Creamy Cottage Cheese Pasta
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Add as Google Trusted SourceThis cottage cheese pasta combines ground turkey with a creamy marinara sauce for a satisfying dinner with 38 grams of protein per serving. Ready in just 30 minutes, it’s an easy weeknight meal the whole family will love!
I wanted a creamy pasta dinner that felt like something I’d order at a restaurant but was easy enough to make on a busy weeknight. My shortcut? Blend a jar of marinara with cottage cheese, then toss it with pasta and ground turkey. This cottage cheese pasta has become a dinner my whole family loves!
And if you’re not a cottage cheese fan, don’t worry. Making pasta sauce with cottage cheese gives it a rich, creamy texture without any noticeable cottage cheese flavor or curds.
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“I made this recipe for my husband who is extremely anti-cottage cheese. I didn’t tell him he loved it and now I’m making it tonight for my grandchildren, my daughter and her boyfriend! It’s a keeper.”
Why You’ll Love This Cottage Cheese Pasta
- 10 ingredients, 30 minutes: Jarred marinara keeps prep simple, and you can make the sauce and turkey while the pasta cooks.
- 38 grams of protein: Ground turkey and cottage cheese make this a satisfying dinner without needing extra protein on the side.
- Easy to make your own: Use your favorite pasta, swap the turkey for ground chicken or beef, or stir in spinach for an easy veggie addition.
If you love the sound of this recipe you may also want to check out my creamy pumpkin pasta, cottage cheese mac and cheese or ground turkey pasta for something equally as hearty.
Ingredients Needed
- dry pasta of choice – I used rigatoni for its ability to hold sauce well, but you can use any pasta you prefer. Some other good options are spaghetti, farfalle, fusilli and fettuccine noodles.
- olive oil – used for sautéing the onion and garlic, and adds a rich, fruity undertone.
- yellow onion – adds sweetness and depth of flavor when sautéed.
- garlic cloves – brings plenty of flavor to the pasta.
- ground turkey – ground turkey is my go-to for adding a lean, hearty protein to this pasta. It’s light but still keeps the recipe filling without overpowering the other flavors.
- marinara sauce – I love using Rao’s marinara sauce because it’s packed with flavor and made with quality ingredients. It’s the perfect foundation for this creamy sauce.
- whole milk cottage cheese – I love using Good Culture’s full-fat (4%) cottage cheese for a rich, creamy sauce. No need to drain or rinse it, just blend with the marinara until completely smooth. Small or large curds will work since you’re blending them. A reader also reported success with low-fat cottage cheese, though the sauce may be slightly less creamy.
Find the full ingredient list with measurements in the recipe card below.
Recipe Substitutions & Notes
- Pasta: I love rigatoni because it holds the sauce well, but use your favorite shape. For a gluten-free option, a reader made this with Banza chickpea pasta and loved the results.
- Ground turkey: Readers have successfully swapped in ground chicken, ground beef and shredded rotisserie chicken. If using rotisserie chicken, skip the browning step and stir it into the sauce to warm through.
- Vegetarian option: A reader replaced the turkey with green lentils and finely chopped mushrooms and said the whole family loved it. If trying this variation, use cooked lentils and sauté the mushrooms before adding the sauce.
- Add vegetables: Readers have enjoyed this pasta with baby tomatoes and spinach or thawed petite peas. Sauté the tomatoes before adding the sauce, then stir in spinach or thawed peas toward the end until the spinach wilts and the peas are warmed through.
How to Make Cottage Cheese Pasta
Step 1: Cook the pasta according to package instructions, reserving ½ cup of pasta water before draining. Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Sauté the onion for 5–6 minutes until softened. Season with salt and pepper, then add the garlic and sauté for another 1–2 minutes.
Step 2: Add the ground turkey to the skillet. Use a spatula or wooden spoon to break apart the meat as it cooks, making sure it browns evenly and is cooked through.
