Creamy Cottage Cheese Pasta
If you’ve been craving a hearty and easy weeknight dinner that’s comforting, high in protein, and low in fuss, this Creamy Cottage Cheese Pasta with Marinara and Ground Beef is the one to try. It’s rich, cheesy, and packed with flavor—yet secretly made with protein-rich cottage cheese instead of heavy cream or loads of butter.
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 415kcal
Ingredients
- 8 oz dry pasta of choice
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 yellow onion medium, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 lb ground beef
- 24 oz marinara sauce
- 1 cup cottage cheese
- 2 tsp cornstarch
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 1 tsp oregano
Instructions
- Cook the Pasta. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
- Add the dry pasta and cook according to the package instructions until al dente.
- Drain and set aside. (Reserve about 1/2 cup of pasta water if you need to loosen the sauce later.)
- Sauté the Aromatics. In a large skillet, heat 1 tbsp of olive oil over medium heat.
- Add the chopped onion and cook for 3–4 minutes, until softened.
- Stir in the minced garlic and cook for another 30 seconds, just until fragrant.
- Cook the Ground Beef. Add the ground beef to the skillet with the onions and garlic.
- Cook, breaking it up with a spoon, until browned and fully cooked through—about 6–8 minutes. Drain excess fat if needed.
- Simmer the mixture for 5–7 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Make the Creamy Cottage Cheese Sauce. In a blender or food processor, combine the cottage cheese and cornstarch. Add the marinara sauce, salt, pepper, and oregano. Blend until smooth and creamy. Stir in the parmesan cheese.
- Combine Sauce with Beef. Pour the blended cottage cheese marinara sauce over the cooked beef mixture in the skillet. Cook over medium-low heat for 3–5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is heated through and slightly thickened.
- Toss with Pasta. Add the cooked pasta to the skillet and toss well to coat evenly in the creamy meat sauce. If the sauce seems too thick, add a splash of reserved pasta water to loosen it.
- Serve. Serve hot, topped with extra parmesan cheese and chopped parsley if desired.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 415kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 28g | Fat: 30g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 13g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 94mg | Sodium: 925mg | Potassium: 424mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 132IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 157mg | Iron: 3mg | Net Carbs: 6g