High-protein mac and cheese
Chickpea pasta in a creamy cheddar sauce blended with cottage cheese, a cozy bowl of mac with about 40 grams of protein that still tastes like pure comfort.
- 25 min total
- 15 min hands-on
- Anyone can make this
- Serves 4
- About $2.41 a serving
- 630 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.
- 1 cup cottage cheese
- ½ cup milk
- 1½ cups cheddar cheese, grated
- 1 lb chickpea pasta, two 8-oz boxes
- ½ tsp ground mustard
From your pantry
- 1 tbsp salt
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ¼ tsp paprika
- ¼ tsp black pepper
Each serving has about 630 calories, 40 g protein, 67 g carbs and 24 g fat, and costs about $2.41 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No milk? Half-and-half works.
- No cheddar cheese? Shredded cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese or Mexican blend cheese works.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
Fill a large pot with water, add the salt, 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 and milk in a blender until completely smooth, about 30 seconds.
Dolly’s tip: Blend longer than you think. Any curds left show up in the sauce.the cheddar.
Grate. Grating means rubbing food across the holes of a grater to make fine shreds or flakes. It spreads cheese, garlic or ginger evenly through a dish so it melts right in.
How you’ll know: Even shreds fall off the back of the grater, and you stop while the piece is still big enough to hold.
Cook the chickpea pasta 1 minute less than the package says, stirring now and then. 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 early.Pour the cottage cheese mixture into the empty pot with the garlic powder, mustard, paprika and pepper and warm it over low heat, stirring, until steaming.
Low heat
Dolly’s tip: Don’t let it boil, or it can turn grainy.Add the cheddar a handful at a time, stirring until and smooth.
Melt. Melting means gently heating something solid, like butter or cheese, until it turns liquid. Low or medium heat keeps it from browning or burning.
How you’ll know: It’s smooth and liquid, and butter may foam a little but hasn’t turned brown.
Low heat
Stir in the pasta, loosening with of , then taste for salt and serve.
Splash. A splash is a small, quick pour, about a teaspoon to a tablespoon. It’s there to loosen or brighten a dish, so the exact amount doesn’t matter.
How you’ll know: The dish looks a little looser or tastes a little brighter, not soupy.
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.
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.
