings you have. From additional seasonings and hot sauce to extra sources of protein, there are so many ways how you can prepare this dish.

Ingredients and substitutes

• Pasta. As tradition wants, here I am serving cottage cheese pasta sauce with fettuccine. But I have to admit, it was mainly for the pictures. This high protein Alfredo sauce goes well with any kind of pasta, such as penne, spaghetti, ziti, elbow macaroni or rigatoni. For more fiber, pick whole-grain pasta or chickpea pasta.
• Cottage cheese. The best healthy Alfredo sauce is made with full fat cottage cheese. It produces a richer and creamier sauce that tastes very similar to the original. I recommend 4% small-curd cottage cheese, but also low fat or cultivated cottage cheese are suitable.
• Parmesan cheese. Adding Parmesan to cottage cheese pasta sauce creates a cheesy cream that you won’t be able to resist. Additionally, Parmesan cheese is packed with nutrients and protein. As an alternative you may use shredded cheddar cheese, full-fat or low-fat.
• Milk. I normally use semi-skimmed milk, but whole milk or skimmed milk will also work. If you do not consume dairy, replace it with unsweetened dairy-free milk alternatives such as soy milk, oat milk or cashew milk. Using water is not recommended.
• Olive oil and butter. You’ll need just one tablespoon of olive oil and half tablespoon of butter to create a richer Alfredo sauce without all those calories. If you do not want to use butter, swap it out for more olive oil.
• Cornstarch. One tablespoon of cornstarch helps the sauce thickens and prevent the cheese from separating when heated in a pan.
• Herbs and seasonings. Garlic, salt and ground black pepper are enough to bring flavor and taste to the sauce. Feel free to include additional seasonings like garlic powder, cayenne pepper, chili powder or chipotle seasoning.

How to make cottage cheese Alfredo pasta

1. Step 1 – Prepare the pasta. Cook pasta in salted boiling water according to package directions, until al dente. Once it is cooked, drain it, transfer to a large mixing bowl and drizzle with olive oil so that it won’t stick.
2. Step 2 – Make the sauce. In a blender or food processor, combine cottage cheese with Parmesan cheese, milk, olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper. Blend on high, until the sauce reaches a smooth consistency. After blending, taste and adjust with more salt if it is necessary.
3. Step 3 – Assemble the dish. Heat ½ tablespoon of butter on a large skillet, then add blended cottage cheese and cornstarch. Stir to combine and cook on low heat for a couple of minutes, until warm. Add pasta and Serve it with a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese, chopped parsley and your favorite toppings.

Storage directions

This cottage cheese pasta tastes best when it is served fresh, immediately after you remove it from the skillet. But if you want to meal prep it or if there are leftovers, it can also be saved for later. Here you have two options: either you store sauce and pasta separately (recommended), or you store the assembled dish.

• To store cottage cheese Alfredo sauce. Cook the pasta, drizzle with olive oil and let it cool completely before placing it into an airtight container. In the meantime, prepare the high protein Alfredo in a blender and transfer it to a separate food container with lid. Refrigerate pasta and sauce separately, they will last for up to 3 days in the fridge. Before serving, combine on a hot skillet the cottage cheese sauce with pasta and cook until warm.
• To store leftovers. Once it has cooled, transfer pasta with cottage cheese sauce to an airtight container and refrigerate for a maximum of 2 days.
• To freeze. Carefully pack leftovers in an airtight freezer safe container and freeze for up to a month. Before serving healthy Alfredo, allow it to thaw and reheat in a pan with more olive oil.

Recipe variations

• Make it dairy-free. If you do not consume dairy products, replace cottage cheese with dairy-free alternatives (I recommend tofu cottage cheese) and use plant based milk such as unsweetened soy milk or oat milk.
• Pack it with fibers. For more dietary fibers, try this Alfredo sauce recipe with cottage cheese and whole-grain pasta. You can even use garbanzo bean chickpea pasta or lentil pasta to add fibers and protein.
• Add seasonings. Experiment with your favorite seasonings and spices like onion powder, chili flakes, cayenne pepper, Cajun seasoning, chipotle or even hot sauce for a spicy kick.
• Add a protein. This cottage cheese Alfredo pasta pairs so well with grilled chicken or rotisserie chicken, lean ham, air fryer chicken tenders, salmon, tuna and even shrimps. To add more protein on a vegetarian diet, try it with air fryer tofu or seitan.
• Meal prep it. This high protein Alfredo pasta recipe is also great for meal prepping. Prepare both pasta and sauce, then store in two separate food containers in the fridge for a maximum of 3 days.

