Cottage Cheese Alfredo
Posted: 07/10/18
Updated: 02/02/23
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This cottage cheese alfredo is a lower fat, lower calorie version of the rich and creamy pasta favorite! One of the best cottage cheese recipes, it’s an easy dinner to make and the best part? You’d never even know it’s healthy.
Show of hands: who hates alfredo?
You.. there, in the back. GET OUT. You are but a robot amongst us sent to destroy the empire.
The alfredo empire of deliciousness, that is. Uh… I digress. Another show of hands: who loves the fat and calories in a bowl of creamy, rich fettuccine alfredo?
You.. there, in the back. GET OUT. I hate you for your metabolism.
Alfredo has always been one of my favorite pasta sauces, but I tend to reserve it for a special occasion treat, due to the high amounts of butter, cream, and cheese. And then… I found this. We typically associate cottage cheese with gummy bites at an assisted-living center or our tiny-ass dog Magnolia, whom we were instructed by the vet to feed cottage cheese mixed into her dry food so she’d put on some pounds (11, going on 12! But we still tell everyone she’s a week-old lab, for the sake of O’s masculinity). But think again, people! Blended with some other ingredients, it transforms into a luxurious, creamy sauce, at a fraction of the guilt and hippyness.
Why This Recipe Is So. Dang. Good.
- It’s wonderfully rich and creamy, thanks to the cottage cheese, but lower in fat and calories. Also thanks to the cottage cheese!
- This cottage cheese recipe comes together really, really quickly, and you could make it almost entirely during the time your pasta is boiling.
- You can add all sorts of different spices or seasonings to this cottage cheese alfredo. It’s super versatile.
But be warned. You might have to fend off dozens of requests a day for this stuff. I’m not lying.
The first time I made this, O ate his bowl — and subsequently licked the bowl clean — in total silence.
“He hates it,” I told myself. “Oh well. It’s still so much better for us, and I think it’s pretty damn delicious.”
An hour later.
“That was the best thing I’ve ever had,” O spouts, unprovoked. “Can we have it again tomorrow?”
No. No, we can’t. But “tomorrow,” he repeated the question. I repeated the answer. I need variety, dammit! No matter how good something is. The day after “tomorrow,” he repeated the question, and I, the answer. And so on, until I caved and whipped it up the next week. And then the week after that as a sorry-I’m-going-to-St.-Louis-without-you-and-leaving-you-to-fend-for-yourself dish. I’m not exaggerating in claims of how insanely good this stuff is.
Update: Now that O and I have been married for what feels like a hundred years and have a kid, I have a new anecdote to verify the deliciousness of this cottage cheese recipe. My kid freaked out because somewhere along the line that day he was promised “mac and cheese,” and I kind of thought this would work for that particular request. He wailed a bit but finally tried it. My picky, picky toddler then claimed,
“I love it so much. I want to eat it on Wednesday. I want to eat it on Monday. I want to eat it a lot of times when we come home.“
So… if that doesn’t tell you something about this cottage cheese alfredo, I don’t know what would.
Tips for Success
- Make sure you blend the cottage cheese alfredo mixture until it’s very smooth.
- This cottage cheese recipe is best with about half a pound of pasta. If you don’t mind a less saucy pasta, upping your pasta poundage is fine!
- Simmer your sauce just until it’s thickened – you don’t want to reduce it too much!
Variations
- Instead of basil and oregano, sprinkle in a bit of Cajun seasoning and serve with blackened chicken, tomatoes, and green onions for a Creole pasta.
- Use cultured cottage cheese to make this cottage cheese recipe even healthier.
- Try arrowroot powder instead of cornstarch if you have to or want to avoid corn.
If You Love This Recipe, You’ll Also Love…
- Whole30 Tuna Zoodle Casserole
- Creamy Pumpkin Sage Alfredo with Ronzoni Gluten Free Penne
- Fried Zucchini Basil Gluten-Free Pasta with Fresh Mozzarella
- Baked Feta Pasta
- Healthy Chicken Alfredo with Spaghetti Squash (Whole30, Paleo, Dairy Free)
- Keto Alfredo Sauce
And if you’re looking for a wonderful version of classic Fettuccine Alfredo, this recipe from Erren’s Kitchen is fantastic!
