Protein rich, healthy and delicious: Weeknight Pasta with Cottage Cheese and Chives

LOOKING TO UP YOUR PROTEIN INTAKE? Try adding some cottage cheese to the mix. Being a source of high-quality protein tops Mayo Clinic’s list of its six health benefits. Just a half cup of cottage cheese provides about 11 grams of complete protein, “containing all the essential amino acids your body needs.” It also supports healthy weight management, helps manage blood sugar and diabetes risk, supports pregnancy and maternal health, promotes bone and dental health, and may support gut health.

With 1-1/2 cups of cottage cheese for two servings, our Weeknight Pasta with Cottage Cheese and Chives packs lots of protein, about 16 grams per serving. As the name implies, it’s weeknight quick; the only thing you cook is the pasta. And because the sauce is cold to room temperature, it slightly cools the cooked pasta, making for a light, delicious summery meal that’s really easy to make.

THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE, IN FACT, MAY BE FINDING COTTAGE CHEESE. For decades, cottage cheese producers had been making less and less, switching to trendier yogurt as demand for the white curds steadily dropped. According the New York Times, cottage cheese took off a few years ago, as “online fans began posting about ‘protein-maxxing’ with cottage cheese, adding it to ice cream, smoothies, flatbreads, bagels and pasta dishes.” As the Times notes, sales grew more than $2 billion in 2025, a whopping 82 percent increase from the end of 2022. The Washington Post attributes the booming popularity of cottage cheese at least in part to the GLP-1 weight loss medications 1 in 8 Americans are currently taking. Whatever the cause, cottage cheese makers are scrambling to keep up with demand, as both papers report.

So get out there, find some cottage cheese and treat yourself to delicious, protein-rich, vegetarian Weeknight Pasta with Cottage Cheese and Chives. Like us, you’ll probably put it on repeat.