Success tips

• The best cheesy Alfredo sauce is made with cottage cheese with high fat content. I normally use 4% cottage cheese, and it creates a much richer and creamier pasta sauce. Low fat cheese will indeed work, but it won’t be as tasty.
• Customize this recipe to match your preferences by adding other seasonings and a source of protein. My favorite is a saucy cottage cheese Alfredo with rotisserie chicken breast. Highly recommended, so damn delicious.
• When you combine cooked pasta with cottage cheese cheese sauce, cook it over low heat. Avoid high temperatures, or the sauce may stick to the bottom of your pan and burn. Remember, slow and steady wins the race. If the sauce becomes too thick while cooking, add a bit of milk more.
• Serve immediately while your Alfredo pasta is still warm and creamy. This is when it has the most delicious taste and the creamiest texture. Oh, and don’t forget to sprinkle some more Parmesan cheese on top before eating.

More high protein cottage cheese recipes

• Protein Mac and Cheese
• Cottage cheese brownies
• Cottage cheese cookie dough
• Chocolate cottage cheese ice cream
• Cottage cheese flatbread
• Cottage cheese pancakes
• Cottage cheese pizza

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5 from 3 votes

Cottage Cheese Alfredo Pasta

This easy Cottage Cheese Alfredo Pasta is the ultimate high protein, low calorie alternative to Alfredo. Delicious pasta comes with a rich and cheesy cottage cheese sauce. It tastes like a restaurant-style dish, but made healthy at home for your diet.

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 8 minutes minutes

Total Time: 18 minutes minutes

Servings: 4 servings

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Ingredients

• ▢ 10.5 oz (300 g) uncooked pasta, I used fettuccine
• ▢ 1 tbsp olive oil
• ▢ ½ tbsp butter, or more olive oil

Cottage Cheese Alfredo Sauce

• ▢ 2 cups (440 g) cottage cheese
• ▢ ½ cup (50 g) Parmesan cheese, or shredded cheddar cheese
• ▢ 1 ½ garlic clove, minced
• ▢ 1 tbsp cornstarch
• ▢ 2 tbsp milk
• ▢ salt and pepper, to taste
• ▢ chopped parsley, for serving

Metric – US Customary

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Instructions 

• Cook pasta in salted boiling water according to package directions, until al dente. Once cooked, drain it, transfer to a large mixing bowl and drizzle with olive oil.
• In a blender, combine cottage cheese with Parmesan cheese, milk, olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper. Blend on high, until the sauce reaches a smooth consistency. After blending, taste and adjust with more salt if it is necessary.
• Heat ½ tablespoon of butter on a large skillet, then add blended cottage cheese and cornstarch. Stir to combine and cook on low heat for a couple of minutes, until warm. If the sauce thickens too much, add a bit of milk more. Stir in the cooked pasta.
• Serve creamy cottage cheese Alfredo pasta with a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese, chopped parsley and your favorite toppings.

Notes

Optional Protein

This simple cottage cheese pasta recipe can be served with an additional protein. Some ideas are chicken breast, diced ham, tuna fish, salmon, shrimps and tofu. Add your favorite protein to the cooked pasta, alongside cottage cheese sauce.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 serving | Calories: 443.1kcal | Carbohydrates: 56.3g | Protein: 32g | Fat: 10.1g | Saturated Fat: 3.3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1.1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 11.2mg | Sodium: 612.2mg | Potassium: 271.1mg | Fiber: 2.4g | Sugar: 5.1g | Vitamin A: 123.2IU | Calcium: 201.8mg | Iron: 1.2mg

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