Recipe Snapshot
- Dish: Creamy stovetop macaroni and cheese with fontina and blended cottage cheese
- Flavor Profile: Mild, buttery cheese flavor balanced with subtle tang from white wine
- Key Ingredient: Blended cottage cheese adds body, creaminess and mild flavor
- Method: A classic béchamel sauce forms the base before the cheeses and pasta are combined
- Servings: 6
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Effort Level: Simple
A Budget-Friendly Twist on Homemade Mac and Cheese
This stovetop cottage cheese mac and cheese takes a more traditional approach than many of the protein-focused versions online. A simple béchamel enriched with fontina and blended cottage cheese creates a smooth, creamy sauce with a mild flavor that works especially well as a side dish for roasted chicken, pork chops, or baked fish.
The recipe strikes a nice balance between comfort food and practicality. The cottage cheese adds body without making the sauce overly heavy, while a splash of white wine gives the finished dish a little extra depth that sets it apart from standard stovetop macaroni and cheese.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
A few key ingredients make this recipe work – here’s what to know. A complete list with quantities is in the recipe card below.
- Pasta: Choose a short pasta shape that holds creamy sauce well. Bowties, cavatappi, rotini, and small shells are all good options because their curves and ridges catch the cheese sauce.
- White wine: Use a dry white wine such as Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc. It adds a little acidity to balance the richness of the cheese sauce and boosts the overall flavor of the dish.
- Fontina: Fontina melts smoothly and gives the sauce a creamy texture with a mild, buttery flavor. For best results, grate it yourself rather than using pre-shredded cheese.
- Cottage cheese: Use regular 4% cottage cheese for the creamiest texture and best flavor. Blending it until smooth before adding it to the sauce helps it incorporate evenly.
A Quick Look at Preparation
How To Make Cottage Cheese Mac and Cheese
Here’s how this dish comes together, along with a few tips for the best results. Full instructions are in the recipe card below.
The sauce for this macaroni and cheese starts with a classic roux, which gives it a smoother, more stable texture than recipes that rely solely on melted cheese. Warming the milk before adding it to the pan helps the sauce come together more evenly and reduces the chance of lumps. Once the sauce thickens, the fontina melts in easily for a rich, buttery base.
Blending the cottage cheese before adding it to the sauce is the key to a creamy finish. It incorporates smoothly into the béchamel and adds body without making the dish overly heavy. Once the pasta is folded in, letting the mac and cheese rest briefly before serving allows the sauce to settle and cling better to the pasta.
Tested Tip
If the sauce seems slightly loose at first, resist the urge to keep cooking it. The pasta will continue absorbing sauce as it rests, giving the finished dish a creamy texture without being overly thick.
More Flavor-Forward Mac and Cheese Recipes
These baked and stovetop mac and cheese variations offer a few different takes on creamy pasta dinners. Creamy Stovetop Lobster Mac and Cheese pairs tender lobster with Gruyère and mascarpone for a rich, special occasion dish; French Macaroni and Cheese combines mixed milk cheeses, ham, and herbes de Provence in a comforting baked casserole; and Goat Cheese and Sun-Dried Tomato Mac and Cheese balances tangy goat cheese and fontina with savory sun-dried tomatoes and fresh chives.
Cottage Cheese Macaroni and Cheese with Fontina
Ingredients
- 12 ounces pasta, bowties, cavatappi, shells
- 6 ounces full fat (4%) cottage cheese
- 3-1/2 cups whole milk
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup dry white wine
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
- 8 ounces fontina, coarsely grated
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta until al dente according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
- Blend the cottage cheese with an immersion blender or conventional blender until completely smooth. Set aside.
- Warm the milk in a saucepan or microwave until hot but not boiling.
- Melt the butter in a large heavy saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture is pale golden, 3 to 4 minutes.
- Gradually whisk in the warm milk until smooth. Stir in the white wine and continue cooking, whisking frequently, until the sauce thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon, 7 to 8 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Reduce the heat to low and stir in the fontina until melted and smooth. Add the blended cottage cheese and stir until fully incorporated.
- Add the cooked pasta and parsley and toss until evenly coated. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving, then stir once more.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
