It’s no secret I love blending cottage cheese into pasta sauce. But here, I’ve added cooked red lentils, too — which completely disappear into the sauce and add even more protein and fiber. The result is a velvety, vodka-like pasta sauce that perfectly coats every noodle.
The recipe itself couldn’t be easier (just blend everything together), but there are two key tricks for keeping the sauce smooth and creamy. First, use full-fat cottage cheese, and second, heat the sauce over low heat and nothing higher. Both help prevent the sauce from splitting.
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup dry red lentils, rinsed
- Kosher salt
- 1 (12 to 16-ounce) box protein pasta of choice, such as Banza, Brami, or Barilla Protein+
- 16 ounces (2 cups) marinara sauce (I always use Rao's)
- 8 ounces (1 cup) full-fat small-curd cottage cheese (I always use Good Culture)
Instructions
- Cook the lentils according to package directions until tender.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook according to package directions for al dente. Reserve about 1 cup of the cooking water, then drain the pasta.
- Meanwhile, combine the marinara sauce and cottage cheese in a high-speed blender. Add the cooked lentils and blend until completely smooth.
- Pour the sauce into the now-empty pasta pot and and set over low heat. Add just enough pasta water until the sauce reaches your desired consistency. Taste and season with salt, if needed.
- Add the cooked pasta and toss until evenly coated. Cook, stirring occassionally, until warmed through, adding more pasta water as needed to loosen the sauce.