Step 3: In the meantime, place the marinara sauce and cottage cheese into a high-speed blender or food processor. Blend the ingredients until you achieve a smooth and creamy sauce.
Step 4: Reduce the skillet heat to low, then add the blended sauce and cooked pasta. Stir gently until warmed through without boiling. Add a splash of reserved pasta water if needed to loosen the sauce.
Brittany’s Tips
- Blend until smooth: Blend the cottage cheese and marinara until no curds remain for a creamy sauce.
- Keep the heat low: Reduce the skillet heat to low before adding the sauce and stir gently until warmed through. Avoid boiling, which can cause the sauce to separate and become grainy.
- Save some pasta water: Pasta with cottage cheese sauce can thicken as it sits. Reserve ½ cup of pasta water before draining and stir it in 1–2 Tablespoons at a time if needed to loosen the sauce.
What to Serve with Cottage Cheese Pasta
This cottage cheese pasta is a satisfying meal on its own. If you want something on the side, pair it with my kale Caesar salad or roasted broccoli. Garlic bread is always delicious for soaking up any extra sauce, too!
How to Store
- Refrigerate: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- Reheat: Warm in the microwave in short intervals, stirring between each, or in a skillet over low heat. Add a splash of water to loosen the sauce as needed and avoid boiling.
- Freeze: A reader who makes this regularly reports that the leftovers freeze well. I haven’t tested freezing it myself, so the sauce texture may change after thawing.
- Make ahead: Prepare the turkey and sauce in advance and refrigerate separately from the cooked pasta to keep it from absorbing the sauce. Combine and reheat gently when ready to serve.
Frequently Asked Questions
For a smooth, creamy sauce, yes! Blending the cottage cheese with the marinara removes the curds. You can skip blending if you don’t mind a textured sauce, but it won’t have the same silky consistency.
The sauce may become grainy if the cottage cheese isn’t fully blended or the skillet is too hot. Blend until completely smooth, then reduce the skillet heat to low before adding the sauce. Stir gently until warmed through and avoid boiling.
More Pasta Recipes You’ll Love
If you enjoyed this recipe, please consider leaving a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below.
Creamy Cottage Cheese Pasta
Ingredients
- 8 oz dry pasta of choice, I used rigatoni
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 3 large garlic cloves, minced
- 1 lb ground turkey
- 1 24 oz jar marinara sauce, I used Rao’s marinara sauce
- ½ cup whole milk cottage cheese, I used Good Culture 4%
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Fresh basil, for serving
- Fresh parmesan, for serving
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to package instructions, reserving ½ cup of pasta water before draining. Drain and set aside.8 oz dry pasta of choice
- While pasta is cooking add oil to a large skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add onion and saute for 5-6 minutes until fragrant and a bit translucent. Season with salt and pepper. Add garlic and saute 1-2 more minutes.1 Tablespoon olive oil, 1 medium yellow onion, 3 large garlic cloves, Salt and pepper
- Add ground turkey to the skillet and cook, breaking apart meat with a spatula or wooden spoon until evenly brown and cooked through, about 6-8 minutes.1 lb ground turkey
- While the ground turkey is cooking, add marinara sauce and cottage cheese to a blender and blend until completely smooth with no visible curds.1 24 oz jar marinara sauce, ½ cup whole milk cottage cheese
- Once the turkey is cooked through, reduce the heat to low. Pour in the blended sauce, add the cooked pasta and stir gently until combined and warmed through. Avoid bringing the sauce to a boil. If needed, add reserved pasta water, 1–2 Tablespoons at a time, to reach your desired consistency.
- Add a scoop of pasta to a bowl or plate. Top with fresh parmesan and fresh basil, for serving.Fresh parmesan, Fresh basil
Video
Notes
- Cottage cheese: I use full-fat Good Culture cottage cheese. A reader also had success with low-fat cottage cheese. No draining or rinsing needed.
- Substitutions: Readers have successfully used gluten-free chickpea pasta, ground chicken or ground beef. For shredded rotisserie chicken, skip browning and stir it into the sauce to warm through.
