This Marry Me Pasta is so good, you'll want to put a ring on it. I developed a protein-packed cottage cheese pasta sauce blended smooth with sundried tomatoes, fresh basil, and just a splash of heavy cream to keep it luxurious. Ready in under 30 minutes and with over 20 grams of protein per serving, this is your new favorite vegetarian pasta recipe.
I want to marry this pasta sauce
Ok, listen. I know cottage cheese is having kind of a moment right now. Also having a moment right now? All of the Marry Me recipes. Have you tried my Marry Me Chickpeas recipe yet? If not, please go and make them immediately. I'll wait here.
I was trying to develop a high-protein cottage cheese pasta sauce recipe that actually tastes good and has a great, creamy (and not weird) texture, when one day, it occurred to me to combine the Marry Me trend with the cottage cheese trend and see what happens.
Much like our tested-till-perfect Cottage Cheese Alfredo recipe, it took a few trials to get it perfectly right (this is why you should get your recipes from recipe developers, not robots), but wouldn't you know, the combination of tangy cottage cheese blended up with sundried tomatoes and thyme, freshly grated Parmesan, and just a splash of heavy cream to keep the whole thing lush and silky, and you've got the most heavenly Marry Me pasta sauce there ever was.
I mean, honestly. I was eating this stuff straight from the blender. But also, please toss it with hot spiral pasta, add a splash of pasta water, throw in some more parm and some fresh basil, and let me tell you, this truly is a vegetarian pasta recipe worthy of a proposal.
Looking for more nutritionist-crafted recipes with cottage cheese? Try our community-fave savory cottage cheese muffins, this kale lasagna with cottage cheese (my personal favorite!), creamy cottage cheese ranch dip, or our blueberry cheesecake cottage cheese smoothie.
A few notes on ingredients
You'll find specific quantities of ingredients in the recipe card at the end of this post, but I wanted to go over a few things I learned after several tests of this recipe.
Cottage cheese: I have tested this recipe with both 2% and full-fat cottage cheese, and both work fine. I wouldn't want to go any lighter than 2% (we are making a cream sauce, after all), so try and stick in this range.
Heavy cream: Honestly, adding a splash of heavy cream to the sauce was a game changer. Previous tests had a higher amount of cottage cheese, but the texture wasn't quite right. My husband said that it tasted like it came from a jar. Once I reduced the cottage cheese and added a tiny bit of cream, I got that creamy, glossy cream sauce I was after. Don't be tempted to skip the cream, it really makes a difference to the final product.
Parmesan: Yes, I do know that Parmesan isn't vegetarian. Luckily, there are lots of Parmesan-like cheeses out there that don't contain rennet, so opt for one of those if you like.
Pasta: I tested this recipe with a few different pasta shapes, and some sort of corkscrew or twisted shape is definitely my favorite. If you want to pump up the protein even more, try using chickpea pasta.
Pasta water: This is an essential ingredient for loosening up the sauce and getting it to bind with the pasta in a good way. Be sure to salt your water well, and don't forget to scoop out some pasta water before you drain your pasta!
Let's make Cottage Cheese Pasta Sauce together!
Step 1: sauté your onions
We're going to start by heating a large, heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat and sautéing the onions in melted butter and a bit of oil from the sundried tomato jar.
Add the garlic, thyme, red pepper flakes, and salt, and sauté for 1-2 minutes more.
Step 2: add the sundried tomatoes
Now add the sundried tomatoes to the pan and give them a little swirl with the onions.
Remove the pan from the heat and let it cool a little bit.
Step 3: blend your cottage cheese
Add the cottage cheese and vegetable broth to a blender, and blend until smooth. Blend, baby! Blend!
Scrape the contents of the pan into the blender, making sure you get every last bit of flavor in there, and blend again until smooth. Careful with blending hot liquids!
Step 4: return to the pan
Scrape the contents of the blender back into the pan.
Tip! I like to add a small amount of pasta water to the blender and let it run to get all the sauce off of the sides, and reserve that for the sauce if it needs to be thinned out.
Step 5: add the pasta
Stir the heavy cream into the sauce, followed by the grated Parmesan, pasta, and basil leaves.
If the sauce needs thinning out, add a splash of the pasta water from the blender, bit by bit.
Serve the pasta hot, with extra Parmesan, basil, and a drizzle of sundried tomato oil over the top.
High Protein Marry Me Pasta (Cottage Cheese Sauce!)
Ingredients
- 10 ounces pasta shapes Any spiral shape will do!
- 1 Tablespoon butter
- 2 Tablespoons oil from the sundried tomatoes jar
- ¼ cup red onion finely diced
- 3 cloves garlic crushed
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup sundried tomatoes finely chopped
- 1 cup cottage cheese I use full fat
- 1 cup vegetable broth
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- ½ cup freshly grated parmesan
- 1 cup pasta water if needed
- small handful basil leaves
- Parmesan and a drizzle of sundried tomato oil to serve
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Salt the water generously, and add the pasta shapes to cook until al dente.10 ounces pasta shapes
- Scoop a cup of the pasta water out of the pot and set aside. Drain the pasta.
- While the pasta is cooking, heat the sundried tomato oil and butter in a large, heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat.1 Tablespoon butter, 2 Tablespoons oil
- Add the diced red onion and sauté until softened.¼ cup red onion
- Add the garlic, thyme, red pepper flakes, and salt, and sauté for 1-2 minutes more.3 cloves garlic, ½ teaspoon dried thyme, ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes, ½ teaspoon salt
- Add the sundried tomatoes and stir to combine.½ cup sundried tomatoes
- Remove the pan from the heat.
- Add the cottage cheese and vegetable broth to a blender, and blend until smooth.1 cup cottage cheese, 1 cup vegetable broth
- Scrape the contents of the pan into the blender, and blend again until smooth. Careful with blending hot liquids!
- Scrape the contents of the blender back into the pan. Add a small amount of pasta water to the blender and let it run to get all the sauce off of the sides, and reserve that for if your sauce needs to be thinned out.1 cup pasta water
- Stir the heavy cream into the sauce, followed by the grated Parmesan, pasta, and basil leaves.¼ cup heavy cream, ½ cup freshly grated parmesan, small handful basil leaves
- Stir to combine well.
- If the sauce needs thinning out, add a splash of the pasta water from the blender, bit by bit.
- Serve the pasta hot, with extra Parmesan, basil, and a drizzle of sundried tomato oil over the top.Parmesan and a drizzle of sundried tomato oil to serve
Notes
- Nutrition values are an estimate only
- Leftover pasta will keep well in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-5 days.
- Re-heat past in the microwave, or on the stovetop with a splash of water added in.
K.Leslie says
We prepared this recently, with necessary substitutions to accommodate vegans (aquafaba, PB milk, tofu, nutritional yeast).It was an enjoyable meal. Merci.
Katherine Hughes says
Finally a recipe to please the whole family!
Katie Trant says
Yay! So glad you enjoyed this one, Katherine!
Pamela says
So delicious! I love that there is some extra protein in it. Will make again for sure!
Katie Trant says
Yay! So glad you enjoyed this one, Pamela!