Cottage Cheese Alfredo
A rich and creamy pasta sauce made with cottage cheese. Easy, versatile, and super quick to make, it’s one of the best cottage cheese recipes. 4 Weight Watchers SmartPoints.
Ingredients
- 1 cup milk use skim for low-fat
- ½ cup cottage cheese use low-fat cottage cheese to make this recipe low-fat
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon pepper
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder or more to taste
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese or Romano cheese
- dried basil to taste
- dried oregano to taste
- fresh chopped parsley for garnish, optional
- cooked pasta of choice
Instructions
- Put all the ingredients, except basil, into a food processor or blender and blend until smooth.
- Pour the mixture in a small saucepan and add basil and oregano. Cook over medium-low heat until heated through and smooth. Add more basil, oregano, salt, or pepper (or other seasonings), to taste.
- Let it cook on low heat for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the cooked pasta right before serving and let it soak in for a couple of minutes. Top with meat or veggies as desired; garnish with fresh chopped parsley, optional. Serve immediately.
Notes
Recipe yields approximately 4 servings. Nutritional values shown are general guidelines, and reflect information for one serving using the ingredients listed, not including pasta. Macros may vary slightly depending on specific types and brands of ingredients used.
To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by 4. Result will be the weight of one serving.
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Nutrition Information
Serving: 1serving, Calories: 125kcal, Carbohydrates: 6g, Protein: 10g, Fat: 7g, Saturated Fat: 4g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 2g, Cholesterol: 22mg, Sodium: 459mg, Potassium: 127mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 4g, Vitamin A: 244IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 230mg, Iron: 1mg, Net Carbs: 5g
Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.
Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.
To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.
Really tasty but the recipe as shown makes less than 4 servings, more like 2 (maybe 3). Followed recipe exactly and served on a standard portion of pasta.
Thanks so much for your feedback, Sarah! We do note in the recipe card that the actual number of servings will vary depending on portion sizes. We’ll definitely make a note of your experience and comments and keep them in mind as we evaluate our recipes moving forward!
I was so skeptical reading the recipe, but I’m so glad I tried it! Alfredo is one of my favourite foods, but I always feel so gross after (seeing the amount of cream, milk, butter, and cheese that goes into it… ugh). This came out very light and mild. I made it with steamed broccoli on the side, and crumbled bacon on top, with lots of cracked black pepper. I don’t feel “weighed down” like traditional alfredo does to me. This is definitely going in the meal rotation!
So happy to hear that, Michaela! Glad you enjoyed! Thanks so much for the great review!
Has anyone tried this with almond milk?
We haven’t tested out a dairy-free version, but let us know if you try it! I’m thinking almond milk or coconut milk should work fine.
What is the equivalent of this to a jar of Alfredo sauce? Like is it about 16 oz or more or less? Trying to figure out how much I need to feed all of us
This makes 4 servings, so roughly a normal size jar of sauce!
I made this for my family and they loved it !! This is going to become a part of my routine. Thanks
So happy to hear that! Thanks so much for your review, Lana!
My husband suffers from GERD. This recipe not only tasted good, he had no reaction to it!
SO happy to hear that, Joan! That’s great! Thanks so much for the review!
Delicious, lighter flavor while eating and no overly full feeling afterwards. This is a recipe to be saved and made many times.
So glad you found it enjoyable both during and after eating! Thanks so much for the review, Judy!
I’m terrible at “to taste” measurements. Can you estimate teaspoon equivalent for the spices? Thanks so much.
It really just depends on your preferences! I would start with just a pinch then taste and add more as needed.
Hi. Can this recipe be frozen
We haven’t tried freezing this sauce, but I would be concerned about the texture after freezing and thawing it given the amount of cottage cheese and parmesan in the recipe. If you try it, please let us know how it is after thawing!
Do you weigh the half pound of pasta before or after it’s cooked?
That recommendation is a half-pound of cooked pasta!