Mediterranean Cottage Cheese Pasta Salad (Printable)

Protein-packed Mediterranean pasta salad with fresh vegetables and creamy cottage cheese.

# What You'll Need:

→ Pasta

01 - 9 oz short pasta (fusilli, penne, or farfalle)
02 - 1 tsp salt (for pasta water)

→ Dairy

03 - 1 cup cottage cheese

→ Vegetables

04 - 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
05 - 1 medium cucumber, diced
06 - 1 small red onion, finely chopped
07 - 1 small red bell pepper, diced
08 - 1/3 cup Kalamata olives, pitted and sliced
09 - 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped

→ Dressing

10 - 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
11 - 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
12 - 1 tsp dried oregano
13 - 1/2 tsp garlic powder
14 - Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

→ Optional Add-ins

15 - 1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
16 - 2 tbsp toasted pine nuts

# How To Make It:

01 - Boil pasta in salted water until al dente, then drain and rinse under cold water to stop cooking and cool.
02 - In a large mixing bowl, toss together cooled pasta, cottage cheese, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, bell pepper, olives, and parsley.
03 - Whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, oregano, garlic powder, salt, and pepper until emulsified.
04 - Pour dressing over salad mixture and toss gently until evenly coated.
05 - Sample salad and adjust salt and pepper as needed.
06 - Top with crumbled feta cheese and toasted pine nuts if desired.
07 - Serve immediately or refrigerate up to 2 hours to allow flavors to meld.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • The creamy cottage cheese creates this surprisingly rich base that makes the whole salad feel indulgent without the heaviness of mayonnaise
  • You can throw it together in under 30 minutes and it actually tastes better after sitting in the fridge for a few hours
02 -
  • Rinse the pasta under cold water immediately after draining, otherwise it keeps cooking and becomes gummy
  • Let the salad rest for at least thirty minutes in the refrigerator so the flavors can really get to know each other
03 -
  • Cut your vegetables slightly larger than you think you should, as they shrink a bit once marinated in the dressing
  • Use whole wheat pasta and you will not even notice the difference with all these bold Mediterranean flavors going on

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