Description
This deliciously easy cottage cheese pasta sauce is rich, creamy and full of taste, and comes together in just 5 minutes! Naturally gluten-free too. Pair it with fusilli pasta or your favorite short pasta!
Ingredients
- 8 ounces gluten-free fusilli pasta
- 1 cup cottage cheese
- 1 cup marinara sauce
- 1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
- 1/2 cup pasta cooking water, or add more as needed
- 5 fresh basil leaves, or more if you prefer
- 1 garlic clove
- Salt, to taste
- Chili flakes, to taste
Instructions
- Cook the Pasta: In a large pot of generously salted water, cook the fusilli according to the package instructions until the pasta is al dente. Drain and set aside. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta cooking water and set aside.
- Combine Sauce Ingredients: In a blender or food processor, combine the cottage cheese, marinara sauce, Parmesan cheese, garlic clove, salt, and a few fresh basil leaves. Add 1/2 cup of the reserved pasta cooking water.
- Blend Until Smooth: Blend the ingredients for 1 to 2 minutes until you get a smooth and homogeneous sauce. If the sauce is still too thick, add a little bit more of the reserved pasta cooking water.
- Add Pasta to Skillet: Place the drained cooked pasta in a large skillet or pot In a large skillet or the same pot you used to cook the pasta, and pour the sauce over them. Cook over medium-low heat for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens slightly and the pasta finishes cooking, absorbing some of the sauce.
- Garnish and Serve: Serve hot, topped with chili flakes and fresh basil leaves, and sprinkle with additional Parmesan cheese if desired.
Notes
Pasta: I used gluten-free fusilli pasta to keep this recipe gluten-free. However, if you are not Celiac or gluten-intolerant, go ahead and use regular fusilli pasta instead. Alternatively, feel free to use the pasta of choice that you prefer (you can try different shapes like penne, rigatoni, or farfalle; all pair well with this sauce).
Cottage Cheese: I recommend using full-fat cottage cheese for a creamier texture.
Marinara Sauce: I like using my homemade marinara sauce, but store-bought will work just as well.
Parmesan Cheese: If you don’t have parmesan cheese on hand, other good alternatives are Pecorino Romana, Asiago and Grana Padano.
Pasta Cooking Water: I like reserving a cup of the water used to cook the pasta (we’ll be blending this starchy pasta water with the other sauce ingredients, and the starch in the water helps to better bind the ingredients together).
Basil Leaves: I find the taste of fresh basil extremely refreshing, so highly recommend adding it in.
Garlic: Fresh garlic adds a beautiful flavor to the pasta sauce – feel free to add more or less garlic according to how much you enjoy the taste of garlic.
Chili Flakes: I love sprinkling my pasta with chili flakes for a bit of heat. However, you can leave it out if you don’t take heat.
- Prep Time: 3 mins
- Cook Time: 2 mins
- Category: Sauces
- Method: Stovetop
