High Protein Cottage Cheese Pasta Sauce 

This high-protein cottage cheese pasta sauce is cozy, easy to make and absolutely delicious. It’s loaded with protein and fiber and will keep you full for hours!

If you’ve been looking for a high-protein pasta sauce that doesn’t taste like diet food, you’ve just found it!

This cottage cheese pasta sauce is loaded with the same flavors you’d expect from a traditional Italian pasta dish while having about 34 grams of protein per serving.

It’s just the perfect recipe to try when you’re looking for a perfect post-gym dinner or simply whenever you’re looking to up your protein intake.

What you’ll need

Cottage cheese — Both regular and fat-free cottage cheese work well in this high-protein pasta sauce. Since it gets blended with the tomato sauce and basil, you won’t be actually be able to tell the difference so pick the one you need for your macros.

Tomato sauce (passata) — Use a quality tomato sauce for the best flavor. Alternatively, use a can of San Marzano tomatoes.

Fresh basil — This is what gives this cottage cheese pasta sauce that wow factor that separates it from fad, diet-type recipes. Add as much as you like!

Onion + garlic — You’ll need some fresh onion and garlic for the flavor base of the sauce.

Sausage — I opted for lean turkey sausage but chicken sausage or low-fat pork or beef sausages are all great choices.

Parmesan — For that cheesy, salty finish! As always, fresh is best.

Pasta — Boost the protein intake of this pasta dish even more by using high-protein pasta such as chickpea pasta or red lentil pasta. Anything with more than 10 g of protein per 2 oz is great.

How to make this high protein pasta sauce

This is a quick overview with step-by-step photos. See the recipe card below for full ingredients and instructions.

Cook the pasta: Boil a pot of salted water and cook your pasta according to the package directions. Reserve some of the pasta water before draining.

Make the sauce: Combine the cottage cheese, tomato sauce, and basil in a blender until smooth.

Sauté & brown: Heat olive oil in a skillet, then sauté onion and garlic. Add the turkey sausage and cook until browned.

Combine & serve: Stir the sauce into the skillet with the sausage mixture. Add the cooked pasta, Parmesan, and parsley. Toss to combine, adding some reserved pasta water if needed. Serve hot with extra Parmesan.

Substitutions and variations

• Make it spicy — Add red pepper flakes to the sauce while blending, or stir in a touch of your favorite hot sauce.
• Add extra veggies to the blended sauce, like roasted red bell peppers or zucchini. For a green boost, add some kale to the pasta pot for the last 1-2 minutes then toss everything with the sauce.
• Use a combination of cottage cheese and ricotta for an even creamier sauce.

Leftovers and storage

• Store any leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days in the fridge.
• Reheat the pasta gently on the stovetop, adding a bit of stock or water to loosen it up.
• I wouldn’t recommend freezing this pasta dish because the cottage cheese sauce won’t have a nice texture after defrosting.

If you’ve tried this high protein cottage cheese pasta recipe, please rate it and leave me a comment below! I’d love to hear how it turned out.

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