High-Protein Mac & Cheese (Printable)

Creamy mac & cheese with a rich cottage cheese sauce delivering a nutritious, high-protein main dish option.

# What You Need:

→ Pasta

01 - 10.5 oz high-protein pasta (chickpea, lentil, or whole wheat)

→ Cheese Sauce

02 - 1⅓ cups low-fat cottage cheese
03 - ½ cup low-fat milk (dairy or unsweetened plant-based)
04 - 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
05 - ¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
06 - 1 tbsp nutritional yeast (optional)
07 - 1 tbsp cornstarch or arrowroot powder
08 - 1 tsp Dijon mustard
09 - ½ tsp garlic powder
10 - ½ tsp onion powder
11 - ¼ tsp ground black pepper
12 - ¼ tsp salt (or to taste)

→ Topping (optional)

13 - ¼ cup whole wheat breadcrumbs
14 - 1 tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley

# How-To Steps:

01 - Boil salted water in a large pot and cook pasta according to package instructions until al dente. Drain, reserving ½ cup of the cooking water, and set pasta aside.
02 - Combine cottage cheese, milk, cheddar, Parmesan, nutritional yeast (if using), cornstarch, Dijon mustard, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, and salt in a blender. Blend until smooth and creamy.
03 - Pour blended sauce into a saucepan and heat over medium-low, whisking constantly until thickened and starting to bubble, about 3 to 5 minutes. Adjust consistency with reserved pasta water if needed.
04 - Add drained pasta to the sauce, tossing thoroughly to coat. Heat through for 1 to 2 minutes.
05 - Transfer mac and cheese to a baking dish, sprinkle with breadcrumbs, and broil for 2 to 3 minutes until golden and crispy.
06 - Garnish with chopped parsley and serve immediately.

# Expert Suggestions:

01 -
  • You get that luxurious, velvety mac and cheese experience without the guilt or the heavy cream overload.
  • One bowl delivers enough protein to actually keep you satisfied, which sounds boring until you realize you're not hunting for a snack two hours later.
  • The blender does the heavy lifting, so you're genuinely done in under 30 minutes, weeknight energy included.
02 -
  • Low heat is non-negotiable when heating the blended sauce; I learned this the hard way when I got impatient and ended up with a broken, grainy mess that looked like cottage cheese soup.
  • Cornstarch or arrowroot powder is what keeps this sauce silky instead of curdy when heated—skip it and you're essentially making reheated cottage cheese, which is a completely different (and disappointing) experience.
  • Reserved pasta water is your friend for consistency; the starch in it is what helps the sauce cling to the pasta, so don't just drain and discard it.
03 -
  • Taste the sauce before adding the pasta and adjust seasonings then, not after everything's mixed—it's easier to fix when the sauce is just sauce.
  • If you end up with a sauce that's thicker than you wanted, heating it further won't help; just add more milk or pasta water in small amounts until it flows right, and whisk to incorporate.
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