Gluten Free Cacio e Pepe Cottage Cheese Mac & Cheese
Ditch the boxed stuff for this incredibly easy protein-packed gluten free cacio e pepe mac and cheese! It pairs gluten-free protein pasta with a luxurious, savory cottage cheese blender sauce, giving you a cozy, pepper-flecked bowl of goodness in record time.
Equipment
- 1 Large saucepan or pot
- 1 colander to drain the pasta
- 1 Food Processor or blender
Ingredients
- 8 oz box protein pasta I like Banza brand personally
- 1 cup cottage cheese
- ½ cup mozzarella cheese
- ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1 tablespoons arrowroot powder or cornstarch
- Fresh ground pepper & kosher salt , to taste
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder or more to taste; omit for easy to digest
- 1 -2 tablespoons butter
- 1-2 tablespoons milk only if needed if sauce is too thick
Instructions
- Boil Pasta. Boil a large saucepan or stockpot of water and cook pasta according to package directions until pasta is al dente. Drain pasta and put the pasta back in the same pot.
- Make the cheese sauce. In a food processor, combine cottage cheese, mozzarella cheese, parmesan cheese, arrowroot powder (or cornstarch), about 30 to 40 cracks of fresh black pepper (less if you don’t like the heat), a pinch of kosher salt, and ½ tsp. garlic powder (optional). Blend until smooth and creamy, about 1 to 2 minutes.
- Melt butter & combine pasta. In the same large saucepan over medium heat, melt 1 to 2 tablespoons of butter with the noodles (kind of like making mac and cheese from a box). Let the butter melt over the cooked pasta and pour the cheese sauce over top.
- Stir. Stir the sauce and pasta gently over medium-low heat until warmed through and thickened slightly. If the sauce is too thick you can add a bit of milk (1 tablespoon at a time) until you reach the desired consistency. You can also add an additional ¼ cup of mozzarella cheese here to make it extra cheesy and gooey!
- Garnish & serve. Top with additional black pepper and parmesan cheese and enjoy!
Notes
- Don’t skip the blender or food processor step; it’s what gives this healthy cottage cheese mac & cheese its ultra creamy texture.
- If the mac & cheese sauce is too thick, you can add milk 1 tablespoon at a time until it thins out to your desired texture. I never went more than 2 tablespoons.
- Note that some brands of cottage cheese have more liquid in them than others. If you have a very liquidy cottage cheese but want a thicker sauce, use a slotted spoon to measure out the cottage cheese to strain some of the liquid out before blending it up with the other ingredients.
- Use lentil pasta or lupini bean pasta for extra grams of fiber and protein, without sacrificing pasta taste.
Tried this recipe?Mention @prettydeliciouslife or tag #PDLrecipes!