Easy Protein Pasta Sauce with Hidden Veggies (Todder Approved)

This super simple protein pasta sauce with hidden veggies uses just THREE ingredients to make it packed with protein, vitamin A, potassium and fiber. As a busy mom, it’s my take on balancing convenience and nutrition – while attempting to feed the entire family without making an array of different meals. 

It’s a simple way to elevate the nutrition of your favorite pasta sauce – and it tastes delicious, too!

I decided to experiment with this recipe, not knowing if my two picky toddlers would actually eat it. However, kids love pasta – why not attempt to make it a little more nutritious? I simply added cottage cheese and sweet potatoes to a jarred pasta sauce – and guess what – my kids ate it! I even saved a little sauce and made a pizza with it. 

This recipe can be customized to meet you and your family’s preferences. It might just give you inspiration to try this with other recipes as well. 

Reasons to Try This Recipe

• It’s super easy – you don’t even have to make pasta sauce from scratch (but you totally could).
• Perfect for a busy weeknight or lazy Sunday. Plus, you could make a huge batch and repurpose it for pizza later in the week.
• This recipe takes a toddler favorite and elevates it – so every bite is a little bit more nutritious. Ideal for kids who don’t eat many vegetables – because they won’t even taste them!
• This is a great meal to get your kids involved with the cooking process, which can help with increased food acceptance. My kids love to add ingredients to a blender and watch it go! 

Ingredients

This recipe uses about a 1/2 jar of pasta sauce and makes about 4-5 servings.

You can put the rest of the pasta sauce in the fridge and use in the next 7 days OR double this recipe and have a lot of leftovers for the week!

Freezing is also an option, but it is not usually recommended as it can change the texture of the cottage cheese. You could freeze the leftover jarred pasta sauce without the cottage cheese, though. 

Rao’s Vodka Pasta Sauce (1 cup) or Preferred Pasta Sauce

This recipe uses jarred pasta sauce, because why not? Rao’s is my favorite brand of pasta sauce, and if you’re a busy mom it just makes life a bit easier. Using your own homemade pasta sauce and following the rest of these instructions works as well.

 I chose vodka sauce for this recipe – but you could essentially select any sauce you want. If you pick marinara, the end result just might look more like a vodka sauce (creamy and more orange than red). 

Cottage Cheese or Greek Yogurt (1 cup)

I used low-fat cottage cheese because I didn’t have Greek yogurt. Either works, and they both provide about 26 grams of additional protein per one cup. The higher the milkfat in the cottage cheese, the more creamy it will be – so it’s totally up to you. 

Frozen Sweet Potatoes Cubes (2 cups)

I kept it easy and used two cups of already cubed, frozen sweet potatoes (that I just microwaved for a few minutes). Frozen can be just as healthy as fresh! However, feel free to roast your own sweet potatoes as well.

Sweet potatoes are packed with potassium, fiber, and vitamin A. Great substitutes for sweet potatoes include butternut squash, cauliflower, or zucchini- as they’re essentially mild in flavor and color. 

Parmesan Cheese

We love to add a little bit of parmesan cheese for even more creaminess. My kids won’t eat pasta without it!

Pasta of Your Choice

Pick whichever pasta your family loves – or let your kids decide. We love Barilla Protein+ pasta noodles for the 10 grams of protein per serving. 

Salt, Pepper, Garlic Powder (to Taste)

I find that adding some additional seasonings to the pasta sauce improves the flavor.

Ground Italian Sausage (Optional)

I think Italian sausage would be a great addition to this pasta, however, I didn’t include it in this recipe because my 4-year-old won’t eat it! If you think your family will, incorporate some cooked ground sausage when the sauce is added.

Instructions for Protein Pasta Sauce (with hidden veggies)

Alright, so ready to make a super simple protein pasta sauce with hidden veggies? All you’ll need are the ingredients, a measuring cup, blender or Nutri-bullet, and a pot for the pasta.  

If you love this recipe, try this mac and cheese with hidden veggies or my butternut squash cottage cheese pasta sauce. Or you might just see how easy it is to customize your own favorite recipes. 

1. Assemble Ingredients and Start Boiling Water

Assemble all ingredients. Get a pot of salted water boiling on the stove, while you make the sauce.

2. Microwave Sweet Potato Cubes

Measure out two cups of frozen sweet potato cubes and microwave until soft. 

3. Add Sweet Potatoes, Cottage Cheese or Yogurt, and Pasta Sauce to Blender

Add one cup of pasta sauce, one cup of cottage cheese or yogurt, and the two cups of sweet potatoes to a blender and blend until smooth. Season with a little bit of salt, pepper and garlic powder.

A Nutri-bullet can be used, however, I recommend using the largest size you have (learn from my mistakes here). Otherwise, blend each ingredient separately and mix them together after.

Whipping the cottage cheese first (sometimes a little bit of liquid is needed) will ensure a smoother pasta sauce consistency.

4. Cook the Pasta

Once the water reaches boiling, add your pasta. Set a timer to check the noodles to ensure they’re al dente. 

When noodles are done, strain the water – reserving one cup of pasta water for the sauce. This helps to thicken the sauce and get it to the right consistency. 

5. Incorporate the Sauce and Finish the Dish

Add the pasta sauce to the pan and combine with the noodles on low heat. Add the parmesan cheese and stir.

Slowly incorporate some of the pasta water and stir – it’s better to have less to start with because you can always add more.

Once you think you’ve got the right consistency, top with more parmesan cheese and serve. 

The Taste Test

I compared the jarred pasta sauce to the blended protein pasta sauce and I felt like they were very comparable. This is probably why my kids ate this pasta – but I was still SHOCKED. It just goes to show that you could probably customize any pasta sauce to make it healthier! 

Other Ideas For Protein Pasta Sauce with Hidden Veggies

Just because this recipe isn’t completely “homemade” it can still be a part of a healthy diet for you and hopefully your entire family! Balancing nutrition and convenience just makes sense sometimes when you’re a busy mom. 

The sky is the limit here. What are some other foods your kids love where you can use the same principles of this dish? 

For example, incorporating roasted cauliflower and Greek yogurt to an alfredo sauce – as it likely will not change the color of the sauce. Another great idea would be making a white cheddar macaroni and cheese with added veggies and protein.

If you try this sauce with your kids, let me know – did they eat it?