Baked Mac and Cheese with Cottage Cheese (High Protein!)
The ultimate comfort food with 30 grams of protein per serving? Yes please! This cottage cheese mac and cheese casserole is creamy and cheesy with an irresistible crispy breadcrumbed top. You won’t be able to detect the whipped cottage cheese that is mixed into the sauce. Ready in under an hour + easy to make for a high protein weeknight dinner – the whole family will want seconds!
Let’s be real – baked mac and cheese is FAR superior to stovetop mac and cheese.
It’s totally worth the extra easy step of plopping your mac and cheese into a casserole dish, topping it with breadcrumbs, and waiting patiently while it bakes up to perfection in the oven.
As a Registered Dietitian, I’m no stranger to using cottage cheese as a protein booster for traditionally carb-heavy comfort food meals – check out my cottage cheese baked rigatoni and creamy cottage cheese pasta sauce for proof!
Ready to make the best high protein mac and cheese recipe? Let’s get cooking!
Ingredients to gather
- Cottage cheese: One cup of cottage cheese contributes 25 grams of protein to this recipe! I recommend using full fat cottage cheese. It is creamier and more rich, which we want in mac and cheese!
- Sharp cheddar cheese: For the mac and cheese sauce, it’s important to use freshly grated cheese. Pre-shredded cheeses usually have an anti-caking coating that can affect the meltability into the sauce. For the cheese you sprinkle between the layers prior to baking your mac and cheese, you CAN use pre-shredded cheese. I’ve tested this and it works well!
- Dried pasta: You’ll want a pasta shape that has lots of nooks and crannies for holding all the cheese sauce. My personal preference is cavatappi. You could also do elbows or shells!
- Milk: I’ve tested this recipe with 2% reduced fat milk and it comes out creamy and rich every time. You can definitely use whole milk instead, but I would not use skim milk or low-fat milk because those options are not rich enough for this recipe.
- Seasoned panko breadcrumbs: Pre-seasoned panko breadcrumbs simply have better flavor than the unseasoned variety. They taste amazing on top of baked mac and cheese!
Visual step-by-step instructions
Step 1: Make the mac and cheese sauce.
Step 2: Combine cooked pasta with the cheese sauce.
Cook the pasta to al dente texture – firm and not mushy – as it will continue to cook a little bit in the oven. You can start cooking the pasta while you work on the cheese sauce, and mix the cooked pasta right into the sauce.
Now, you COULD stop here if you just want stovetop cottage cheese mac and cheese. But as we discussed, BAKED mac and cheese is FAR superior!
Step 3: Assemble mac and cheese casserole and bake.
Serve with a simple green salad to add some fiber + micronutrients for a satisfying, balanced weeknight dinner!
Let me know if you love this post by leaving a comment or star rating below, and check out Instagram and Pinterest for more healthy lifestyle inspiration. Thanks for stopping by!
Baked Mac and Cheese with Cottage Cheese (High Protein!)
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: serves 6
- Category: main dish
- Method: oven, Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
The ultimate comfort food with 30 grams of protein per serving? Yes please! This cottage cheese mac and cheese casserole is creamy and cheesy with an irresistible crispy breadcrumbed top. You won’t be able to detect the whipped cottage cheese that is mixed into the sauce. Ready in under an hour + easy to make for a high protein weeknight dinner – the whole family will want seconds!
Ingredients
- 1 cup cottage cheese, full fat
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 tbsp all purpose flour
- 2 cups 2% milk
- 1/2 tsp Kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/4 tsp smoked paprika
- 8 oz block sharp cheddar cheese, freshly grated
- 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, additional, for sprinkling between casserole layers **can be pre-shredded
- 1 lb cavatappi pasta
- 1/4 cup seasoned panko breadcrumbs
Get Recipe Ingredients
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- In a food processor, whip the cottage cheese for at least 1 minute until completely smooth with no lumps. Set aside.
- Make a roux: Heat a large saute pan over low-medium heat on the stovetop. Melt the butter in the pan, then add the all purpose flour.
- Whisk the flour into the butter until completely smooth with no lumps, and the mixture is a light golden color. This should take about 2-3 minutes.
- Make the sauce: Slowly pour the milk into the roux, a little at a time, whisking as you go. Cook for 5-8 minutes, whisking frequently, to allow the mixture to thicken up into the consistency of a thick cream.
- Once thickened, stir in the seasonings: garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, and salt.
- Add the freshly shredded cheddar cheese and the whipped cottage cheese. Whisk the cheeses into the milk until completely melted – about 2 minutes. Remove from heat.
- Cook the cavatappi pasta in salted water until al dente in a large pot, while you are making the cheese sauce.
- Drain the pasta, then stir it right into the cheese sauce, making sure all the noodles are evenly coated.
- Lightly grease a 7×10 ceramic casserole dish with butter or cooking spray.
- Spoon half of the mac and cheese into the casserole dish, then sprinkle half a cup of shredded cheddar cheese on top.
- Add the rest of the mac and cheese. Top with the remaining half a cup of shredded cheddar cheese and the seasoned breadcrumbs.
- Bake in the preheated oven on the center rack for 20-25 minutes, until the edges are bubbly and the top is crispy and golden brown.
- Serve while hot!
Notes
Storage
Let leftovers cool to room temperature, then cover the casserole dish with tin foil and pop it in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Reheats wonderfully in the microwave!
Nutrition Disclaimer
As a Registered Dietitian, I create nutritionally-balanced recipes using whole food ingredients to promote good health and well-being. Additionally, I am a Certified Intuitive Eating Counselor. My nutrition philosophy encompasses an all-foods-fit approach, and I do not promote tracking calories, macronutrients, or other numbers. Nevertheless, I understand that this information can be educational and helpful for some people.
I cannot guarantee complete accuracy of the nutrition information provided here, as these numbers are estimates. Nutrition is individualized. If you have specific nutrition needs, please consult your physician or a Registered Dietitian.
Nutrition
- Calories: 620
- Fat: 27 g
- Saturated Fat: 16.9 g
- Carbohydrates: 65.9 g
- Fiber: 3.1 g
- Protein: 29.9 g
This high-protein baked mac and cheese is very good. I doubled the recipe and wished that I had increased the amount of milk to 2.5 times the basic recipe amount to give the dish more creaminess. I liked the cavatappi pasta shape and texture for the mac and cheese, both because the curly form held sauce and cheese nicely, and for the texture. The spice mixture was good, but next time I would add a half tsp of dry mustard for a bit of tang and more depth of flavor. I would make this dish again.
Thanks for your thoughtful and helpful review, Jodi! I appreciate your note about adding a bit more milk when doubling the recipe. Take care!
Massive winner! My 3 year old and adult family loved this recipe. Thank you for helping me increase protein. Any suggestions to lower fat?
Hey Jessica! Thanks so much for sharing that your family loved this recipe. Especially happy to hear that your toddler enjoyed it!
A few ideas for decreasing the fat content in this recipe:
1. Eliminate the 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese that is sprinkled between layers (this would reduce the fat by about 6 grams (4 grams saturated fat) per serving)
2. Replace half the total shredded cheese with reduced-fat or low-fat cheese
3. Try using 2% cottage cheese instead of full-fat
I think using one of these options would work without drastically affecting the overall flavor and richness of the recipe. If you do give any of these a try, I’d love to hear how it works out!