Cottage Cheese Pasta Salad (Printable)

Light, protein-rich pasta with cottage cheese and crisp summer vegetables in zesty herb dressing.

# 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 spring 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 chopped fresh parsley
12 - 1 tbsp chopped fresh dill
13 - Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

# How to Prepare:

01 - Boil pasta in salted water 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 pepper until emulsified.
03 - Add cooled pasta to the dressing along with cherry tomatoes, cucumber, bell pepper, and spring onions. Toss gently to coat evenly.
04 - Fold in cottage cheese carefully to maintain texture and distribute throughout the salad.
05 - Taste and adjust seasoning with additional lemon juice, salt, or pepper as needed. Refrigerate for at least 15 minutes before serving to allow flavors to meld.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The cottage cheese makes it unexpectedly creamy without any heavy mayonnaise situation
  • You can prep it in the morning and it actually tastes better after a few hours in the fridge
  • It hits that perfect spot between light lunch and actually keeps you full
02 -
  • Rinsing pasta with cold water is not optional here it stops the cooking cold literally
  • The salad will taste underseasoned at first but the flavors come together as it chills
  • If you make it the night before add the fresh herbs right before serving
03 -
  • Use a large bowl with enough room to actually toss without making a mess
  • The salad keeps for three days in the fridge if you can resist eating it all

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