This Cottage Cheese Pasta Sauce is the most delicious creamy protein pasta sauce packed with a whopping 17 grams of protein per serving. If you love Alfredo sauce, this healthier version will hit the spot.
I have shared many Alfredo sauce recipes, such as my Alfredo spaghetti squash casserole, my 3-Ingredient Alfredo Sauce, or my Cauliflower Alfredo Sauce. But Alfredo pasta sauces are often high in calories and fat and lack the proteins you need to feel full after a meal.
Adding cottage cheese to the sauce is simply amazing. The flavor, creaminess, and proteins are a winning trio.
What Is Cottage Cheese Pasta Sauce?
A cottage cheese sauce is made from blended cottage cheese, milk, garlic, cornstarch, and Parmesan. It’s a creamy garlic sauce that tastes amazing in any pasta dish or replaces white sauce in lasagna recipes.
Ingredients and Substitutions
All you need to make a thick and creamy sauce from cottage cheese are:
- Cottage Cheese – I recommend using plain full-fat cottage cheese for a creamier texture, but low-fat cottage cheese will work to cut down the calories of the sauce.
- Milk of Choice – Skim milk, almond milk, or half-half, or even heavy cream for an ultra-creamy texture but this increases the calories and fat.
- Parmesan Cheese – Or other hard, grated cheese.
- Garlic – Fresh crushed garlic or powdered garlic.
- Olive Oil – Extra-virgin olive oil is my favorite, but you can also use other types of oil.
- Salt and Pepper – to taste.
- Cornstarch or arrowroot flour – This is a must to thicken the sauce. While cottage cheese sauce looks thick and creamy when cold, it turns more watery after warming up. So you need a binding agent like cornstarch slurry to give the sauce a thicker texture.
How To Make Cottage Cheese Pasta Sauce
Cottage cheese pasta sauce is one of these easy pasta sauces you can make in less than 15 minutes for a quick dinner.
- First, cook a packet of your favorite pasta following the packaging instruction for al-dente pasta. Drain the pasta and set aside.
- For the sauce, you need a blender or food processor to blend the cottage cheese and remove its curd texture.
- In the jug of a high-speed blender or bowl of your food processor, add cottage cheese, milk, grated Parmesan, salt, and pepper and blend on medium-high speed until thick and creamy.
- Set it aside at room temperature.
- In a non-stick saucepan, over medium heat, warm olive oil. Add the crushed garlic and stir fry the garlic until fragrant.
- Pour the thick and creamy cottage cheese sauce.
- For now, the sauce looks rich and creamy, but the warmth of the pan will suddenly turn the sauce liquid and watery. This is normal, so you must add a thickener to give texture to the sauce.
- Reduce to low heat while preparing the slurry.
Thickening The Sauce
It’s now time to thicken the cottage cheese sauce.
- Low-Carb Option – You can simply sprinkle a pinch (1/2 teaspoon) of guar gum over the sauce and whisk it to incorporate. This is a great low-carb option, but sometimes guar gum creates tiny lumps, so I prefer a cornstarch slurry.
- Classic Cornstarch Slurry – Whisk the cornstarch and cold water in a small bowl to create a slurry. Pour the cornstarch slurry into the saucepan with the sauce and whisk gently to incorporate and thicken the sauce.
Keep cooking for a few minutes until the sauce is warm.
Flavor Variations
You can now add flavors to this pasta sauce if you like. I do enjoy a plain garlic creamy pasta sauce with no added ingredients, but feel free to toss in some of the ingredients below:
- Extra Vegetables – stir in 1 cup of baby spinach leaves, stir-fried onion slices, roasted zucchini slices, or a few roasted tomatoes.
- Extra Protein – Add peas, chickpeas, bacon bites, or cooked rotisserie chicken to turn it into a delicious chicken recipe.
- Fresh Herbs – Serve with fresh basil or parsley.
- Tomatoes – Use my roasted tomato sauce recipe to combine with this lovely creamy sauce.
What To Serve With Cottage Cheese Pasta Sauce
This cottage cheese pasta sauce is a delicious high-protein pasta sauce to serve over any pasta you like, including the cooked pasta type below:
- Fettuccine or spaghetti
- Penne
- Farfalle
Or to use as a swap to white sauce in a lasagna recipe.
Storage Instructions
Store the sauce in the fridge for up to 3 days, in an airtight container. Rewarm in a nonstick saucepan or in the microwave, in a microwave-safe bowl. If the sauce has been mixed with pasta, it will look like a block, thick like jelly.
