Your fettuccine dinner just got better thanks to this high protein Cottage Cheese Alfredo Sauce! It’s got that classic creamy, cheesy flavor and texture, but its rich taste comes entirely from cottage cheese (that’s right! this recipe is made without heavy cream or butter). Dinner’s ready in 20 minutes!
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Healthier Alfredo sauce made with cottage cheese!
I love fettuccine Alfredo, but after dinner, I feel like I need to be rolled away from the table. So basically, it’s a once-in-a-while indulgence.
But fettuccine with cottage cheese Alfredo sauce? This is an everyday kind of Alfredo!
Cottage cheese is a game changer in recipes like Cottage Cheese Bagels and Cottage Cheese Ice Cream, and it’s also an awesome swap for butter and heavy cream in Alfredo sauce.
It’s velvety, smooth, and cheesy, all with added protein.
Let’s talk about what makes this cottage cheese fettuccine Alfredo an instant hit:
- Quick and Easy. Pasta dinners are always pretty quick and easy (ahem: Garlic Pasta) and this one’s no exception. It’s on the table in less than 20 minutes.
- Lightened WAY Up. Cottage cheese blends into a smooth sauce (no curds here so you won’t know there’s cottage cheese, just like my Cottage Cheese Queso and Cottage Cheese Dip!).
- High in Protein. Each serving packs in 27 grams of protein. Use a high protein pasta or add Baked Chicken Breast, and you’ll get even more protein per serving. Ba-bam!
Key Ingredients
You’ll find the full list of ingredients in the recipe card below, but here are some notes to keep in mind.
- Fettuccine. Long noodles hold the sauce well, but any shape you like works.
- Cottage Cheese. I use low-fat cottage cheese; Good Culture is my fave.
- Parmesan Cheese. I highly recommend shredding your own from a block. The “shaky cheese” from the grocery store shelf will add a grainy texture to your sauce.
- Milk. I use 2% milk for this recipe.
- Garlic. Alfredo sauce is garlicky but not in an in-your-face kind of way. One clove is just perfect for some savory background flavor.
- Parsley. For garnish.
How to Make Alfredo Sauce With Cottage Cheese
Prepare the Pasta. Cook the pasta in well-salted water until al dente; reserve pasta water and drain.
Make the Sauce (photo 1). Blend cottage cheese, Parmesan, milk, and garlic until completely smooth.
Combine the Pasta and Sauce (photo 2). Warm sauce gently in a skillet, add pasta, and toss to coat.
Adjust the Consistency (photo 3). Thin with reserved pasta water as needed.
Finish (photo 4). Season your fettuccine with cottage cheese Alfredo sauce as desired and serve with parsley. ENJOY!
Recipe Variations
- Add Roasted Garlic. Roast a whole head of garlic and blend it in with the sauce.
- Make It Bright and Lemony. Finish with lemon zest and a squeeze of juice.
- Add Veggies. Toss in Sautéed Mushrooms, a handful of baby spinach, or Roasted Broccoli.
What to Serve with Cottage Cheese Fettuccine Alfredo
- Protein. Slice Breaded Chicken Breast and serve it over the top of a bed of fettuccine, or add Garlic Butter Shrimp.
- Bread. Try No Knead Foccacia or my Rosemary Olive Oil Bread.
- Salad. This Caesar Shaved Brussels Sprouts Salad and Arugula Salad would both pair well.
- Vegetables. Add a side of Roasted Zucchini or Air Fryer Asparagus.
Cottage Cheese Alfredo Sauce
Video
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Ingredients
- 8 ounces fettuccine noodles or pasta of choice
- 1 (16-ounce container) low-fat cottage cheese 2 cups
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese plus additional for serving
- ½ cup milk I used 2%
- 1 garlic clove roughly chopped, about 1 teaspoon
- Kosher salt as needed
- Chopped fresh parsley
- Freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta according to al dente according to package instructions. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta cooking liquid (don’t forget!), then drain.
- In a blender or food processor, combine the cottage cheese, Parmesan cheese, milk, and garlic. Blend until smooth.
