Cottage Cheese Pasta Sauce
Updated Apr 28, 2025
This easy high-protein Cottage Cheese Pasta Sauce only requires 5 ingredients, a high-speed blender and it's ready for your favorite pasta!
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Make Pasta Sauce with Cottage Cheese
Did you know you can cottage cheese pasta sauce that’s creamy and delicious without any signs of using cottage cheese? It just takes a blender to blend the cottage cheese with the other sauce ingredients and the result is a silky sauce that’s so easy and so good!
And the best part is that even though pasta sauces aren’t usually a go-to for protein, each serving of this cottage cheese tomato pasta has about 17 grams of protein! If you like this one, make sure to try my Cottage Cheese Alfredo Pasta as well!
Happy Cooking!
– Yumna
Cottage Cheese Pasta Sauce Ingredients
- Cottage cheese: Use whole milk cottage cheese because it has less water so the sauce comes out more creamy and smooth. You can use lower-fat cottage cheese, but the flavor won’t be as rich.
- Marinara sauce: Any marinara sauce will work, whether homemade or store-bought.
- Parmesan cheese: Use freshly grated Parmesan for a sharp, nutty taste that blends well into your cottage cheese pasta sauce.
- Butter: This helps to create a smooth and creamy consistency for your sauce but you can also use olive oil.
- Red pepper flakes: For flavor. Add more for a little extra heat.
- Pasta: I use fusilli pasta, but any pasta will work!
Popular Additions
- Add veggies. Just like most pasta dishes, adding more vegetables can really bulk up your meal! Try adding sauteed spinach, roasted zucchini, pan seared mushrooms, or any other veggies you like to your pasta.
- Add protein! If you’re looking to make this a more complete meal and want to include a main ingredient, try adding baked tofu, chickpeas, or white beans for a vegetarian option. You can also add in ground beef, chicken, or turkey.
- Add more cheese: The cottage cheese pasta sauce is made with cottage cheese and parmesan only, but you could also experiment with adding some ricotta for a slightly different flavor. Or add in some cream cheese for an extra level of creaminess.
How to Make Cottage Cheese Pasta Sauce
Recipe Tips
- Don’t skip adding the pasta water to your sauce. The starchy water can help thin your sauce if it gets too thick, and it can also help the sauce stick better to the pasta.
- Choose your pasta wisely. Fusilli is great in this recipe because its twists and turns hold onto the creamy sauce well, but other textured short-cut pasta like farfalle, penne, or rigatoni would work well too.
- Use any blending equipment you have. I use my favorite high-speed blender to blend my cottage cheese sauce, but you could also use a food processor or immersion blender.
- Have your pasta sauce ready to go. Make sure your pasta sauce is ready and waiting to be mixed into the hot pasta as soon as you drain it. The sauce is relying on the hot pasta to heat it through. If you find that your sauce did not get warm enough for your liking, you can heat it on medium-low for 5 minutes.
Serving Ideas
- Crisp Cauliflower Bites
- Cheesy Garlic Bread
- Air Fryer Tofu
- Roasted Brussel Sprouts
- Lemony Peppered Salmon
- Garlic Butter Steak Tips
Recipe Help & FAQs
sauce?
Allow the pasta to cool and store in an airtight container in the fridge up to 4 days. This pasta is perfect for leftovers! Reheat on the stove with a splash of water or broth until heated through.
No, I don’t recommend it because the texture and quality won’t be the same. Cottage cheese tends to become watery and grainy when frozen and thawed, so you won’t enjoy it the same.
You don’t have to, but you’re going to want to. The cottage cheese needs to be blended in order to smoothly incorporate into the sauce. Otherwise it will be chunky but the flavors will still be the same.
Cottage cheese does not melt like some other types of cheese when cooked. It has a high moisture content and a curd-like texture, which prevents it from melting into a smooth, gooey consistency. This recipe blends the cottage cheese into the tomato sauce for a smoother consistency.
