Recipe

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A delicious and creamy homemade tomato pasta sauce with cottage cheese awaits with this recipe!

I’ll show you how to give the classic tomato sauce a creamy protein boost with this easy recipe for cottage cheese pasta.

Homemade Pasta Sauce with Cottage Cheese

If you want to join the cottage cheese trend but can't handle the weird texture, you're not alone. After this mouthwatering cottage cheese sauce for chicken and this high-protein tomato soup got big thumbs-ups from my family and readers, I knew this tomato cottage cheese pasta would also be a hit.

To make pasta sauce with cottage cheese and solve the texture issue, I blend the cheese, then mix it with the pasta and crushed tomatoes. It's quick, easy, and you get a delicious protein-packed pasta. You're welcome!

The Benefits of This Recipe

Cottage cheese in pasta sauce makes this meal high in protein, with about 22 grams per serving – almost twice the amount of protein in a regular meatless pasta. Since cottage cheese has a mild flavor and you’ll blend it with tomato, you’ll get a filling meal without even noticing that cottage cheese is there!

What You Need

Grab your favorite pasta and simple ingredients to make the epic sauce: onion and garlic for a tasty sauce base, canned crushed tomatoes to infuse the sauce with tomato flavor, cottage cheese (since you'll blend it, the curd size doesn't matter), and Italian seasoning. No time to make your own sauce? I also have a quick recipe to help you make cottage cheese spaghetti with a jarred sauce, in a flash!

Laura’s Tip

Want creamy pasta sauce that coats it all? Blend the cottage cheese. By doing this, cottage cheese gets a smooth consistency that mixes well with tomato and pasta. If you skip this step, it won’t combine well.

How to Make Cottage Cheese Pasta

Check out these steps and tips to make this cottage cheese pasta delicious and creamy every time:

Cook the pasta and reserve some pasta water before draining.
Blend the cheese in the blender. It’s essential to ensure it will combine with the tomato sauce.
Make the sauce by sautéing the aromatics in a skillet first. Then, add the crushed tomatoes and let them cook. Finally, add the cottage cheese.
Combine the cooked pasta with the sauce. If your sauce is too thick, pour the pasta water slowly to thin it out to your liking.

Easy Sides for Pasta

An easy recipe like this calls for delicious pasta side dishes you can pull together fast, like an everyday side salad, steamed green beans, or roasted frozen vegetables. So good!

More Dinner Recipes Using Cottage Cheese

After you devour this incredible meal, I highly recommend you make my cottage cheese mac and cheese and this cottage cheese Alfredo. Both are creamily delicious and come together super fast. Another favorite? This baked ziti with cottage cheese. You’re going to LOVE these recipes!

Cottage Cheese Pasta

Servings: 4

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 20

Total Time: 30

A delicious and creamy homemade tomato pasta sauce with cottage cheese awaits with this recipe!

5 from 33 votes

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Ingredients

12 ounces of pasta, your favorite
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
¼ teaspoon salt
28 ounce can of crushed tomatoes
1 cup cottage cheese
Parmesan cheese, for serving

Instructions

Prep:

Bring a pot of water to boil and cook the pasta according to package directions. When the pasta is ready, reserve ½ cup of pasta water, drain the water out, and set aside.
Blend the cottage cheese in your blender until it's smooth. Skipping this step causes the cottage cheese to separate from the tomato sauce. I highly recommend it.

Cook:

Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add the oil. Add the chopped onions and cook while stirring, for 2 to 3 minutes, until the onions are soft and translucent. Add the garlic, Italian seasoning, and salt, and cook for another minute until the garlic is fragrant.
Add the crushed tomatoes to the skillet and stir to combine. Bring the tomato sauce to a simmer, reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 15 to 20 minutes.
When the sauce is ready, add the smooth cottage cheese and combine. Add the pasta and stir to coat. If the sauce is too thick for your liking, slowly add some of the reserved pasta water to thin it out.