Cottage Cheese Pasta Salad (Printable)

Protein-packed pasta with creamy cottage cheese, crisp vegetables, and tangy herb dressing. Ready in 25 minutes.

# What You’ll Need:

→ Pasta

01 - 8 oz short pasta (fusilli, penne, or rotini)

→ Dairy

02 - 1 cup cottage cheese

→ Vegetables

03 - 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
04 - 1 small cucumber, diced
05 - 1 small red bell pepper, diced
06 - 2 green onions, thinly sliced

→ Dressing

07 - 2 tbsp olive oil
08 - 2 tbsp lemon juice
09 - 1 tsp Dijon mustard
10 - 1 clove garlic, minced
11 - 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
12 - 1 tbsp fresh dill, chopped (optional)
13 - Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

# How-To Steps:

01 - Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Cook pasta according to package directions until al dente. Drain thoroughly and rinse under cold running water to stop cooking and cool completely.
02 - In a large mixing bowl, whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, minced garlic, parsley, dill, salt, and black pepper until emulsified.
03 - Add cooled pasta to the bowl with the dressing. Toss in cherry tomatoes, cucumber, red bell pepper, and green onions. Mix gently to coat evenly.
04 - Gently fold cottage cheese into the pasta mixture until distributed throughout. Avoid overmixing to maintain cheese texture.
05 - Taste and adjust seasoning with additional lemon juice, salt, or pepper as needed. Refrigerate for at least 15 minutes to allow flavors to meld before serving.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • The cottage cheese makes it taste indulgent while secretly loading you with protein
  • You can prep it in the morning and it actually tastes better by lunchtime
  • The crispy vegetables against creamy cheese hits every texture craving
02 -
  • Rinsing the pasta under cold water is nonnegotiable or it keeps cooking and gets gummy
  • The cottage cheese softens as it sits, so add it last if making this more than a few hours ahead
  • This salad tastes best at room temperature, not straight from the refrigerator
03 -
  • Chop your vegetables slightly larger than you think you need, they shrink when tossed
  • Use full fat cottage cheese here, the low fat version disappears into the pasta

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