More Pasta Sauce Recipes:
- Creamy Roasted Red Pepper Pasta
- Cajun Pasta Sauce with Chicken
- Chicken with Pesto Pasta
- Pan Cherry Tomato Pasta
- Yogurt Sauce Pasta with Pine Nuts
- Vegan Cashew Tomato Pasta
- Chicken Alfredo with Broccoli
- Arrabiata Pasta with Shrimp
- Green Pea Pasta Sauce
If you try this Cottage Cheese Pasta Sauce recipe or any other recipe on Feel Good Foodie, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave a comment below! It helps others who are thinking of making the recipe. We would love to hear about your experience making it. And if you snapped some shots, share it on Instagram so we can repost on Stories!
Creamy Cottage Cheese Tomato Pasta
Video
Ingredients
- 16 ounces fusilli pasta or pasta of choice
- 1 cup marinara sauce
- 1 cup whole-milk cottage cheese
- ½ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoons butter melted
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper
- Chopped parsley for serving
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta until al dente according to package directions. Reserve 1 cup pasta water, drain and return the pasta to the pot, covered.
- Place marinara sauce, cottage cheese, parmesan cheese, melted butter, crushed red pepper and pasta water in a high speed blender and blend until smooth and creamy, 1-2 minutes.
- Transfer the sauce on top of the cooked pasta and toss until combined and heated through. Serve immediately with more red pepper flakes and chopped parsley, if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information provided is an estimate. It will vary based on cooking method and specific ingredients used.
Comments
Looks delish
Thanks, Marlynn!
Wish you’d included a marinara recipe. Have to find one to go with so I wish you’d posted the whole recipe. It’s incomplete.
Hi Sarah! I actually have my homemade marinara recipe linked in the copy and the recipe card: https://feelgoodfoodie.net/recipe/marinara-sauce/
Hope that helps!
Just made this tonight and it was so good! I love getting the extra protein and it was quick and easy to make. Even my picky eaters liked it!
Amazing!! So happy it was a hit with everyone! Thanks, Jill!
My 8 year old daughter requested this for dinner tonight. She said she had to write about her favorite food at school and she said “my mom’s pasta”, this recipe ❤️
Aww!! That makes me SO happy! Thank you so much for sharing, Jill!
Very good pasta
Thanks, Aneta! Glad you liked it!!
Not sure what I did wrong but this was very watery and you can see white bits of cottage cheese curdles. I followed the written instructions.
Oh no, the sauce separated after you blended it? How strange! Did you make sure to use freshly grated (not pre-shredded) Parmesan cheese and full-fat cottage cheese (rather than fat-free or low-fat)?
Easy and the flavor is super delicious! This time I made the exact recipe and paired it with toast with butter and garlic! I love it! It’s a very versatile recipe, perfect for pairing with some protein or adding vegetables!
Love that!! So happy you like the recipe and find it easy and versatile, Dolly! Thanks!
Can I freeze this? Or will the cheese separate and make it icky? Thanks!
I don’t recommend freezing this cottage cheese pasta. Cottage cheese can become watery and grainy when frozen and thawed, which results in an undesirable consistency. It will last in the fridge for 4 days though!
This has quickly become a staple recipe for my fiancé and me, we absolutely LOVE this pasta and it’s so quick and easy to make!!
Yay, so glad you both love it!! Thanks!
Tasted great!
So glad you liked it, Grace! Thanks!
I made this but added garlic, mushrooms and peppers and pesto to the sauce. I needed the whole cup of pasta water. I only used half of the pasta so 8oz. It was very tasty and l will make it again.
Love your tweaks! So glad you enjoyed it, Yvonne!!
This recipe is not great. I followed exactly as written and the cheese curdled and was chunky. Not very appetizing.
Oh no, I’m so sorry to hear that! Do you mind sharing what kind of cottage cheese you used? I’ve been receiving a few comments like this for my cottage cheese pasta recipes so I’m trying to narrow down what the issue is.
I used good culture low fat cottage cheese.
I think that’s probably the reason it didn’t work! The recipe calls for whole milk cottage cheese because the fat in the cottage cheese is needed to help the sauce emulsify. Try it out with full-fat cottage cheese next time, that should keep the sauce from separating!
Recipe was delicious and easy. I had fresh spinach to use up and added it to the cooked pasta. Also had fresh basil and added a handful to the blender with the other ingredients.
Love those additions, sounds fresh and so good! Thanks, Eve!!
