A cottage-cheese-based sauce — blended smooth, never grainy — built on a spice tadka and finished with proper melting cheese. Three spice directions: chapli-inspired, caraway & coriander, or dill & coriander. Two cheese styles: sharp cheddar or Swiss (Gruyère & Appenzeller). Made with high-protein legume pasta, it punches well above its mac-and-cheese brief.
No legume pasta? See Pasta Alternatives note below.
Sauce Base
250 gfull-fat cottage cheese
150 mlwhole milk
½ tspfine salt
Cheese — Cheddar
80 gsharp mature cheddar, finely grated
30 gParmesan, finely grated
Cheese — Swiss
70 gGruyère, finely grated
30 gAppenzeller (or Raclette), finely grated
10 gParmesan, finely grated (for salt depth)
Gruyère is the backbone — smooth melt, nutty sweetness. Appenzeller adds herbal sharpness; Raclette gives the creamiest melt of the three.
Tadka — Chapli
2 tbspolive oil
1 tspcumin seeds
1 tspcoriander seeds, lightly crushed
½ tspblack mustard seeds
1dried red chilli, crumbled (or ½ tsp chilli flakes)
3garlic cloves, minced
1 tspfresh ginger, grated
½ tspturmeric
1 tspgaram masala
½ tspground coriander
1 tspanardana (dried pomegranate seeds), OR 1 tbsp pomegranate molasses
Spice Base — Caraway & Coriander
2 tbspolive oil
1½ tspcaraway seeds
½ tspcumin seeds
3garlic cloves, minced
1 tspground coriander
1 tspsmoked paprika
½ tspturmeric
¼ tspblack pepper, freshly ground
Spice Base — Dill & Coriander
2 tbspolive oil
1 tspcaraway seeds
3garlic cloves, minced
2 tspdried dill
1 tspground coriander
½ tspturmeric
½ tspblack pepper, freshly ground
½lemon, juice only
Finish
handfulfresh coriander, chives, or dill (see method)
optionalGreek yogurt or sour cream, to serve
Method
01
Cook the pasta
Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Cook chickpea or lentil penne per pack instructions — typically 8–9 minutes for al dente. Before draining, ladle out about 100 ml pasta water and set aside. Drain the pasta but do not rinse.
02
Blend the sauce base
Add cottage cheese, milk, and salt to a blender or tall jug (if using a stick blender). Blend for 30–45 seconds until completely smooth — no visible curds. The sauce should look like a pourable cream. Set aside. Do not skip blending: unblended cottage cheese will leave granular lumps that won't disappear when heated.
03
Make the chapli tadka Spice · Chapli
Heat olive oil in a wide, heavy pan over medium-high. Add cumin seeds, crushed coriander seeds, and mustard seeds — they should sizzle immediately. Let them pop and toast for 30–45 seconds until fragrant. Add the crumbled chilli, minced garlic, and grated ginger; cook 1–1½ minutes, stirring, until golden and deeply aromatic. Reduce to medium. Stir in turmeric, garam masala, ground coriander, and anardana (or pomegranate molasses); cook 30 seconds. Splash in a little of the reserved pasta water — it will sizzle and lift any bits from the base.
Toast the caraway & coriander base Spice · Caraway
Heat olive oil in a wide pan over medium. Add caraway seeds and cumin seeds; let them toast for 45–60 seconds, stirring, until they smell fragrant and begin to pop. Add the minced garlic; soften for 1 minute. Stir in ground coriander, smoked paprika, turmeric, and black pepper; cook for 30 seconds. The caraway should smell toasted and warm — not burnt. Deglaze with a splash of pasta water if the pan looks dry.
Build the dill & coriander base Spice · Dill
Heat olive oil in a wide pan over medium-low. Add caraway seeds and toast gently for 45 seconds. Add garlic; soften 1 minute until translucent. Remove the pan from the heat — dried dill scorches quickly. Stir in the dried dill, ground coriander, turmeric, and black pepper directly into the warm oil, off heat. Return to low for 30 seconds, then add the lemon juice — it will hiss and lift the aromatics.
