Recipe

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This creamy cottage cheese Alfredo sauce has 18g of protein per serving and tastes like a lighter version of the real thing, that's because it is!

If you have a tub of cottage cheese in the fridge, you're already halfway to the creamiest, protein-packed Alfredo sauce that's ready in just minutes.

close up view of fettuccini in a homemade Alfredo sauce made with cottage cheese so it's high protein

Alfredo Sauce with Cottage Cheese

After seeing my family devour my red sauce cottage cheese pasta without noticing it, I knew I had to come up with an Alfredo cottage cheese sauce. This recipe is the ultimate upgrade to my classic Alfredo sauce with cream, and it’s still cheesy, rich, and dreamy with way more protein.

It's hard to believe something this delicious comes from cottage cheese, and it gets devoured by my kids, but this is one of those "see it to believe it" meals that disappears fast, just like my cottage cheese mac & cheese.

Ingredients

Use your favorite pasta and grab these ingredients to make the Alfredo sauce: milk, cottage cheese (I've tested this recipe with both low-fat and 4% regular cottage cheese-non-fat tends to make a thinner sauce), Parmesan cheese, and cornstarch for thickening. For extra flavor, I like to add garlic powder and a little Italian seasoning (or oregano).

How to Make Cottage Cheese Alfredo

The recipe card has all the details. A few things to remember in each step include:

Cook the pasta and reserve a some pasta water before draining. You might need it later to thin out the sauce.
Blend all the ingredients to make a sauce. Yes, add all the ingredients cold.
Warm the sauce in a pan over low heat once the pasta is ready. It’s much easier to coat the pasta when it’s warm.
Combine the pasta with the sauce and toss well until every noodle is coated. Add a splash of the reserved pasta water if needed to thin it out and coat the rest of the noodles.
Serve it immediately since Alfredo thickens when it cools. Pair it with a simple side salad or these easy popovers.

Variations

If you love this high-protein Alfredo, try it with ham or Cajun sausage, turn it into shrimp Alfredo, or pour it over ravioli. It's also delicious tossed with mushrooms or chicken and broccoli pasta for an easy, satisfying twist.

Creamy Cottage Cheese Alfredo (18g Protein)

Servings: 6

Prep Time: 5

Cook Time: 15

Total Time: 20

This creamy cottage cheese Alfredo sauce has 18g of protein per serving and tastes like a lighter version of the real thing, that's because it is!

5 from 23 votes

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Ingredients

16 ounces pasta
½ cup pasta water
2 cups milk
1 cup cottage cheese
⅓ cup Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon cornstarch
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
½ teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, or oregano

Instructions

Prep:

Bring water to a boil and cook the pasta according to the package directions. When the pasta is done, reserve some pasta water before draining it. Return the pasta to the pot. While the pasta cooks, make the sauce.

Make the sauce:

Inside your blender jar, place the milk, cottage cheese, Parmesan cheese, cornstarch, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning. Blend until smooth, stopping the blender to scrape down the sides if necessary.
Pour the sauce into a saucepan, and heat it up on medium heat, stirring frequently, until it begins to simmer. Reduce the heat to low and cook it for 5 minutes.
Pour the cottage cheese Alfredo sauce over the pasta and toss it to combine it with the sauce -using kitchen tongs makes the job easier.
The sauce will be thick. Slowly add some of the reserved pasta water and combine it with the pasta and sauce until you have the desired consistency.