Cottage Cheese Lemon Broccoli Protein Pasta

🥘 Ingredients

• cottage cheese
• salted water
• broccoli
• garlic
• protein pasta 8 oz
• boiling water
• broccoli florets
• pasta water
• extra-virgin olive oil 1 tbsp
• cottage cheese 1 cup
• parmesan cheese 2 oz
• lemon 1 whole
• kosher salt ½ tsp
• black pepper ¼ tsp
• pasta water
• extra-virgin olive oil 2 tbsp
• garlic 2 cloves
• broccoli stems
• pasta water
• salt
• pepper

1. 1

   Take cottage cheese out of the fridge and let sit on the counter to come to room temp for 15 minutes|30%minutes . Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Cut broccoli into bite-size florets. Trim off tough parts of stem; discard. Thinly slice stem crosswise. Peel and thinly slice garlic .
2. 2

   Add protein pasta to the boiling water . About 2 minutes before pasta should be al dente (according to package directions), add broccoli florets and cook until pasta is ready. Turn off the heat, scoop out 1 cup pasta water , then drain the pasta.
3. 3

   Transfer pasta + broccoli to a baking sheet and drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil , tossing to coat in an even layer. Spread into an even layer (this will cool down pasta a bit and prevent sticking).
4. 4

   Place cottage cheese , parmesan cheese , lemon , kosher salt , and black pepper in a food processor fitted with the blade attachment. Process, scraping down bottom and sides of the bowl as needed, until smooth. With the motor running, stream in a splash of pasta water until sauce reaches desired consistency.
5. 5

   Heat extra-virgin olive oil in now-empty pasta pot over medium heat. Add garlic and broccoli stems ; sauté until stems are tender but still have a slight bite, 4 to 5 min. Remove from heat and stir in pasta and sauce. Stir, adding another splash of pasta water if needed, until a creamy sauce coats the noodles. Taste and season with salt and pepper .
6. 6

   (At this point, if you want to warm it up a bit over low heat, you can!) Serve with more parmesan.