In the mood for spaghetti? Lasagna? Or rich and filling shakshuka? Well, you can’t do any of these without tomato sauce. This flavor-packed ingredient is the star of a long list of dishes. But here’s one idea that’ll make your tomato sauce — no matter homemade or store-bought — an extra notch tastier: cottage cheese.
When you combine cottage cheese with your tomato sauce, it will create a texture so creamy that it should be able to rival even the silkiest vodka sauces. The tangy and savory flavor of cottage cheese is a perfect fit for the tomatoes’ acidity. Plus, if you’d like your meals to be a bit more protein-rich, cottage cheese is perfect for the job — it’s almost 10% protein by weight, according to UC Davis Health. Splash some of this on your pasta or any dish that needs a bit of tomato sauce to shine, and you’re certain to get a meal that’s at once familiar and new on the palate, all the while contributing a decent amount to your protein intake.
As for how to pull this off, all you need is some full-fat cottage cheese (low-fat is also an option, although it’ll be less creamy) and a blender. Mix the cottage cheese with your choice of red sauce until they’re nice and incorporated, and you’ll have a protein-rich addition to your meal.
Dishes to try with your extra-creamy tomato sauce
The easiest is — of course — pasta. For instance, toss spaghetti noodles, shallots, and chicken stock together with this enriched tomato sauce in your Instant Pot and cook for an extra-creamy serving of Instant Pot spaghetti. Or, if you feel like making something fancier, you can certainly give Gorgonzola-Stuffed Meatballs in Arrabbiata Tomato Sauce a twist with this trick. Pair it with a creamy pot of mashed potatoes or some aromatic rice.
For a nice first course, you can serve your gnocchi alla vodka with burrata with this cottage cheese-enriched tomato sauce for something a bit more special than the usual fare. Vodka sauce already has a very smooth texture thanks to heavy cream, but with cottage cheese, other than making it extra silky, the flavor it brings to the sauce is awesome, too.
Beyond pasta, you can combine this creamy-plus-cheesy version of tomato sauce with homemade pizza, or as a dipping sauce for your breadsticks. And should you ever try making stuffed peppers (gemista), pile some of this on as a topping, and the dish will be rounded out perfectly. Most people won’t be able to tell the secret ingredient when they taste your brand-new tomato sauce, but this, we guarantee: They’ll definitely notice (and love) the extra rich, creamy results.
