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!
Directions
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.
Ingredients
Step-By-Step Instructions
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.
- Assemble all ingredients. Get a pot of salted water boiling on the stove, while you make the sauce.
- Measure out two cups of frozen sweet potato cubes and microwave until soft.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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!
Easy Protein Pasta Sauce with Hidden Veggies
Ingredients
- 1 cup Rao's vodka pasta sauce or preferred jarred or homemade sauce
- 2 cups sweet potatoes cubes, frozen
- 1 cup cottage cheese
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
- 1 box Barilla Protein Plus Pasta or preferred pasta
- 1/2-1 cup pasta water
- 1 lb. Italian sausage, optional
- Garlic powder, salt, pepper (to taste)
Method
- Gather all ingredients. Place a pot of salted water on medium-high heat.
- Microwave sweet potato cubes until soft.
- Add sweet potatoes, cottage cheese, and pasta sauce to blender. Blend until smooth.
- Strain pasta and reserve a cup of pasta water. Add sauce to the pasta and stir on low heat. Add the parmesan cheese and stir. Season with garlic powder, salt and pepper- to taste. Incorporate a small amount of pasta water at a time, until you reach the desired consistency.
- Incorporate more parmesan cheese and enjoy! Feel free to keep leftovers for a pizza.
Notes
Tried this recipe?
Let us know how it was!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?