- Vegetarian: A reader enjoyed this with cooked green lentils and finely chopped mushrooms instead of turkey. Sauté the mushrooms before adding the sauce and lentils.
- Storage: Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Reheat gently, stirring in a splash of water as needed to loosen the sauce.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like This Recipe? Rate & Comment Below!
I love this recipe it’s one of my go to recipes now. I have made it plenty of times already. It’s satisfying, filling and has great macros. Thank you for posting it!
Yay! I love hearing that this has become one of your go-to recipes! So glad it’s both satisfying and easy to fit into your routine. Thanks so much for making it again and again!
We absolutely love this recipe! I’ve had to go dairy free lately (such a bummer!)- any substitute you’d recommend for the cottage cheese? If not, I’ll still make it for the family!
So glad you love this recipe, Lara! I haven’t tested it, but I’d try blending silken tofu or soaked raw cashews with the marinara in place of the cottage cheese. Either should help give you that same creamy sauce. I’d start with the same 1/2 cup amount and use a dairy-free parmesan on top. Let me know if you try it!
I love this recipe! It’s part of my weekly rotation, I always freeze some and it holds up very well. I usually added baby tomatoes and spinach as my veg. It works with shredded rotisserie chicken, ground beef and ground turkey! Versatile and tasty high protein recipe. 🙂
So glad you’re enjoying this, Taylor! I love that you’ve tried it with different proteins and veggies. Thanks so much for making the recipe and for coming back to leave a review, I really appreciate it.
Have you tried making this recipe with 2% cottage cheese? I imagine it is doable, just maybe wouldn’t be as creamy. Do you think it would split the sauce or impact it negatively in any way? All I have in 2% and I really want to try this recipe out.
Yes, 2% cottage cheese should work just fine here. It might be slightly less creamy than whole milk cottage cheese, but it shouldn’t split the sauce or negatively impact the recipe.
Hi! I have a question about the cottage cheese. I’ve heard that you should rinse the excess liquid from the cheese before you blend it, as this helps to prevent separation with the sauce. I wondered if you did this yourself or found it to be true? I am a newbie to using cottage cheese and I am never sure what is the best way! Thank you in advance and I am really looking forward to making this tonight 🙂
Hi Kinsey – I don’t rinse the cottage cheese before blending it for this recipe since the liquid helps the sauce blend up smooth and creamy. Thanks so much for asking and I hope you love it!
This recipe is so good! I’ve made it multiple times now for my family and to take to other families. I love that you can sneak in so much protein because I do have a carb-loving kid! Quick question… do you think this recipe could be easily doubled if I use a big stock pot? I really want to double-batch for an upcoming neighbor dinner. Thank you!!
So glad this pasta has been a hit for you, Julie! Doubling this recipe works really well and using a large stock pot is perfect, just stir a bit more often so the sauce heats evenly. Thanks for coming back to leave a review. It means the world to me.
This was amazing! I left out the meat and kept it vegetarian. I also added cherry tomato’s to the blender and more cottage cheese. SO GOOD! Never thought cottage cheese would make such a great pasta sauce. This is a new staple for me. Thank u so much!
Yay! I’m so glad this pasta turned out without the meat. I love your substitutions you made. Thanks for making my recipe and for coming back to leave a review. I appreciate it!
Do you think some rinsed canned lentils would go good in this recipe? I would be making it vegetarian the same as you but want a little bit more protein etc., in the mix…. Thank you for already trying a veggie version, I might have skipped over it otherwise.
Hi Marlene – Yes, I think canned lentils would work here! They’re already cooked, so I’d stir them into the sauce toward the end, just long enough to heat through. They’ll add some extra protein and fiber without needing to change much else. Let me know how it turns out!
I made this recipe for my husband who is extremely anti-cottage cheese. I didn’t tell him he loved it and now I’m making it tonight for my grandchildren, my daughter and her boyfriend! It’s a keeper.
