# Cottage Cheese Alfredo Protein Pasta

This recipe blends cottage cheese with alfredo sauce to create a protein-rich pasta dish with ground chicken, green peas, and a crispy lemon herb breadcrumb topping.

- Servings: 8 servings
- Cuisine: Italian
- Category: Dinner
- Language: en

## Ingredients

- 1 pound Rigatoni
- 1 pound Ground Chicken
- 1.5 cups Frozen Green Peas
- 1 Tablespoon Italian Seasoning
- 0.5 cup Water
- 2 cups Low Fat Cottage Cheese
- 1 cup Alfredo Sauce
- 0.5 cup Reserved Pasta Water
- 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
- 0.33 cup Panko Breadcrumbs
- 1 Zest of Lemon
- 1 teaspoon Parsley Flakes
- 1 handful fresh parsley, chopped
- salt
- black pepper
- parm
- lemon

## Instructions

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil for the pasta.
2. Cook the pasta just shy of al dente according to the time on its packaging, likely about 10 minutes.
3. Blend the cottage cheese and Alfredo sauce together until smooth.
4. Set the blended sauce aside.
5. Heat the olive oil in a nonstick pan over medium heat.
6. Add the breadcrumbs and stir to coat in the oil.
7. Cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring frequently, until golden brown.
8. Transfer the breadcrumbs to a bowl with the parsley and lemon zest.
9. Stir the topping together and set aside.
10. In the same pan, add the ground chicken and cook on one side for 2-3 minutes until golden brown before breaking apart and fully cooking.
11. Add the Italian seasoning, frozen peas, and water to the pan.
12. Cook until the peas are bright green and heated through, another 2-3 minutes.
13. Turn off the heat from the chicken mixture.
14. Once the pasta is cooked, reserve about 1 cup of the pasta water before draining the rest.
15. Add the blended sauce and chicken mixture to the cooked pasta.
16. Use the reserved pasta water to help bring everything together as you stir.
17. Garnish with breadcrumbs, black pepper, parm, and a squeeze of lemon.

## Equipment

- large pot
- nonstick pan
- bowl

## Tips

- When cooking pasta, cook it just shy of al dente.
- Use Rao's or Carbone alfredo sauce for best results.
- Use reserved pasta water to help bring everything together as you stir.

## Source

- Original video: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DZxmlptv7s6/?igsh=MXh4cXVwcHdsMjl1ag==
- Recipe page: https://www.cliprecipe.com/recipe/87867b3e-30ee-416f-841f-15a245607cae
- Extracted: 2026-06-19

Extracted from the video by Clip Recipe (https://www.cliprecipe.com). Quantities and steps are as stated or shown in the video. Site guide for agents: https://www.cliprecipe.com/llms.txt