If you love the creamy indulgence of traditional Alfredo sauce but want something lower in calories and higher in protein, look no further than this cottage cheese Alfredo sauce recipe. It has all the luscious decadence of the classic sauce with a lighter twist.

A close-up of creamy fettuccine Alfredo pasta garnished with parsley on a plate. A fork holds a twirl of pasta. A slice of toasted bread is partially visible on the side of the dish.
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Cottage cheese is certainly having a moment lately. The last time something was this popular, we were all making kale chips in our ovens and claiming they would satisfy that salty potato chip craving. Right…

With cottage cheese, however, there’s a lot more to get excited about. Unlike a bitter leafy green, cottage cheese has the whole creamy, cheese thing going for it. It can pretty much do everything from making 3-ingredient protein bagels to pancakes, dips and even taking Alfredo sauce for a healthier, higher protein spin.

I’ve lightened up Alfredo sauce before by using low-fat cream cheese, but this cottage cheese Alfredo sauce is even easier, higher in protein and quick to make. If you look longingly at fettuccine Alfredo on a restaurant menu but don’t want to deal with the bloated stomach that calorie bomb brings, this homemade cottage cheese fettuccine Alfredo is the way to go.

It’s the perfect healthier cheesy alternative that tastes just like the traditional sauce. No one will be the wiser when eating it and you can enjoy almost 20g of protein per serving without any meat in sight.

A plate of fettuccine cottage cheese Alfredo garnished with chopped parsley. The creamy pasta is served on a white plate with a fork. A bowl of additional pasta is visible in the background.

Why This Recipe Is a Keeper

  • Quick and easy to make — making the sauce and cooking some pasta only takes 20 minutes total!
  • Wonderfully rich and creamy while still being lighter in calories and higher in protein.
  • It’s a blank slate — add seasonings to your liking to flavor the sauce or some chicken or shrimp on top of the fettuccine to serve.
  • High protein — with all the hype around higher protein meals lately, this Alfredo with cottage cheese might be the easiest and tastiest way to hit your daily protein goal.
Ingredients on a white surface include grated cheese, cottage cheese, fresh parsley, minced garlic, milk, uncooked fettuccine, butter, salt, and pepper.

Ingredients You’ll Need

Cottage cheese — Full fat cottage cheese is 4% milk fat. I think this Alfredo sauce tastes better with it than low-fat (2%) but you can use either in the recipe.

Parmesan cheese — A good Alfredo sauce still needs some Parmesan cheese. Use freshly grated cheese (pre-grated has anti-caking agents that aren’t ideal for sauces or taste) and feel free to substitute Pecorino Romano if you prefer sheep’s milk cheese — I do this often.

Milk — The recipe calls for 2% milk but you can use any milk of your choice. For lower fat, use skim milk. For a more indulgent sauce, use whole milk. My preference lately, is 2% A2 cow’s milk. Before this was a widely available option, however, I would make this sauce with unsweetened almond milk and it still works.

Seasonings — Minced garlic, salt and pepper are the basics used for flavor in the sauce.

Butter and flour — Both these ingredients help thicken the cottage cheese sauce like a true Alfredo. See my recipe tips below for a gluten-free option. Hint – it’s not just using gluten-free flour.

Pasta — Fettuccine is the classic pasta shaped used when serving with Alfredo sauce, but you can use any pasta shape you like and of course, a gluten-free pasta if desired.

How To Make Cottage Cheese Alfredo Sauce

The full set of ingredients and directions can be found below in the recipe card but here’s a quick rundown of making this cottage cheese Alfredo so you can visualize the steps.

Step 1:

Start by adding the cottage cheese, parmesan, milk, garlic, salt and pepper to a food processor. Blend until smooth and creamy.

Step 2:

Add the butter and flour to a large skillet over medium heat until the butter is melted. Let it cook for 1-2 minutes using a wooden spoon to cook off the raw flour taste.

Add the blended cottage cheese mixture to the skillet, whisking consistently until the mixture is well combined and starts to thicken.

At this point, the sauce will be creamy, thick and luscious. It can be seasoned with parsley and ready to use however you want.

If serving with pasta, continue on.

Step 3:

Toss cooked pasta such as fettuccine noodles into the skillet with the cottage cheese Alfredo sauce using tongs until all the noodles are coated.

Garnish with parsley and serve.

My Pro Tips

Recipe Tips

  • Make sure the cottage cheese mixture is well blended in the food processor for the creamiest sauce. Certain cottage cheese brands are lumpier than others. My favorite is Good Culture both for their ingredient quality and the small curd and creamy texture.
  • Avoid over-simmering the sauce. Heat gently until it thickens and blends with the flour and butter mixture.
  • Make it even higher in protein by using an ultra-filtered milk like Fairlife and/or a higher protein pasta option like the many legume based gluten-free pastas.
  • Cook the pasta a minute or two less than the package directions say. This way, when you toss the noodles with the cottage cheese sauce, they don’t overcook and become mushy. A well executed Alfredo sauce is only as good as the pasta its served with and it should always have a bit of “bite” to it (aka: al dente).

Make It Your Own

There are a variety of ways to make this recipe your own.

