Cottage Cheese Mac and Cheese (High Protein!) (2024)

• ▢ 8 oz. elbow macaroni or other pasta of choice
• ▢ 3/4 cup whole milk cottage cheese (180g)
• ▢ 3/4 cup 2% milk (180g) or milk of choice
• ▢ 1.5 Tbsp cornstarch (12g)
• ▢ 3 oz. sharp cheddar cheese freshly shredded
• ▢ 1/2 tsp onion powder
• ▢ 1/4 tsp each: salt, pepper sweet paprika
• ▢ 1 Tbsp unsalted butter (14g)
• ▢ 1 oz. parmesan cheese freshly shredded

• Add water to a pot and bring to a boil. Salt to taste. Once boiling, add pasta and cook according to package directions. Then rinse, drain and set aside.

• In a blender or with an immersion blender, combine the cottage cheese, milk, cornstarch, cheddar cheese, and seasonings. Blend until the sauce is creamy and smooth.

• Heat butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Once almost melted, transfer the cheese sauce to the skillet and cook for 4-5 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbly and has thickened some.

• Allow the cheese sauce to cool down some (wait until it's done bubbling), then add the macaroni in. Then remove from heat and stir in the parmesan cheese.

• Taste and add any additional salt, pepper or seasoning to taste. Sprinkle with more parmesan cheese to serve and enjoy!

To make gluten-free:use gluten-free pasta

To make dairy-free:use dairy-free cheese, dairy-free milk, dairy-free butter and sub the cottage cheese for dairy-free ricotta cheese

Ways To Switch It Up:

• Extra protein!If you want to beef up the protein, add in extra chicken or kid-friendly hot dogs!
• Use different cheeses!You can change up this recipe with different cheeses. Try adding some extra sharp white cheddar, pepper jack, colby jack or goat cheese! You can never go wrong with adding extra cheese!
• Add veggies!Add a few extra veggies (and fiber) by adding in spinach, peas or broccoli!
• Spice it up!​If you love buffalo mac, add some hot sauce or buffalo sauce to your cheese mixture!

To store: store leftover cottage cheese mac and cheese in an airtight container in the fridge for 4-5 days.

Helpful Tips!

• Al dente pasta! I like cooking my pasta 1 minute less than package instructions for al dente. This is because the pasta will continue to cook once it’s combined with the sauce in the skillet just a bit. It also helps prevent it from getting mushy when reheating.
• Freshly grated cheese! I HIGHLY recommend grating your cheese if possible! Freshly grated cheese is so much more flavorful than pre-shredded cheese and melts much easier. This classiccheese grateris my go-to and honestly it’s worth the few extra minutes every time for creamy macaroni!