Step aside, heavy cream! This tested-till-perfect cottage cheese Alfredo sauce is creamy, dreamy, and made with just a handful of ingredients. With over 20 grams protein per serving, this is the Alfredo sauce of my dreams!
The Alfredo sauce of my dreams
Friends, let's talk about this cottage cheese Alfredo sauce. I love a good, buttery, creamy Alfredo sauce every once in a while, but man, oh man, is there a lot of butter in that sauce.
As a nutritionist, my philosophy is generally to enjoy the real deal when it feels right, so it honestly surprised me when, after many trials, I managed to create a cottage cheese-based Alfredo sauce that's every bit as delicious as the real deal. How legit is this? Legit enough that my picky kids gobbled it up. Truly, it's the Alfredo sauce of my dreams.
You do dream about Alfredo sauce, right? That's not just me?
Many cottage cheese Alfredo recipes skip the butter and heavy cream altogether, but I find that a tiny bit of butter and a bit of heavy cream adds a richness and glossiness to the sauce you don't get without them. You can check the notes in the recipe card for cutting them out, but keep in mind we're replacing a LOT of heavy cream and butter in a classic Alfredo sauce.
All you need is a handful of ingredients, a blender, and the patience to whisk the cottage cheese sauce into its destiny as creamy, dreamy Alfredo sauce. You got this. I believe in you.
Looking for more nutritionist-crafted recipes with cottage cheese? Try our community-fave savory cottage cheese muffins, this high-protein marry-me pasta with cottage cheese (my personal favorite!), creamy cottage cheese ranch dip, or our blueberry cheesecake cottage cheese smoothie.
Let's make Cottage Cheese Alfredo together!
You'll find detailed instructions in the printable recipe card at the end of this post (use the "jump to recipe" button to skip right on down there), but let's take a visual walkthrough together.
Step 1: cook your pasta
Start by bringing a large pot of water to a boil. Salt the water generously, and then add your pasta. Cook according to package directions until al dente.
Drain the pasta and set it aside while you're preparing the sauce—you want the pasta to be quite dry when it hits the sauce.
Step 2: blend the sauce
Combine the cottage cheese, milk, heavy cream, melted butter, Parmesan, cornstarch, and garlic powder in a blender.
Blend until completely smooth, scraping the sides as needed.
Step 3: cook the sauce
Wipe out the same pot you cooked the pasta in so it's very dry, and return to the burner. Pour the sauce into the pot, and turn the heat on to medium-low (on my induction stovetop, I use setting 4/9 for this).
Using a whisk, stir the sauce for about 5 minutes. It may look a bit grainy at first, but we're waiting for the cornstarch to work its magic. Keep whisking until smooth and glossy.
Step 4: add the pasta
Add the drained pasta into the sauce, and stir to combine and heat through. Turn the heat to low, and let the pasta sit for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Step 5: serve!
Season with lots of freshly cracked black pepper, and serve!
High Protein Cottage Cheese Alfredo
Ingredients
- 8 ounces of dry pasta I like linguini best for this recipe
- 1 cup cottage cheese
- ¼ cup milk
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- 1 Tablespoon melted butter
- ¾ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 Tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- freshly cracked black pepper
Instructions
- Start by bringing a large pot of water to the boil. Salt the water generously, and then add your pasta. Cook according to package directions until al dente.8 ounces of dry pasta
- Drain the pasta and set aside while you're preparing the sauce.
- Wipe out the same pot, so it's dry, and return to the burner but don't turn the heat back on yet.
- Combine the cottage cheese, milk, heavy cream, melted butter, Parmesan, cornstarch, and garlic powder in a blender. Blend until completely smooth, scraping the sides as needed.1 cup cottage cheese, ¼ cup milk, ¼ cup heavy cream, 1 Tablespoon melted butter, ¾ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, 1 Tablespoon cornstarch, 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- Pour the sauce into the pot, and turn the heat on to medium-low (on my induction stovetop, I use setting 4/9 for this).
- Using a whisk, stir the sauce for about 5 minutes. It may look a bit grainy at first, but we're waiting for the cornstarch to work its magic. Keep whisking until smooth and glossy.
- Add the drained pasta into the sauce, and stir to combine and heat through. Turn the heat to low, and let the pasta sit for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Season with lots of freshly cracked black pepper, and serve!freshly cracked black pepper
Notes
- Nutrition values are an estimate only
- I've calculated based on this recipe serving 3-4 people, but that really depends on how hungry you are!
- I prefer full-fat cottage cheese for this recipe, but 2% will also work fine.
- Many cottage cheese Alfredo recipes call for adding milk, but I find adding a tiny bit of butter and a bit of heavy cream adds a richness and glossiness to the sauce you don't get without them. You can use ½ cup of milk instead of ¼ cup milk and ¼ cup heavy cream if you prefer, but keep in mind we're replacing a LOT of heavy cream and butter in a classic Alfredo sauce.
- This recipe works out best with freshly grated Parmesan, as pre-grated Parmesan uses an anti-caking agent that will mess the sauce up.
- Make sure your noodles are well-drained and slightly cooled before adding them to the sauce. Hot, wet noodles will cause the sauce to break, and the sauce won't stick to the slippery noodles.
Heather says
This is sooo easy and delicious. It's going to become a regular!
Katie Trant says
It's a regular in our home already!