Place it in a saucepan with a splash of water, cover, cook on low heat, and stir once in a while to loosen up the sauce. You can freeze cottage cheese pasta sauce in zip-lock bags, on its own, or as part of a pasta meal. Keep it in the freezer for up to one month and thaw in the fridge the day before.
Allergy Swaps
Below are some ingredients swap ideas if you need them:
- Low-Fat – Feel free to use low-fat cottage cheese and unsweetened almond milk. Skip the olive oil and add the crushed garlic directly in the sauce or swap for a teaspoon of garlic powder.
- Low-Carb – Use 1/2 teaspoon of guar gum instead of cornstarch. See the instructions above on how to add it to the sauce. Serve over shirataki noodles.
- Gluten-Free – The sauce has no gluten. Pick your favorite gluten-free pasta for the recipe, like rice pasta, buckwheat pasta, or edamame pasta.
Frequently Asked Questions
Below are my answers to your common questions about this pasta sauce recipe.
No, cottage cheese doesn’t melt. It release water when warmed so it’s often recommended to bind with egg or cornstarch slurry in sauce.
Cottage cheese has no flavor. The best way to enjoy it is with salt, herbs, garlic, or spices. If you don’t like it’s curdy texture simply blend and use as a cold spread or in sauce
More Pasta Recipes
Below are some more pasta recipes for you to try:
More Cottage Cheese Recipes
If you enjoy making delicious recipes with cottage cheese, you’ll love these:
This recipe may contain Amazon or other affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
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Cook the pasta following the packaging instructions for al dente pasta. Drain, Set aside.
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Add the cottage cheese, skim milk, and Parmesan to the jug of a high-speed blender or food processor.
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Blend on high speed until creamy, thick, and smooth. Set aside.
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In a medium saucepan, over medium heat, add olive oil and sautée the garlic until fragrant – about 30 seconds to 1 minute.
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Pour the blended cottage cheese mixture, and bring to a gentle simmer. The sauce will thin out very quickly and look as thin as water, and that’s normal. Reduce to low heat.
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In a small bowl, whisk cornstarch with cold water. Whisk in the warm sauce and cook until the cottage cheese sauce thickens.
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Stir in the cooked pasta of choice and cook for a few extra minutes until warm and the pasta is coated with the sauce.
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Serve with freshly chopped Parsley over any pasta you love.
Storage
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Store for up to 3 days in the fridge in an airtight container. The sauce thickens in the fridge, and rewarm with a splash of water to loosen the sauce. Freeze for up to one month and thaw in the refrigerator the day before.
Note 2: You can use 1/2 teaspoon of guar gum. You don’t need to stir the guar gum in cold water. Sprinkle over the sauce and whisk until it gets thick.
Serving: 1 serving (1/2 cup sauce)Calories: 177.2 kcal (9%)Carbohydrates: 10 g (3%)Fiber: 0.1 gNet Carbs: 9.9 gProtein: 16.8 g (34%)Fat: 7.6 g (12%)Saturated Fat: 3.7 g (23%)Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4 gMonounsaturated Fat: 3 gCholesterol: 17.4 mg (6%)Sodium: 573.3 mg (25%)Potassium: 171.5 mg (5%)Sugar: 4.7 g (5%)Vitamin A: 207 IU (4%)Vitamin B12: 0.9 µg (15%)Vitamin C: 1.4 mg (2%)Vitamin D: 0.6 µg (4%)Calcium: 264.8 mg (26%)Iron: 0.3 mg (2%)Magnesium: 16.7 mg (4%)Zinc: 0.9 mg (6%)
About The Author
Carine Claudepierre
Hi, I’m Carine, the food blogger, author, recipe developer, published author of a cookbook and many ebooks, and founder of Sweet As Honey.
I have an Accredited Certificate in Nutrition and Wellness obtained in 2014 from Well College Global (formerly Cadence Health). I’m passionate about sharing all my easy and tasty recipes that are both delicious and healthy. My expertise in the field comes from my background in chemistry and years of following a keto low-carb diet. But I’m also well versed in vegetarian and vegan cooking since my husband is vegan.
I now eat a more balanced diet where I alternate between keto and a Mediterranean Diet
Cooking and Baking is my true passion. In fact, I only share a small portion of my recipes on Sweet As Honey. Most of them are eaten by my husband and my two kids before I have time to take any pictures!
All my recipes are at least triple tested to make sure they work and I take pride in keeping them as accurate as possible.
Browse all my recipes with my Recipe Index.
I hope that you too find the recipes you love on Sweet As Honey!