Absolutely AMAZING🙌🏻
Thank you, Laura!
I’m in my late 70’s,, back in my childhood, mom made this on some fridays during lent,,,I loved it so much she made it during the week also. To change the flavors, she added any meat plus veggies. Always gives me a big hug and memories
Aww, so glad you enjoyed it!
Really yummy, came out as good as a restaurant
So happy to hear, thanks for sharing!
Mine curdled in spite of careful grating of real parm-reg and thorough blending. But it corrected itself w a few minutes of stirring and simmering over low heat and a pat of cold butter. I found it very bland – even though I had added garlic and dried oregano. Maybe bc I used passata instead of marinara sauce. I even added thick tomato paste. Maybe I missed the traditional way of making my tomato sauce from scratch and/or no meat flavour. Thanks.
So sorry this didn’t come out as you expected. I agree, since Marinara has lots of seasoning while passata has almost none, I assume that is why it was a bit lacking in flavor.
Delicious, easy on a busy weeknight, and everyone in our family enjoyed it including my two picky sons! I pureed all the sauce ingredients first (minus the pasta water) before gently heating them up in a saucepan. (If you try to combine cold dairy with hot liquids, the dairy will frequently curdle.) I also added sauteed sweet Italian sausage and doubled the amount of sauce. I didn’t have to use much water to thin it a bit. The flavor was very reminiscent of my homemade lasagna but in a fraction of the time, and nobody had a clue I used cottage cheese to make the sauce creamy. They were very surprised! Next time, I might turn it into a baked dish with a layer of mozzarella in the middle and some buttery Italian breadcrumbs on the top. 🙂
OO I love the idea of turning this into a baked dish!
We tried this tonight exactly as written (I used a can of Muir Glen Organic pizza sauce as the marinara because the flavors are so good) and it was so amazing, I had to leave a thank you comment! Opted to add roasted zucchini for extra veggies which was delicious. All three of my kids loved it too (and two of them usually prefer butter pasta to tomato sauce). They added extra cheese and chopped pepperoni, so it was “pizza pasta”. This will be something we make regularly from now on. Thanks for sharing!
You’re so welcome!
I was feeling lazy and skipped the blending of ingredients… so I missed out on the creaminess. Next time, I’ll try it that way.
Despite skipping this important step, the dish was delicious and super easy to make.
For health’s sake, I substituted olive oil for butter.
This was so good! I used chickpea pasta for more protein.
How do you prevent the cottage cheese from getting clumpy or lumpy once you place the hot pasta and sauce together?
Once you blend it, it should be smooth.
This separated! It also curdled when I added it to the pasta. Yes I blended it. I only had dried grated Parmesan so don’t know if that was a problem and it just melted into a layer on the bottom of the pot, which had a bit of pasta water in it from the pasta which I didn’t measure but I saw it in a other recipe *pasta water is NOT in the ingredient list above so missed it in the blending list. Thankfully my daughter liked it. It made a lot. I added a large clove of garlic to the blender along with fresh basil leaves and olive oil for the butter.
Yes, you need to make sure you are grating your own parm. The prepackaged shredded/grated parmesan has anti-caking agents added and does not melt or incorporate.
I just made this pasta recipe. Amazing! It was SO GOOD! Thank you!
You’re so welcome! I am so glad you liked it Carmen!
I fixed this for supper tonight. I did use fat-free cottage cheese though. The blend was just fine. I use Zenbe yellow pea pasta and paired it with meat free crispy nuggets. A perfect supper for one. Delicious!!
Oh that sounds yummy! So glad you enjoyed it, Sharon!
OH MY GOODNESS…goodly goodness !
I am always up for a pasta dish and if it can be done easily and be packed with protein …count me in.
I tried this dish last night with some friends who are excellent cooks (unlike me…thus the name Burntsidedown) and we LOVED this creamy cottage cheese pasta.
Easy to make✅
Delicious✅
High in Protein✅
Vegetarian friendly✅
Kids will LOVE air✅
Minimal ingredients ✅
This will be made over and over again. Thank you for this and all your delicious recipes. You make cooking seem pleasurable.
Thank you so much!! So glad you everyone enjoyed!!