Cottage Cheese Caesar Pasta Salad
Easy Cottage Cheese Caesar Pasta Salad with a creamy high protein cottage cheese-based caesar dressing, tender pasta, crisp romaine, and freshly grated parmesan — ready in 20 minutes.
Equipment
- large pot
- colander
- Blender
- mixing bowl
- whisk
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 12 oz short pasta (rotini, penne, or bowtie)
- 1 cup full-fat cottage cheese blended smooth
- 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp anchovy paste or Worcestershire sauce
- 0.5 cup parmesan cheese, freshly grated plus extra for serving
- 1 head romaine lettuce, chopped
- 1 cup croutons optional
- salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta until al dente, about 8 to 10 minutes.
- Drain the pasta and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking. Set aside.
- Blend the cottage cheese until completely smooth.
- In a bowl, whisk together the blended cottage cheese, lemon juice, minced garlic, anchovy paste or Worcestershire sauce, parmesan, salt, and pepper.
- Pour the dressing over the cooled pasta and toss until evenly coated.
- Chop the romaine lettuce into bite-sized pieces.
- Add the romaine to the dressed pasta and toss again gently.
- Top with extra parmesan, croutons if desired, and freshly cracked black pepper.
- Serve immediately or refrigerate for up to 4 hours before serving.
Notes
Blend cottage cheese completely smooth for the right dressing texture. Rinse pasta with cold water after cooking. Add romaine right before serving to keep it crisp. Store pasta and lettuce separately for meal prep.