Cottage Cheese Alfredo
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
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
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
Video
Nutrition Information
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.
Vicky says
Hi 🙂 can I substitute parmesan cheese with mozzarella??
Cheryl Malik says
The consistency and flavor will change some, but you can definitely give it a shot and let me know how it goes!
Mona says
DELICIOUS!!! Thank you for such a wonderful recipe. I had left over cottage cheese.. looked up a recipe on google and came across this.. was skeptical itd taste good but my God exceeded expectations. Few ingredients, super quick and was SUCH a HIT. Never having butter soaked alfredo again. Did add sauteed mushrooms !
Cheryl Malik says
I’m so glad it was a hit!
Becca Near says
Hi! Do you think this would freeze well?
Cheryl Malik says
I think freezing the sauce would be totally fine! I haven’t ever done it though, so let me know how it goes if you do!
Whitney says
would this last well in the freezer?
Cheryl Malik says
I’m not 100% sure since I have never frozen it before, but I would imagine it would do pretty well if you just freeze the sauce in a container!
Alex says
This was delicious. Exceeded expectations, will 100% make again. Thanks!
Cheryl Malik says
Awesome! I’m so glad you liked it!
Cheryl says
OMG! Added pan seared mushrooms. Absolutely delicious! This is by far the simplest and most delicious recipe I think I have ever made. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe! BTW, I don’t have a blender or a food processor. I used a hand mixer on high speed and it worked just fine.
Cheryl Malik says
Those are great tips! I’m glad you liked it!
Sam Jones says
Didn’t think this would taste good because of no cream, butter or oil but I tried it anyway because it’s got much fewer calories than other dairy sauces. On tasting it I loved it! Usually my partner doesn’t like dairy pasta sauces because they’re too heavy but ze likes this one.
This will now be my go-to dairy sauce for pasta now. The cottage cheese gives a nice mild sour zing a bit like lemon.
Cheryl Malik says
So glad you loved it!
CR says
How can you thicken it more? More corn starch? Flour?
Cheryl Malik says
Corn starch!
Brooke says
I’ve tried SEVERAL sauces, this is by far the easiest, best tasting recipe yet! A hit with everyone!
Lindsey says
It was amazing! I’ve been looking for a healthy and easy alternative to regular alfredo and my super picky husband and toddler loved it! Thanks so much for sharing!
Catherine Headley says
Wow! My extremely picky teenage son went back for THIRDS! Good thing I made extra after reading the comments. Thank you for this extremely quick and easy recipe!
Suzy says
Wow! Just a fantastic sauce.
Easy to make, and quick!
I quadrupled the recipe right from the start, as i have kids who eat lots, and lots of homemade cottage cheese. Unfortunately I only had 1/3 cup of real parmesan so i improvised and added 1/2 cup kraft grated “parmesan cheese”.
Still turned out great.
I added it to some onions I sauteed in bacon fat and some shrimp and imitation crab and some napa cabbage(only veggie I had in hand to use, I think it would have been better with chard).
Everyone liked it.
I wonder if you could use cottage cheese like this to make a Ceasar dressing?
Cheryl Malik says
That sounds delicious! I haven’t used cottage cheese to make Caesar dressing, but I might add it to my list of things to try!