High-protein cottage cheese pasta
Cottage cheese blended with marinara into a creamy pink sauce that tastes like vodka sauce, tossed with chickpea pasta for about 35 grams of protein a bowl.
- 25 min total
- 15 min hands-on
- Anyone can make this
- Serves 4
- About $2.56 a serving
- 550 calories
- Good the next day
- Vegetarian
- Gluten-free
Dolly says: I’d make this on a weeknight. It’s on the table in 25 minutes.
Ingredients
For 4 servings.
- 1½ cups cottage cheese
- 1½ cups marinara sauce
- 1 clove garlic
- ¼ cup grated parmesan, plus more to serve
- 1 lb chickpea pasta, two 8-oz boxes
- 2 tbsp fresh basil, torn (optional)
From your pantry
- 1 tbsp salt
- 1 pinch red pepper flakes (optional)
Each serving has about 550 calories, 35 g protein, 74 g carbs and 14 g fat, and costs about $2.56 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No grated parmesan? Parmesan wedge works.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
Fill a large pot with water, add the salt, cover and over high heat.
Bring to a boil. It means heating a liquid on high until it’s fully boiling before you move on. A lid on the pot gets it there faster, which makes it a good moment to chop something.
How you’ll know: Big bubbles break all over the surface, and they keep coming when you lift the lid.
High heat
Blend the cottage cheese, marinara, garlic and parmesan in a blender until completely smooth and pink, about 1 minute.
Dolly’s tip: Blend longer than you think. Any curds left show up in the sauce.Cook the chickpea pasta 1 minute less than the package says. Scoop out ½ cup of , then .
Reserve pasta water. It means scooping out a cup of the starchy cooking water before you drain the pasta. A splash helps the sauce cling and turn silky, and it’s the step everyone forgets.
How you’ll know: A mug of cloudy water is sitting by the stove before the pasta goes into the colander.
Drain. Draining means pouring off liquid, like tipping pasta into a colander or spooning extra fat out of the pan. Pour hot grease into a can or jar, not the sink, where it hardens and clogs the pipes.
How you’ll know: Only a few drips are left, and the food isn’t sitting in a puddle.
High heatTimer: 7 min
Dolly’s tip: Chickpea pasta foams up, so leave the lid off, and it turns mushy if overcooked. Taste a minute early.Pour the sauce into the empty pot and warm it over low heat, stirring, until steaming.
Low heat
Dolly’s tip: Don’t let it boil. Cottage cheese turns grainy if the sauce bubbles hard.Add the pasta and , loosening with until creamy.
Toss. Tossing means gently lifting and turning food so everything gets coated, like pasta in sauce or vegetables in oil. It coats every piece evenly without mashing anything.
How you’ll know: Every piece looks glossy or evenly coated, with no dry spots hiding underneath.
Reserve pasta water. It means scooping out a cup of the starchy cooking water before you drain the pasta. A splash helps the sauce cling and turn silky, and it’s the step everyone forgets.
How you’ll know: A mug of cloudy water is sitting by the stove before the pasta goes into the colander.
Low heat
Serve with pepper flakes, basil and more parmesan.
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
