Italian
Cottage Cheese Pasta
Short pasta gets a sauce of blended cottage cheese, parmesan, and lemon, with chicken so the plate clears 30 grams of protein. It tastes like a cream sauce without a pint of cream.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 20 min
- Total
- 35 min
- Servings
- 4
- Difficulty
- Easy
Why you’ll love it
- Cottage cheese is the sauce.
- Chicken pushes the protein over 30 grams.
- Lemon keeps it from tasting heavy.
- Peas add color without another pot.
Ingredients
Ingredient amounts scale. Oven temperature and cook time do not. Salt, spices, and leaveners are a starting point after you scale. Taste and adjust.
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Instructions
- 1
Boil the pasta in salted water until al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water and drain.
- 2
Season the chicken with half the salt. Sear it in the oil until the largest piece is 165°F, about 5 minutes.
- 3
Blend the cottage cheese, parmesan, lemon juice, remaining salt, and pepper until smooth.
- 4
Toss the pasta with the sauce, peas, and a splash of pasta water.
- 5
Fold in the chicken.
- 6
Serve right away. The sauce should cling, not look watery.
Pro tips
- Blend the cottage cheese or the sauce stays lumpy.
- Pasta water loosens it better than more cheese.
- Pull the chicken at 165°F so it stays moist in the sauce.
Easy substitutions
- Chicken breast
- Shrimp, cooked just until pink
- Cottage cheese
- Ricotta, same amount
- Peas
- Spinach, wilted at the end
Storage and reheating
Storage
Refrigerate up to 3 days.
Reheating
Warm with a splash of water until hot.
Nutrition
Estimates per serving, using standard ingredient averages and rounded to the nearest gram. This is not a lab analysis, and it shifts if you change brands or add sides.
- Calories
- 520
- Protein
- 46 g
- Carbs
- 48 g
- Fat
- 14 g
- Fiber
- 3 g
Moderate · Stovetop · High Protein
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From the kitchen
Kitchen tools we love
Practical tools these recipes actually use. This is not a review roundup, and these are not paid placements. If affiliate links are added later, they will be labeled and disclosed.
A heavy 12-inch skillet
Most of the chicken and steak recipes are written for one pan that holds heat. Stainless or cast iron both work.
An air fryer with a real basket
The air-fryer recipes expect a single layer. A crowded basket steams instead of browning.
A half-sheet pan
Drumsticks, potatoes, sausage, and carrots all use one. A dark pan browns faster than a very shiny one.
A sharp chef’s knife
These recipes do not need a specialty blade. A sharp 8-inch knife is faster and safer than a dull one.
A large cutting board
Big enough that the onion and the raw chicken are not sharing the same puddle.
Dry cups and a liquid cup
Desserts in particular expect level dry measures and a separate cup for milk.
An instant-read thermometer
Use it for poultry, pork chops, and meatloaf. Color is a weak guide.
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