04
Build the sauce
Reduce heat to low. Pour the blended cottage cheese mixture into the pan with the spice base. Stir constantly for 1½–2 minutes until the sauce is warm throughout — do not let it boil, or the proteins can seize and the sauce may split. Add the grated cheese in two additions, stirring after each until fully melted and glossy. The sauce should coat the back of a spoon. If it is too thick, stir in reserved pasta water a tablespoon at a time.
05
Toss the pasta
Add the drained pasta directly to the sauce. Toss well to coat every piece — use tongs or a large spoon. Cook on low for 1 minute to let the pasta absorb some sauce. Taste and adjust salt. The sauce will thicken further as it cools, so err on the side of slightly loose at this stage.
06
Finish & serve
Divide between bowls. Top with a handful of fresh coriander and a few slices of green chilli if you like more heat. A spoonful of Greek yogurt on the side cools the spice and adds extra protein.
Finish & serve
Divide between bowls. Finish with a small dusting of smoked paprika and a handful of fresh parsley or coriander. The caraway flavour deepens as it sits — the leftovers are excellent. A spoonful of sour cream or crème fraîche alongside balances the earthy warmth.
Finish & serve
Divide between bowls. Top with fresh dill fronds or snipped chives and a small squeeze of lemon over the top. This is the most delicate and herbaceous of the three profiles — Greek yogurt or sour cream alongside keeps it light.
Nutrition
Per 1 serving (~430 g) · Chickpea pasta + cheddar version
Calories740kcal
Protein58g
Fat31g
Carbs60g
Estimates based on standard databases. Swiss version is slightly lower in protein and slightly higher in fat. Whole-milk cottage cheese is used throughout; lower-fat versions will reduce fat and calories by ~10%.
Notes
Pasta alternatives
No chickpea or lentil pasta? In order of preference: whole wheat penne (less protein, more fibre than white, closest nutritionally); regular white pasta (works fine — slightly lower satiety); orzo (use 150 g dry — absorbs sauce beautifully, cooks in 8 min); short-grain rice (cook separately, fold into sauce — surprisingly good). Whole wheat is the lazy standby that requires no adjustment to the recipe.
Cottage cheese
Blending is non-negotiable for a smooth sauce. Unblended cottage cheese leaves visible curds that won't cook out. Full-fat (4%+) gives a silkier, richer result. Substitutes: ricotta at the same weight (blended) is the closest swap — slightly less protein, creamier texture. Quark works well and is higher in protein. Greek yogurt can substitute part of the liquid but may cause splitting if overheated — keep it very low and add off heat.
Swiss cheese guide
Gruyère — the backbone. Melts cleanly, nutty sweetness, reliable. Appenzeller — herbal, peppery edge; its spice notes echo the Dill & Coriander profile particularly well. Raclette — the creamiest-melting of the three; milder than Appenzeller. Tilsit — semi-firm, buttery, less intense — good if the others are hard to find. All four melt better than aged cheddar at lower temperatures.
Spice levels
Chapli is the most intense — reduce or omit the dried chilli for less heat; the anardana adds a tart depth that lingers regardless of heat level. Caraway & Coriander is warmly aromatic with no real heat — a very accessible spicing for people who find Indian-spiced dishes too much. Dill & Coriander is the mildest and most herbaceous — bright and light rather than warming.
Storage & reheating
Keeps 3 days in the fridge. The sauce firms up significantly on cooling — this is normal. Reheat gently in a pan over low heat with a splash of water or milk, stirring constantly. Do not microwave on full power; the sauce splits unevenly. A short zap at 50–60% power followed by stirring also works.
What the recipe is built on
The cottage cheese + blended milk base was chosen for high protein and a silky texture without relying on a butter-flour roux. Legume pasta adds another large protein layer — the result is close to a regular portion of chicken in protein per bowl. The tadka technique (tempering whole and ground spices in oil) builds more aromatic depth than simply adding ground spices to the sauce.