Creamy Pumpkin Pasta (with cottage cheese)
This higher protein, veggie-packed pasta sauce comes together in 3 minutes. It’s so easy! Creamy Pumpkin Pasta is a great way to use up any canned pumpkin you may have in the fridge. Blend up some cottage cheese, the pumpkin, and a few other simple ingredients and pour it right over any cooked pasta you like. It’s a quick meal the whole family will enjoy!
Kids in the Kitchen:
- Add ingredients: Kids can help spoon the cottage cheese and pumpkin into the blender. They can also easily measure the seasonings and add those as well.
- Blend: Kids love turning on a kitchen appliance! Teach them how to use the blender safely, closing the lid tightly before turning it on. Do a countdown then blend away!
- Pour and stir: Kids can help pour the blended sauce over the pasta. It might be a little tricky for them to stir, but you can have them hold the utensil with you and do it together.
- Sprinkle: We all love adding a dusting of parmesan cheese on our pasta, right? Give your child a spoon or small amount of cheese in a bowl and let them sprinkle it on top of their own pasta.
Subs and Tips for Making Creamy Pumpkin Pasta:
- Pumpkin: I just use plain old canned pumpkin. However, you can use a homemade pumpkin puree or even any squash that you’ve cooked and blended. Just be sure there’s not a lot of moisture/liquid in the puree or the sauce will be too thin.
- Cottage Cheese: My favorite cottage cheese is the Good Culture low-fat. I find Breakstone small curd to also be very good. You can really use any cottage cheese you prefer. Low-fat or whole milk is good, but I wouldn’t use fat-free cottage cheese.
- Pasta: You can use any pasta you like in this recipe. Gluten-free, bean-based, whole wheat, and white pastas work well. Just be sure to cook the pasta according to the package instructions until al-dente.
- Make ahead? This recipe is best served right after making. However, you can refrigerate leftovers for 3 to 4 days and reheat as needed. The sauce will not be as creamy after refrigerating, but you can try and revive it by adding water and stirring over low heat.
- Blender: The blender you see in the picture in the post is the Beast Mini Blender. It’s my absolute favorite for making sauces, dressing, and smoothies!
Creamy Pumpkin Pasta (with cottage cheese)
An easy and delicious blender pasta sauce packed with fiber and protein.
Ingredients
- 1 pound spaghetti or any pasta of your choice
- 1 cup cottage cheese whole milk or low-fat
- 3/4 cup pumpkin puree
- 2 oz cream cheese 1/4 cup
- 1 Tbsp butter (optional) adds a little extra creaminess
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt (plus more to taste)
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/4 cup milk (any kind)
- grated parmesan cheese, for serving
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta according to package instructions. Save a cup of pasta cooked water before draining the pasta and placing it back in the pot.
- While the pasta cooks, add the cottage cheese, pumpkin, cream cheese, butter, garlic power, salt, pepper, and milk to a blender. Blend until smooth, about 30 seconds.
- Pour the blended sauce over the cooked pasta and stir to coat. Add a splash or two of pasta water and mix to make the sauce extra creamy. If the pasta has cooled too much before serving, rewarm over low heat, adding more pasta water as needed to loosen the sauce.
- Taste and add more salt and pepper as needed. Serve with parmesan cheese for sprinkling on top, if desired.
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Other Cottage Cheese Recipes to Try:
Creamy Veggie-Packed Pasta Sauce
Blender Cottage Cheese Pancakes
Cottage Cheese Blueberry Muffins
Easy Stuffed Shells with Cottage Cheese