Creamy Cottage Cheese Pasta
This creamy cottage cheese pasta combines ground turkey, pasta and a simple blended marinara sauce for an easy dinner with 38 grams of protein per serving. Ready in just 30 minutes!
Servings: 4
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
Serving: 1/4 recipe | Calories: 603kcal | Carbohydrates: 54g | Protein: 38g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 89mg | Sodium: 889mg | Potassium: 973mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 11g