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This cottage cheese pasta takes all of 20 minutes, is packed with protein and veggies, and is the easiest meal you’ll make all week. While the gluten free spaghetti boils, the cherry tomatoes, garlic, and baby spinach cook in one skillet, then the whole container of cottage cheese and the parmesan get stirred right in over low heat. No blender and no pasta water needed!
Quick Look: Cottage Cheese Pasta
- ⏱️ Prep Time: 5 minutes
- 🍳 Cook Time: 15 minutes
- 🕒 Total Time: 20 minutes
- 👥 Servings: 4
- 📊 Calories: ~514 kcal per serving (based on nutrition panel)
- 🔥 Cook Method: Stovetop (one skillet, plus a pot for the pasta)
- 👩🍳 Flavor Profile: Garlicky, tangy & cheesy, with fresh cherry tomatoes and spinach
- ⭐ Difficulty: Easy
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The Quickest Dinner You’ll Make All Week!
This cottage cheese pasta recipe is the dinner my mom made ALL the time when I was growing up, and it’s still one of my favorite quick and easy meals to this day! Her version didn’t have tomatoes, but I think they add a nice touch. And two of my kids like it, too!
Each serving has 27 grams of protein and is a complete meal all on its own, though no one would complain (okay, maybe my kids) about adding a homemade Caesar salad to the mix. It’s comforting, tangy, and packed with fresh flavor, and truly SO easy.
Ingredient Notes
- Cottage cheese: the star of the show! I use the whole 16 oz container. My favorite brand is Good Culture (2% or higher - it creates a creamier sauce than fat free). Not a cottage cheese fan? I haven’t tried it, but ricotta should work here!
- Gluten free spaghetti: Jovial Foods is the best-tasting gluten-free pasta - it makes you feel like you aren’t missing out! Feel free to use any gluten free pasta shape you like.
How to Make Cottage Cheese Pasta
Step 1: Prepare your spaghetti according to package instructions. Drain. No need to save any pasta water!
Step 2: Cook the cherry tomatoes, garlic, salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning in olive oil until softened, about 5 to 7 minutes.
Step 3: Turn the heat down to medium and stir in the spinach until it’s wilted.
Step 4: Turn the heat to LOW, then add the cooked spaghetti, another drizzle of olive oil, the entire container of cottage cheese, and the parmesan.
Step 5: Toss until the cottage cheese melts in, and you can still see some little curds.
Step 6: Garnish with fresh basil if desired and serve!
To Blend or Not To Blend?
When you stir the cottage cheese in over low heat, it melts into a creamy sauce and still leaves some little curds. I personally LIKE the curds! If you’re not a curds person, blend the cottage cheese before you add it - it’s totally up to you.
And if you’re after a smooth alfredo instead of a skillet pasta with spinach & tomatoes, my blended cottage cheese alfredo sauce is the one to make.
How to Serve
I like it with shrimp! If you need a quick one, my air fryer frozen shrimp goes straight from the freezer into the air fryer (no thawing!) and cooks in about 10 minutes. You can also serve it with grilled chicken or chicken sausage, or just eat it as-is.
Leftovers? It actually reheats well in a pan with a splash of broth.
For more weeknight ideas, here are all of my gluten free pasta dinners.
More Protein-Packed Pasta Dinners!
Gluten-Free Hamburger Helper (Dairy-Free Option)
Creamy Marry Me Chicken Soup (30-Minute Recipe!)
Creamy Boursin Chicken Bake
My Mom’s Cottage Cheese Pasta with Spinach & Tomatoes
Equipment
Ingredients
- 12 oz gluten free spaghetti, or pasta of choice. I like Jovial Foods brand
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 3 cloves minced garlic
- 12 oz cherry tomatoes, halved
- 3 cups raw baby spinach
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp pepper
- 16 oz cottage cheese, I like Good Culture 2%
- ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
- Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.
- Add the tomatoes, garlic, salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning. Stir for 5-7 minutes until softened.
- Add in the spinach and continue cooking over medium heat while stirring, until wilted. Turn the heat to low.
- Add in the cooked pasta along with another drizzle of olive oil, the entire container of cottage cheese, and the parmesan.
- Toss to combine, then season with more salt and pepper, if needed. Enjoy!
Notes
- Prefer a smooth sauce? Blend the cottage cheese before adding it.
- 2% or higher cottage cheese makes a creamier sauce than fat-free.
- Ricotta should work in place of the cottage cheese.
- Serve with shrimp, grilled chicken, or chicken sausage, or on its own.
- Leftovers keep in the fridge for 3-4 days. Reheat in a pan with a splash of broth.
Nutrition
All nutrition facts are an estimate and automatically calculated. While I fact check them using My Fitness Pal, please note that they may not always be 100% accurate and depend on ingredients used. Weigh your total and divide by the number of servings for the most accurate grams per serving size.