Yay! That makes me so happy to hear, Donna. Love that even your husband enjoyed it — definitely a good sign! Hope your family loves it just as much. Thanks for the review!
This was delicious! we’re vegetarian so I substituted the turkey for green lentils and finely chopped mushrooms to give a meaty texture and it did not disappoint! I kept everything else the same and the whole family loved it. will definitely make again!
Love the subs you made to make this dish vegetarian! Thanks for sharing, I’m sure that’ll be super helpful for other readers. I’m glad you enjoyed this recipe, thanks for making it!
Hi Brittany, I wanted to try this recipe with chicken breast. Do you have any suggestions on how I should cook the chicken? Thanks!
Hey Stephanie – Chicken is always a great addition. Both my grilled chicken breast, air fryer chicken breast, or air fryer chicken cutlets recipe would all work well. 🙂
I have made this so many times now, used this recipe for meal prepping. So so good, I’ve added zucchini when I make it and I found that it helps keep the pasta from drying out, even my dad who usually doesn’t like pasta enjoyed eating this for dinner multiple times!
Thank you so much!
Will be experimenting and trying this same recipe out but swapping out the pasta for zoodles.
Ahh I love this so much—thank you for sharing! I’m so glad it’s become a regular in your meal prep rotation. Adding zucchini is such a smart move, plus added veggies for the win! And I love that even your dad enjoyed it—major compliment! Let me know how it goes with the zoodles… I’m all about a good low-carb swap.
This was so good, I can’t wait to make it again! I did use ground beef instead of turkey and added zucchini only because they needed to be used up. It was so simple to make as well which are favourite kind of recipes!
Yay! So glad this recipe was a hit. I’m glad you were able to use what you had on hand! Thanks for trying this recipe and for coming back to leave a review. 🙂
A family hit, even with picky teenage eaters
Yay! That makes me so happy to hear!! Thanks for making my recipe and for coming back to leave a review. I appreciate it!
Thanks for giving the vegan options. It’s greatly appreciated 😉
Amy
You’re so welcome. I’m glad the subs are helpful for you. 🙂
So good! I did ground beef and served it with some garlic bread 🙂
Yum! So glad you loved this recipe. Thank you for making it and for coming back to leave a review. I so appreciate it!
Gonna try it tonight
I hope it turns out for you! You’ll definitely have to come back and let me know what you thought of it. 🙂
Really good!
Yay! So glad you loved this recipe. Thanks so much for making it and for coming back to leave a review. 🙂
I made this tonight with some Banza pasta since I’m GF. Came out super delicious and I haven’t eaten ground turkey in years! I will have to try another time with ground bison! Also froze the leftovers with my Souper Cubes, I’ll see how they thaw out 😊
I’m so glad this recipe was a hit! Thanks for making it and for coming back to leave a review! Definitely let me know how the thawed pasta turns out for you. 🙂
Thank you for an easy to make and delish recipe! I just made it and it was so flavorful. Added Rosemary instead of Basil and it worked great. I’ll be making it again very soon!
Yay! So glad you loved the recipe, Yoli. Rosemary sounds like a delicious swap. Thanks for making it and for leaving a review—I really appreciate it! 🙂
This was surprisingly so tasty and easy! This will become a part of our regular rotation!
Yay! So glad you loved this recipe, Beth. Thanks for making it and for coming back to leave a review. I so appreciate it!
My husband and I loved this quick and easy pasta. I did use a low carb pasta and chose a low sodium marinara sauce. I loved the added cottage cheese for extra protein. Thank you for sharing
Woo! That’s awesome. I’m so glad this recipe was a hit. Thanks for making it and for coming back to leave a review. I really appreciate it, Vicky. 🙂
This was easy and liked by all – even pick eater in the bunch!! Great way to get more protein in the dish!
Hi Brittany, sounds like this would be a great recipe.
Just curious if substituting the cottage cheese for ricotta cheese would work just as well. (it’s what I have on hand)
Thanks!
