This high protein mac and cheese is coated in a creamy cottage cheese sauce that is made from blended cottage cheese, Fairlife milk, and cheddar cheese and has over 60 grams of protein. Building up a balanced bowl of pasta has never been more delicious!

high protein Mac and cheese with wooden spoon.

My toddler is going through a phase where his pallet seems to be quite selective but one food I know he will always eat is mac and cheese. Honestly, I don’t blame him because you just simply cannot go wrong with noodles and cheese.

With his interest in mac and cheese and my general love for cheesy noodles, I went on a mission to create a delicious recipe for a more balanced, high protein Mac and cheese. I found that the best place to add protein to was not the noodles themselves, but the sauce.

Enter, my cottage cheese mac and cheese recipe. With cottage cheese, cheddar cheese, and high protein fair life milk, the sauce alone contains over 60 grams of protein. High protein yet still delicious, both my toddler and my husband asked for seconds!

If you have been holding out on cottage cheese, trust me when I tell you that you’re going to love this cottage cheese recipe.

Mac and cheese with high protein cottage cheese sauce.

Why you’ll love this recipe:

You’ll absolutely love this mac and cheese with a cottage cheese sauce because it’s:

Loaded with over 60 grams of protein: A cottage cheese sauce blended with cheddar cheese and fair life milk adds over 60 grams of protein to this pot of noodles.
Meal prep friendly: This recipe is best served fresh but can be reheated and enjoyed throughout the week.
Only a few ingredients: While making your own cottage cheese sauce may sound intimidating, it’s really only a few ingredients that are blended together in a blender or food processor.
Customizable: As always, you can make this recipe your own and change up your seasonings and swap your noodles for the shape you prefer or try high protein noodles like Banza noodles.
Family friendly: Until I perfected this recipe, we were making boxed mac and cheese but I can honestly say that my son preferred this high protein mac and cheese on his plate!

You’re going to love this recipe!

Ingredients:

This recipe only calls for a few ingredients including:

Cavatappi noodles: I prefer the corkscrew shape for Mac and cheese so that the sauce can get into the noodles but you could also make this recipe with shells or elbow noodles.
Cottage cheese: I used low fat cottage cheese to keep the fat and calories of the sauce lower but you could use what ever cottage cheese you prefer.
Shredded cheddar: Freshly shredded, not bagged.
Fairlife milk: Fairlife milk is ultra filtered and higher in protein than regular milk.
Butter: This keeps our cottage cheese sauce creamy.
Seasonings: garlic powder, pepper, salt, and paprika.

That’s all you’ll need to make your own high protein mac and cheese!

The process:

You’ll have this high protein macaroni and cheese ready to enjoy in no time. All you’ll need to do is:

Cook your noodles according to package instructions, drain, and allow to cool.
Add your cottage cheese, cheddar cheese, fair life milk, butter, and seasonings to a blender or food processor and blend until smooth.
Place your noodles in a large pan, add your cottage cheese sauce, and stir until combined. Place the pan on the stove and warm over low/medium heat, stirring often until warmed through.
Small flecks in the sauce is normal, but be sure to keep your heat low and be patient to avoid curdling your cottage cheese sauce.
Once fully warmed, top with additional shredded cheddar cheese and serve warm. Enjoy!

LTN Tip: Cottage cheese sauce is sensitive, and you need to be patient with heating it to avoid curdling your sauce. The key to combining pasta and cottage cheese sauce is to allow your noodles to cool slightly before adding your sauce then warm the coated noodles over low to medium heat.

image of how to make high protein Mac and cheese recipe.

Swaps & Substitutions::

This is one of my favorite recipes on the blog and I know you will love it too. Of course, you can make your own swaps and substitutions to ensure this cottage cheese Mac and cheese is exactly how you and your family will like it:

Change your brands: I used low fat cottage cheese and fair life milk for the extra protein but you could use any cottage cheese and milk you had on hand. I do not recommend making this with a plant based milk alternative.
Swap your noodles: I first tried to make this high protein mac and cheese recipe with high protein noodles like chickpea noodles but those noodles are a bit too breakable and fell apart when I tried to reheat this dish.
Of course, you could try it out on your own and see if you prefer the extra protein and fiber boost from chickpea noodles. You can also stick to regular pasta and swap your shapes from the cavatappi that I used to elbows or shells.
Change your seasonings: I kept the seasonings fairly simple and do like the subtle flavor that comes through with the paprika but you can include whatever seasonings you prefer or even add some nutritional yeast for an extra nutrient boost.
Add protein: You can add cooked ground beef, cooked ground turkey, or cooked chicken to this Mac and cheese while it warms for additional protein.

There really are so many different ways that you can serve this recipe!

high protein Mac and cheese with cottage cheese sauce.

Recipe FAQ:

Help, my sauce looks like it’s curdling!
1. Cottage cheese sauce is very sensitive to heat and needs to be warmed slowly. Be sure your noodles are fully cooled before you stir in your cottage cheese sauce and warm the sauce over low to medium heat, stirring often.
How should I store this high protein Mac and cheese?
1. .This recipe can be stored in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days. As always, you should also use your best judgment when assessing leftovers.
How should I reheat this recipe?
1. This high protein Mac and cheese can be warmed on the stovetop, in the oven, and microwaved when you are ready to enjoy it again!

Yield: 6-8

Author: Lauren Twigge