- Pour the cottage cheese sauce into a wide skillet. Add the noodles, tossing to warm gently over low, and thinning with the reserved pasta water if needed. Do not overheat the sauce or it will tighten up and curdle.
- Taste and add salt as needed (different brands of cottage cheese are saltier than others; you may not need any). Top with cracked black pepper and parsley. Serve immediately, sprinkled with additional Parmesan to taste.
Notes
- TO STORE: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. I don’t recommend freezing this recipe, as the sauce won’t be as smooth and creamy.
- TO REHEAT: Reheat gently on the stovetop or in the microwave, adding a splash of milk or water to loosen the sauce. Avoid high heat to keep the sauce smooth.
- COOKING TIP: My favorite workflow for this recipe is to make the sauce while the noodles cook. Just before the noodles are done, I place a wide saucepan on the burner next to the pasta, pour the sauce into it, then use tongs to lift the cooked noodles out of the boiling water and lower them immediately into the sauce. It saves you the step of draining and the pasta water clinging to the noodles helps the sauce coat the noodles nicely.
Exactly what I was looking for! As your healthy brownies were cooling, I needed something quick and easy to make for dinner. We just bought a 2-pound tub of cottage cheese at Costco and I really had no plan for it, so this was a great way to use it up! I did half cream, half almond milk since I didn’t have any regular milk but otherwise followed the recipe exactly. SOOO delicious! This one’s going in the rotation (as I’m sure the brownies will, too!)! Thank you!!!
Yay! So glad to hear, Alyssa! Thank you!
Such a great easy recipe to make! Thank you for creating it! I will make again
So glad to hear! Thank you JD!
I tried this mostly out of curiosity and ended up really liking it. The texture was smooth and it coated the pasta nicely. It wasn’t heavy or greasy, which I liked. I actually felt good after eating it.
So glad to hear, Olivia! Thank you!
I made this, along with Erin’s baked chicken breast recipe, for dinner last night and they both were excellent.
Because I am recovering from surgery (and thoroughly tired of the freezer meals that I had prepared beforehand), I wanted to incorporate some veggies into the alfredo to avoid making a side. I instructed my husband on sautéing sliced baby bella mushrooms, chopped tomato, and a little garlic, then he added the cottage cheese mixture. I found that we needed to add very little cooking water, before adding the pasta, because of the veggie moisture. It was delicious, I never realized that cottage cheese could be made so good– thank you Erin for opening up a new ingredient to me!
This sounds fantastic! Wishing you a speedy recovery. Thanks so much for sharing this review!
I was skeptical about cottage cheese in a sauce, but once it’s blended, you’d never know. The texture was smooth and the flavor was simple but good. I added a bit more Parmesan at the end as requested by my kids. Super happy with this recipe. Thanks
So glad it was a hit, Heidi! Thank you!
As much as I wanted to love this recipe because regular fettuccine Alfredo has too much fat it didn’t work for me. When I added the pasta the sauce immediately turned back into cottage cheese. Not sure what I did wrong.
I’m sorry to hear you had trouble with the recipe, Cathy. I know it can be so disappointing to try a new recipe and it does not turn out for you. It has worked well for myself (and others) and I wished it would have been a hit for you too.
I wonder if her sauce broke. Maybe the pasta was too hot. Also I wonder if she used a different type of cottage cheese (in terms of the fat content).
It’s really hard to know for sure, but that could be the case.
Honestly, pretty good for a healthier twist on Alfredo. I was skeptical at first about swapping out cream for cottage cheese, but after blending it smooth and tossing it with pasta water, it clung nicely to the noodles. Pretty happy with this recipe. Thank you!
So glad you enjoyed it, Courtney! Thank you!
This recipe was great! Alfredo can often be so heavy, yet this was creamy and satisfying, plus our daughter loved it. Easy to make, and used oat milk instead of regular, which still worked. Made it a meal by adding tomatoes and shrimp.
Glad to hear you enjoyed the recipe, Kate! Thank you!