Hi Natalie! I think that sub should work just fine!
This pasta dish was delicious and easy to make. So creamy and full of flavour. Will definitely be making again.
Yay! I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe, Debbie. Thanks for making it and for coming back to leave a review. I so appreciate it!
This was so easy to make and so incredibly delicious!
YUM! I am so happy to hear that you are loving this pasta recipe, Martha. Thank you for sharing your review & star rating, I really appreciate it!
This was amazing. I’m not a big ground turkey fan so I used ground chicken and added some defrosted petite peas while waiting for the pasta to finish cooking. And yes, rigatoni has got to be the best. It needs to be able to hold the sauce.
YUM! I am so glad you loved this recipe and it turned out amazing for you, Lisa. Thank you for sharing your review + star rating, I really appreciate it!
Hello! I just tried it, but when it enter the heat the sauce looks with clumps like it separated. How do you avoid that? Or is that normal?
Hi Alina – I am not sure how that happened – unless your pan was super hot when you poured in your sauce mixture. I haven’t had this happen before. Did you change anything about the sauce?
I’ve recently started experimenting with cottage cheese, and this hit the spot! I reached my protein goal and stayed within my calories goal fully satisfied. I did use low fat cottage cheese and found the sauce still pretty creamy. Thanks!
Amazing! This is so great, Gabrien. I am so glad you gave these a try and are loving them. Thanks so much for coming back and sharing your review + star rating, I truly appreciate it!
The whole family loved it! I doubled the recipe, and used Rao’s sauce. After tasting, I added oregano, basil, garlic salt, then split the meat/sauce in half and mixed with a traditional rotini and a red lentil (GF) rotini. This will be in a regular rotation. Love that it is tasty and adds protein to our meal. Thank you!!!
AMAZING! I am so glad you and the family are loving this recipe, Holly. Thank you for sharing your review + star rating, I really appreciate it!
can any sauce be used here, besides marinara? have you tried with vodka or arrabiata – did it come out good?
Hi Laura! You can totally use any sauce you prefer, I haven’t tried it with any other sauce, but I bet both the ones you listed would be delish! Let me know how it turns out if you give it a try!
So easy and delicious!
I already can’t wait to make it again. I used this to meal prep for my week and it reheats so well. I’m very full after eating it and it’s such a comforting dish.
I doubled the recipe following the instructions provided but I did change one thing: I used one 24 oz jar of sauce (instead of two jars like it called for) and I highly recommend that. It came out to be the most perfect consistency for the sauce. I also used protein pasta and it worked well for this. 10/10 recommend.
YUM! SO delicious. Glad you found this recipe and it turned out perfectly for your meal prep. Thank you for coming back and sharing your review & star rating, I truly appreciate it!
Hi there! I don’t have full-fat cottage cheese, only 1% and fat-free. Will that still work?
Hi Denette – It’ll work, but you sauce might not be as creamy. Enjoy!
Hi! I was curious what percentage of fat the ground turkey you used was – did you use 99% or 93%? I don’t cook with ground turkey a lot, so always get so confused on which is better or if it matters? Thanks for looking forward to making this!
Hi Robin – I used 93% turkey for this and all of my recipes. Hope you enjoy this recipe!
Thanks Brittany! I made this tonight and it was delicious! I appreciated that it was comforting food at its finest while still helping me reach my protein goal. I am here for the cottage cheese.
Would this be a good freezer meal? Or best eaten fresh?
Hi Carlie – I would recommend eating this fresh. You could possibly freeze the sauce, but I am concerned about the consistency of the cottage cheese changing the texture of the sauce. Hope you enjoy this recipe!
Can I use Rao Arabatta sauce?
Hi Jennifer! Yes, that should work. I will be a bit spicier, but still delicious! Enjoy. 🙂
Looks delicious. Where is the nutritional information? I can’t find it.
Thanks for catching that, Jennifer. They should be there now!