Cottage Cheese Alfredo Pasta

4.96 from 225 votes

Cottage Cheese Alfredo Pasta

This 5-ingredient Cottage Cheese Alfredo Pasta is so creamy and makes for a great vegetarian option, or paired with chicken or fish for a heartier meal.

Course Entree, Pastas

Cuisine American

Diet Vegetarian

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 15

Total Time 20

Servings servings

Calories 329kcal

Author Yumna Jawad

Equipment

Ingredients

2 cups cottage cheese 4% fat
½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 garlic clove
½ teaspoon salt plus more for cooking pasta
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 pound linguine
4 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley optional
Grated Parmesan cheese optional, for serving

Instructions

Add cottage cheese, parmesan cheese, butter, garlic, salt and pepper to a high speed blender and process until smooth to create an alfredo-like sauce.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the linguine and cook until al dente according to package directions.
Drain the pasta, but reserve about 1 cup of the cooking liquid. Return the pasta to the pot and add ‘Alfredo’ sauce and about ½ cup of the pasta water. Set over low heat and cook, stirring constantly, until the sauce is warmed and most of the liquid has been absorbed, about 3 minutes.
Remove from heat and garnish with parsley and grated Parmesan cheese, if desired, before serving.

Notes

Storage: Store leftover cottage cheese pasta in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. To reheat, add a splash of milk, pasta water (if you have any), or plain water to the bottom of a saucepan. Add the pasta and stir gently to loosen it up. Reheat on low heat, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is heated through. You can also reheat in a microwave in short intervals, stirring in between, until the pasta is heated through.

Tips:

Use whole milk cottage cheese. Skip the low-fat cottage cheese and use whole milk or 4% cottage cheese to help create a creamy and rich texture similar to traditional Alfredo sauce. Low-fat cottage cheese has too much moisture and lower fat content to yield the same results.

Reserve pasta water before draining the pasta. The starch in pasta water helps to emulsify the sauce, making it stick to the pasta better.

Control the consistency of the sauce. You can adjust the thickness of the sauce by adding more reserved pasta water. Add a little at a time until you reach your desired consistency.

Warm the sauce gently. When adding the sauce to the pasta, heat it gently over low heat and stir constantly to prevent it from separating or curdling.

Nutrition