Cottage Cheese Mac and Cheese – WellPlated.com

Cottage Cheese Mac and Cheese provides everybody’s favourite consolation meals a more healthy, protein-packed spin! It’s wealthy, creamy, and filled with nostalgic vibes in each chew. This simple stovetop mac is my new favourite technique to take pleasure in this childhood basic.

You’ll by no means imagine this creamy mac and cheese is made with cottage cheese!

After mixing cottage cheese into {smooth} Cottage Cheese Queso, I began pondering… what else can I do with this creamy tacky sauce? 

A couple of tweaks right here and there and I current to you: cottage cheese mac and cheese! 

I really like this recipe as a result of it delivers basic mac and cheese taste like my On the spot Pot Mac and Cheese or Cauliflower “Mac” and Cheese, however with a silky, ultra-smooth sauce that makes the noodles additional creamy and more healthy too. 

Right here’s what else makes this recipe a standout:

• Excessive Protein Mac and Cheese. Cottage cheese brings way more protein to the desk than milk alone. And you may enhance the protein much more by utilizing a protein pasta!
• Fast and Simple. No roux! No baking! The sauce is made within the blender and every thing comes collectively on the stovetop.
• Child-Permitted Taste. The cheddar is the dominant taste right here, supplying you with basic mac and cheese vibes. I promise nobody will understand it’s made with cottage cheese!

Key Elements

You’ll discover the total listing of elements within the recipe card under, however listed below are some notes to bear in mind.

• Pasta. You should use complete wheat, chickpea, or conventional pasta. Brief shapes like elbows, rotini, cavatappi, and shells maintain the sauce finest.
• Cottage Cheese. Use low-fat or full-fat (not fat-free!) for a wealthy, creamy sauce.
• Milk. Low-fat or complete milk, not skim.
• Cornstarch. This thickens the sauce with out a roux.
• Dijon Mustard. One in every of my favourite taste enhancers! This provides depth and curiosity to the sauce.
• Sharp cheddar. White or yellow each work, though I’m keen on white cheddar myself. Shred your individual for a {smooth} soften. (Retailer-bought shreds could make the sauce grainy!)
• Chives. For a recent completion. 

Recipe Variations

• Make It Smoky. Swap common paprika for smoked paprika or use smoked cheddar.
• Add Broccoli. Stir in steamed broccoli florets earlier than serving.
• Bacon It Up. Combine in crumbled Air Fryer Bacon.
• Bake It. Switch the cottage cheese mac and cheese to a greased baking dish. Sprinkle extra cheese on prime, add some panko stirred with melted butter for a crispy topping in case you’d like, and bake at 350ºF for 10 to fifteen minutes, simply to soften the cheese and toast the panko.