Pasta Alfredo Cottage Hack (Printable)

A creamy pasta dish using cottage cheese and parmesan for a lighter, rich sauce in under 30 minutes.

# Ingredient list:

→ 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 cheese, to serve

# How to Make It:

01 - Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta according to package directions until al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta cooking water before draining.
02 - Combine cottage cheese, milk, and Parmesan in a blender or food processor; blend until smooth and creamy.
03 - Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat, then add minced garlic and sauté for 1 minute until fragrant without browning.
04 - Pour the blended cheese mixture into the skillet, add salt, pepper, and nutmeg if using. Stir and gently heat for 2 to 3 minutes without boiling.
05 - Add the drained pasta to the skillet, tossing to evenly coat with the sauce. If sauce is too thick, gradually add reserved pasta water to achieve desired consistency.
06 - Plate immediately and garnish with chopped parsley and extra Parmesan cheese.

# Expert Suggestions:

01 -
  • Creamy and indulgent without the heavy cream hangover that leaves you exhausted by bedtime.
  • Ready in 25 minutes total, which means weeknight dinners that taste like you spent hours cooking.
  • Cottage cheese does the heavy lifting here, keeping costs down while delivering the silky texture everyone expects from Alfredo.
02 -
  • The blender step is non-negotiable—cottage cheese by itself stays grainy, but blended until completely smooth, it becomes indistinguishable from cream.
  • Never boil the sauce once it's combined; high heat causes it to separate and curdle, turning creamy into curdled faster than you'd expect.
  • Pasta water is your safest friend when the sauce feels too thick; add it one splash at a time and taste, letting the starch help emulsify everything into silk.
03 -
  • Invest in a microplane grater for your Parmesan and nutmeg; it's the difference between a good dish and one that feels handcrafted.
  • Taste the sauce at every stage of cooking and adjust seasoning gradually—you can always add more salt or pepper, but you can't take it back.
  • If your cottage cheese is noticeably grainy even after blending, strain it through a fine-mesh sieve before adding to the blender; some brands are wetter than others.
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