  • Add seasonings to the sauce such as Italian seasoning, fresh basil, oregano or go for a spicy option by using cajun seasoning.
  • Instead of using flour and butter, you can thicken the cottage cheese Alfredo with cornstarch, tapioca starch or arrowroot starch. Make a slurry with 1 tablespoon of your preferred starch and 2 tablespoons of water and add it to the skillet with the blended cottage cheese mixture. Stir the mixture over medium heat until it starts to thicken, about 3-5 minutes. This is a good option for keeping the recipe gluten-free.
  • Using a cultured cottage cheese such as the Good Culture brand makes this recipe even healthier by adding naturally occurring probiotics.
Close-up of creamy pasta being stirred with a spatula. The noodles are coated in a thick, Alfredo sauce with visible flecks of herbs, giving it a rich and indulgent appearance.

How To Serve Cottage Cheese Alfredo

The beauty of this recipe is that it’s so high in protein thanks to the use of cottage cheese, you really don’t need anything else to consider it a complete meal. However, if you want to, there are plenty of great options for topping Alfredo pasta:

  • Chicken — The classic choice is always a good one. For a quick and easy way to cook up some chicken to serve atop the pasta, try this air fryer frozen chicken breast recipe or use rotisserie chicken.
  • Salmon — What’s better than a high protein pasta recipe? One that adds in a boost of healthy Omega-3s as well! Salmon is a great choice here.
  • Shrimp — Despite the common opinion that seafood and cheese don’t go together, shrimp is a great low-calorie, high protein topper for fettuccine Alfredo as well. If you keep frozen shrimp on hand, this is the perfect use for them.

Storage Tips

Alfredo sauce is something that’s best eaten when it’s made. You can store any leftover sauce in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days but you may want to add a splash of milk or broth when reheating, especially if it’s already been tossed with pasta.

I do not recommend freezing the cottage cheese Alfredo sauce. The texture changes when thawing and it’s not ideal.

A close-up of creamy fettuccine cottage cheese Alfredo on a white plate, garnished with parsley and black pepper. A fork is twirling some pasta, with a blurred background adding depth to the image.

More Healthy Creamy Pasta Recipes

Cacio e pepe is a super creamy pasta that uses nothing but cheese and the pasta water it cooks in. It’s a 5 ingredient recipe that’s considered peasant food in Italy but oh so indulgent and delicious!

Another way to get a healthy creamy pasta sauce is to blend white beans. It’s also high in protein and offers a fiber boost to every serving. Try this creamy white bean pasta recipe.

If you like this cottage cheese Alfredo sauce, you’ll love this ricotta pasta recipe too. It’s a more summery version with lemon, cherry tomatoes and fresh basil, but ricotta and cottage cheese are very similar in offering that indulgent cheesy vibe in a healthier package.

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Cottage Cheese Alfredo Sauce

Servings: 4 servings
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 10 minutes
A close-up of creamy fettuccine Alfredo pasta garnished with parsley on a plate. A fork holds a twirl of pasta. A slice of toasted bread is partially visible on the side of the dish.
Creamy cottage cheese Alfredo sauce is a lighter, high-protein twist on the classic. Quick to make, rich in flavor, and perfect for pasta, it’s an easy, healthier way to enjoy your favorite comfort food!

Ingredients 

  • 16 ounces cottage cheese
  • ½ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
  • ½ cup 2% milk
  • 1 tablespoon minced garlic
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon pepper
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoons parsley, chopped (optional garnish)
  • 1 pound fettuccine cooked to package instructions, for serving

Instructions 

  • To a blender or food processor, add the cottage cheese, parmesan cheese, milk, garlic, salt and pepper and puree until smooth and set aside.
  • In a large skillet, add the butter and flour over medium-low heat.
  • Use a whisk or wooden spoon to mix the butter and flour together to form a paste. Cook for 1-2 minutes to cook off the raw flour taste.
  • Add the cottage cheese mixture to the butter and flour and whisk until well combined and the sauce thickens.
  • Add the cooked pasta to the sauce and toss to coat.
  • Garnish with parsley and serve.

Notes

  • Nutrition information is for the sauce only and does not include the pasta.
  • You can use full fat or 2% cottage cheese for the sauce. 
  • Feel free to add other seasonings such as basil, oregano or Italian seasoning to the sauce as desired.

Nutrition

Serving: 1SERVINGCalories: 243kcalCarbohydrates: 9gProtein: 19gFat: 14gSaturated Fat: 8gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.5gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0.3gCholesterol: 45mgSodium: 1199mgPotassium: 199mgFiber: 0.3gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 631IUVitamin C: 3mgCalcium: 288mgIron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Sauces, Dressings & Spreads
Cuisine: Italian
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Founder and Writer at Running to the Kitchen | About

Gina Matsoukas is an AP syndicated writer. She is the founder, photographer and recipe developer of Running to the Kitchen — a food website focused on providing healthy, wholesome recipes using fresh and seasonal ingredients. Her work has been featured in numerous media outlets both digital and print, including MSN, Huffington post, Buzzfeed, Women’s Health and Food Network.

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