Pasta Alfredo Cottage Hack (Printable View)

Creamy pasta with cottage cheese and Parmesan, light and satisfying in under 30 minutes.

# What You Need:

→ Pasta

01 - 12 oz fettuccine or linguine

→ Alfredo Sauce

02 - 1 cup low-fat cottage cheese
03 - 1/2 cup whole or 2% milk
04 - 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
05 - 2 tbsp unsalted butter
06 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
07 - 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
08 - 1/4 tsp salt
09 - Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg (optional)

→ Garnish

10 - 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
11 - Extra grated Parmesan, to serve

# How To Make It:

01 - Boil fettuccine or linguine in salted water until al dente, according to package directions. Reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water, then drain.
02 - Blend cottage cheese, milk, and Parmesan until smooth and creamy using a blender or food processor.
03 - In a skillet over medium heat, melt butter. Add minced garlic and cook 1 minute until fragrant without browning.
04 - Add blended cheese mixture to skillet. Stir in salt, pepper, and nutmeg if using. Warm gently for 2 to 3 minutes without boiling.
05 - Add drained pasta to skillet, tossing to coat evenly. Adjust consistency by gradually adding reserved pasta water as needed.
06 - Plate immediately, sprinkled with fresh parsley and additional grated Parmesan.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • Ready in 25 minutes from start to finish, which means dinner when you actually want to eat it.
  • Creamy and rich without dairy overload, so you can enjoy seconds without guilt.
  • The cottage cheese becomes completely invisible, creating a sauce that tastes like restaurant-quality Alfredo.
02 -
  • The sauce must be completely blended smooth or you'll taste grains of cottage cheese, which defeats the entire purpose—don't skimp on blending time.
  • Medium heat is your friend here; high heat will scramble the mixture and make it lumpy and separated.
03 -
  • A small splash of reserved pasta water at the very end creates a silky finish that makes the dish taste more refined than it has any right to be.
  • If you blend the cottage cheese mixture the night before and store it in the fridge, you can have this on the table in under 15 minutes on a busy evening.
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