Creamy Cottage Cheese Pasta (Printable)

A luscious pasta dish featuring a creamy cottage cheese sauce with Parmesan and fresh basil.

# What You Need:

→ Pasta

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

→ Sauce

02 - 7 oz low-fat or full-fat cottage cheese
03 - ¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
04 - 2 tbsp milk, plus more 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, 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 the pasta until al dente according to package instructions. Reserve ½ cup of pasta cooking water, then drain the pasta.
02 - In a blender or food processor, combine cottage cheese, Parmesan, milk, garlic, olive oil, black pepper, salt, and Italian herbs if using. Blend until completely smooth and creamy.
03 - Transfer the sauce to a large skillet over low heat. Stir gently and warm until just heated through. Add reserved pasta water or additional milk as needed to achieve a silky consistency.
04 - Add the drained pasta to the skillet. Toss thoroughly to coat the pasta evenly in the sauce. Adjust with extra pasta water for desired texture.
05 - Divide into serving bowls. Garnish with fresh basil leaves, extra Parmesan, and optional crushed red pepper flakes. Serve immediately.

# Expert Suggestions:

01 -
  • It comes together in under thirty minutes, which means weeknight dinner without the guilt or the takeout menu.
  • You get nearly thirty grams of protein per bowl, so it actually keeps you full instead of leaving you hungry an hour later.
  • The sauce is silky and luxurious without cream, butter, or any heavy ingredients.
02 -
  • Never blend the sauce with cold cottage cheese straight from the fridge—it takes forever to smooth out and your arm gets tired; let it sit at room temperature for five minutes first.
  • Save the pasta water before you drain; I learned this the hard way by watching my sauce separate into a sad, grainy puddle when I didn't have starch to bind it together.
  • Low heat is non-negotiable—high heat will break the cheese and you'll end up with scrambled cottage cheese instead of silk.
03 -
  • The moment you taste the sauce, you'll understand why people went wild for this on social media—it tastes indulgent in a way that feels impossible from such simple ingredients.
  • Warming the sauce gently and then letting the warm pasta sit in it for a minute without stirring helps the starch bind everything together into something almost velvety.
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