FRI LUNCH · FROM THE VIDEO
Creamy Pesto Pasta Salad with Cottage Cheese
- 20 min
- 6 min with Sunday prep
- 1–4 servings
- 410 kcal
- 30g protein
A creamy, protein-packed pasta salad that swaps half the pesto's usual oil for blended cottage cheese, so it's rich without feeling heavy. Cherry tomatoes add a juicy pop of freshness, making this a cold lunch that actually tastes exciting by Friday. It comes together fast, especially if you've already prepped the pasta and pesto-cottage cheese sauce on Sunday.
Adds this lunch's 4 groceries to your Walmart cart; you check out on Walmart. Part of 5 work lunches from one tub of cottage cheese · send the whole week to Walmart.
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Ingredients
- 3/4 cuprotini pasta, dry
- 3/4 cupcottage cheese
- 3 tbspbasil pesto
- 1/2 cupcherry tomatoes, halved
From the pantry: salt, black pepper
Cookware
pot · colander · blender or food processor · mixing bowl · cutting board · meal-prep container
Directions
- Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook the rotini according to package directions until al dente.
- Drain the pasta in a colander and rinse under cold water until fully cooled, then set aside.
- In a blender or food processor, blend the cottage cheese until smooth and creamy, about 30 seconds.
- Transfer the blended cottage cheese to a mixing bowl and stir in the basil pesto until fully combined.
- Add the cooled pasta to the bowl and toss until every piece is coated in the pesto-cottage cheese sauce.
- Fold in the halved cherry tomatoes and season with a pinch of salt and pepper to taste.
- Pack the pasta salad into a meal-prep container and refrigerate until lunchtime; if using Sunday's prepped pasta and sauce, simply toss with fresh tomatoes and skip straight to packing.
Two tips
- If you like more texture, stir in a handful of baby spinach right before packing so it wilts slightly but stays vibrant.
- Swap rotini for cooked quinoa from Sunday's prep for a lower-carb, gluten-free version with the same protein boost.
Packing
Pack cold directly into a sealed meal-prep container; this salad is meant to be eaten cold, so no reheating needed. Keep tomatoes on top rather than mixed in if packing more than a day ahead, so the pasta doesn't turn watery.
Storage
Keeps well in the fridge for up to 4 days in a sealed container. Not recommended for freezing, as the cottage cheese sauce separates and the pasta turns mushy once thawed.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 410 kcal
- Protein
- 30 g
- Carbs
- 48 g
- Fat
- 13 g
- Fiber
- 3 g
- Sodium
- 620 mg
The rest of the week
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TueTaco Turkey Quinoa Bowl with Cottage Cheese and Salsa
Quinoa, taco turkey and corn, with cottage cheese and salsa on top.
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WedChickpea Chopped Salad with Lemon-Herb Cottage Cheese Dressing
Chopped salad with chickpeas; cottage cheese whisked with lemon and herbs as the dressing.
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ThuCottage Cheese Everything Bagel Snack Box
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Recipe developed by MealPot for the “5 work lunches from one tub of cottage cheese” video. Nutrition is estimated from standard (USDA) data for the quantities above. Photo: MealPot, an AI-rendered illustration of the packed lunch.