This nutritious deliciously creamy tomato cottage cheese pasta sauce is so comforting and easy to make! If you're looking for a pasta recipe with a protein boost but without meat, this is a must try. And it's kid-approved!
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Why You'll love this recipe
- This tomato cottage cheese sauce is so creamy and so tasty! It has a beautiful smooth texture. It's rich and so satisfying.
- It's a boost of protein without meat. Cottage cheese is one of my absolute favorite ingredients to jazz up dishes and make them more nutritious. And you can't taste it! If you're like me, check out my chocolate mousse, my creamy mashed potatoes, healthy pancakes and egg salad.
Key Ingredients and variations
- Cottage cheese: I used 4%, it's a little creamier than fat-free. One cup of cottage cheese has around 25g of protein.
- Onion and carrot: adds flavor and nutrients.
- Canned diced tomatoes.
- Italian seasoning: locks down that delicious pasta sauce flavor. Of course use salt and pepper too.
- Tomato paste: really elevates the tomato flavor of the sauce.
- Garlic: everything is better with garlic.
- Lemon: brightens the sauce with the perfect acidity. You don't need a lot, add more to taste.
- Fresh basil and fresh parmesan: fresh and fragrant, they perfectly finish this sauce recipe.
- Pasta: short pasta work great for this recipe like rigatoni, penne, farfalle, rotini.
How to make cottage cheese pasta sauce
- You need pasta water to make the sauce so make sure to cook the pasta while you're making everything else.
Cook pasta per package instructions. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water.
In skillet heat up oil over medium high heat. Add diced onion and carrots, sauté for 4-5 minutes stirring often.
Add tomato paste and mix with the veggies, cook for 1 minute.
Then add minced garlic, tomatoes, Italian seasoning, salt & pepper and cook for 6-8 minutes. Then squeeze fresh lemon.
Add tomato and veggie mixture to blender, add 1 cup of cottage cheese and pasta water.
Blend until smooth, about 1 ½ - 2 minutes.
Pour some sauce over the pasta, stir everything, add more sauce if needed.
Sprinkle freshly grated parmesan, fresh basil and adjust salt and pepper. Stir everything, serve and enjoy!
More Pasta Recipes
If you love pasta check these out!
Tips
- Blend the tomato cottage cheese sauce until smooth and silky, this might take up to 2 minutes.
- This recipe makes a little extra sauce. You can save it in an airtight container refrigerated for up to 4 days. Same with leftovers.
- You'll notice the sauce will harden a bit on the pasta after refrigeration, but it'll get creamy again once you heat it up. You might need to add a splash of water or milk.
- Don't forget to reserve pasta water. The starch in it helps the texture of the sauce.
- Add crushed red pepper flakes if you want a little heat.
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frequently asked questions
I don't think it does. Cottage cheese is pretty mild tasting. Once it's blended with the tomatoes, veggies and seasoning, it tastes like a delicious creamy pasta sauce. It makes the tomato taste more settle.
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Cottage Cheese Tomato Pasta Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 pound pasta like rigatoni, tortellini or penne
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 yellow onion diced, about 1 cup
- 1 carrot diced, about ½ cup
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 4-5 cloves garlic minced
- 1 15-ounces can diced tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 squeeze lemon
- 1 cup cottage cheese 4% or whole
- 1 cup pasta water
- fresh basil
- fresh parmesan
Instructions
- Cook pasta per package instructions. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water.
- In a skillet heat up olive oil over medium high heat. Add diced onion and diced carrots, sauté for 4-5 minutes stirring often.
- Add tomato paste and mix it with the veggies, cook for 1 minute.
- Add minced garlic, tomatoes (with the liquid from the can), Italian seasoning, salt & pepper and cook for 6-8 minutes on medium heat. Then squeeze a little fresh lemon in the mixture.
- Add the tomato and veggie mixture to a blender, add 1 cup of cottage cheese and pasta water.
- Blend until smooth, about 1 ½ - 2 minutes.
- Add some of the sauce to the pasta, stir everything, add more sauce if needed.
- Add freshly grated parmesan, fresh basil and adjust salt and pepper. Stir everything, serve and enjoy!
Notes
- Pasta: use any kind of short pasta, from wheat, gluten-free, protein, chickpea, lentils. You can even use zucchini noodles to make this dish low-carb, or half regular half zoodles too.
- Blending the sauce: always be careful when blending hot food as the blender could get really warm. Use a kitchen towel to protect your hands.
Nutrition
About Priscilla Lawrence
Hi there, I'm Priscilla Lawrence! Welcome to Sprinkled With Balance where I share elevated and approachable nutrient-rich recipes that aren't overly restrictive, complicated or boring! Based in California but born and raised in France, I'm a mom of two, former certified nutritionist, recipe developer, and food photographer.
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