High-Protein Creamy Roasted Red Pepper Pasta
Someone recently commented on one of my hidden high-protein recipes asking why so many people are obsessed with putting protein into their food, and to be honest I LOVE that everyone is sneaking in protein these days! Protein keeps us full and fuels basically every bodily function, so it makes sense to me that we’re prioritizing it and getting in as much as we can. If you agree, this high-protein creamy roasted red pepper pasta is for you! It’s made with one of my favorite high-protein ingredients-cottage cheese. And if you’re a cottage cheese skeptic like I am, I promise you’ll be hooked once you try blending it! If not in this recipe, you’ve got to try my high-protein egg muffins.
If you try out this recipe, I want to know! Leave a comment with a star rating below if you love it. You can also snap a photo & tag @jenneatsgoood on INSTAGRAM. Your reviews help support this blog and make it possible for me to continue to create healthier recipes!
Try out some of my other meal prep recipes if you’re looking for more:
- Crispy chickpea & cashew kale salad
- Winter kale with tahini dressing
- Mediterranean inspired quinoa salad
- Summer kale salad with barbecue salmon
- Roasted brussels sprouts salad with tahini dressing
HIGH-PROTEIN CREAMY ROASTED RED PEPPER PASTA
HIGH-PROTEIN CREAMY ROASTED RED PEPPER PASTA
4
servings15
minutes15
minutesSomeone recently commented on one of my hidden high-protein recipes asking why so many people are obsessed with putting protein into their food, and to be honest I LOVE that everyone is sneaking in protein these days! Protein keeps us full and fuels basically every bodily function, so it makes sense to me that we’re prioritizing it and getting in as much as we can. If you agree, this high-protein creamy roasted red pepper pasta is for you! It’s made with one of my favorite high-protein ingredients-cottage cheese. And if you’re a cottage cheese skeptic like I am, I promise you’ll be hooked once you try blending it! If not in this recipe, you’ve got to try my high-protein egg muffins.
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Ingredients
12 ounces brown rice penne pasta
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium shallot, minced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon kosher salt, additional to taste
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 1/2 cups 4% milkfat cottage cheese
8 ounces jarred roasted red peppers, drained and chopped (about 1 cup)
1/3 cup roughly chopped basil leaves, additional for topping if desired
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
Directions
- Bring a pot of salted water to a boil, then add the penne and cook until al dente, about 9 minutes (refer to package instructions). Drain, rinse with cold water, and set aside. (I recommend tossing with a drizzle of olive oil to prevent sticking.)
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the shallot and garlic and cook until softened, careful not to burn, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the basil, oregano, salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes (if using) and continue cooking until fragrant, another 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to cool (note the skillet will be used again).
- Season with the salt, black pepper, oregano, basil, and red pepper flakes and add in the tomato paste. Saute until aromatic, about 2-3 additional minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to cool down.
- Add the cottage cheese, roasted red peppers, basil, and nutritional yeast to a blender or food processor along with the shallot and garlic mixture. Blend on high speed until the sauce is completely smooth, 45 to 60 seconds. Taste and add additional salt if desired.
- Pour half of the sauce back into the skillet along with the cooked pasta. Mix to coat, then continue adding sauce until your desired sauciness is reached (you may not want to use all of it depending on your preference). Heat over low, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is warmed.
- Divide between four bowls and top with chopped basil (if desired). Store leftover sauce
Notes
- Prep the sauce ahead: Skip step 1 and stop at step 4. Store the sauce in a sealed container or silicone freezer mold in the refrigerator for up to four days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. To reheat, return to a skillet or saucepan over medium-low heat until warmed or microwave in 30-second increments until warmed. Serve over cooked penne.
- Plant-based: Swap the cottage cheese for a 14-ounce block of silken tofu.
Did you make this recipe?
Snap a photo & tag @jenneatsgoood on INSTAGRAM
If you try out this recipe, I want to know!
Leave a comment with a star rating below if you love it.
Made this yesterday – delicious! Do you think leftovers would freeze well?
curious to know this as well!
I made this with the silken tofu instead of cottage cheese, so I don’t know 100% how the original recipe would behave, but mine was fine out of the freezer. I let it thaw in the fridge, then gave it a blitz with my immersion blender to get back to the original texture before reheating.
I can’t eat gluten, dairy and soy. What can I use in place of cottage cheese or tofu for creaminess even if it doesn’t add protein?
I would do it like her creamy green pasta recipe with the cashew parm and add in the roasted red peppers instead of the broccoli and spinach. There are also some soy free tofu brands out that are made from fava beans or chickpeas!
Made this today and the sauce split. I wonder if it just needed a little more liquid in it? Tastes delicious though! Thank you.
My family requested this to be a part of the rotation and my daughter’s boyfriend asked me to send to his mom (teenager).
I doubled the recipe and roasted four red peppers instead of jar. I used protein penne pasta and added some asparagus for extra veggies. On the side I seared some beef sausage links for those in the fam that wanted meat to add in if they wanted. Amazing! 100% recommend ☺️
what does the yeast do?
Nutritional yeast is a good source of protein and vitamins that also tends to have a “cheesy flavor” that vegans and vegetarians tend to add into recipes. Its an inactive yeast so its not used in baking.
Absolutely delicious and amazing. Not only did I love with but my 3 year old and one year old loved it. So easy and quick to make as a mom on a health journey.
Super tasty! My 2 year old loved it too.
This recipe was great! So easy on a weeknight and made lots of extra sauce that reminded me of romanesco sauce in terms of flavor. I was literally taking spoonfuls of just the sauce out of the blender cold it was so good. I will try freezing the extra sauce to make this recipe even easier for the future! I added a chicken breast to it that I cut up and cooked in the same pan as the tomato paste, garlic, and shallot (I just finished this step and put the mixture in a separate bowl and cooked the chicken while blending the sauce ingredients). Fresh basil makes the recipe, do not skip it.