Cottage Cheese Pasta Salad
Last Updated on May 20, 2026 by Betty Davies
Enjoy a creamy pasta salad without the mayo! This cottage cheese pasta salad is perfect for your summer picnics and cookouts. Simple to make, and with less fat and more protein, it’s a no brainer!
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my privacy policy here.
Summer is here, that means cookouts, BBQs and definitely not spending hours in the kitchen! This cottage cheese pasta salad is your go to for this season!
This protein-packed pasta salad is so simple to make! While the pasta is cooking, chop up your veggies, blend up your cottage cheese dressing, then toss everything together and serve.
Perfect to serve up with burgers and hot dogs as a side dish, it’s also great to enjoy as a light lunch in the week.
Be sure to check out my Cottage Cheese Potato Salad too!
Why you will love this recipe!
- Better for you: Made with cottage cheese instead of mayonnaise, this high-protein pasta salad is lower in fat and calories compared to your traditional recipe. It contains 15 grams of protein in one serving.
- Delicious: Healthier doesn’t mean compromising on taste. Full of flavor and texture, this is one great recipe!
- Versatile: It’s so easy to make this your own with your favorite add-ins. Perfect for a side dish, appetizer or main meal.
- Dietary info: This recipe is vegetarian.
Ingredients and Notes
- Pasta: I used tricolor rotini for this pasta salad. The shape holds the cottage cheese dressing really well, and the different colors make it attractive to serve. Other short pastas like penne, farfalle (bowtie) or macaroni will all work great.
- Fresh Vegetables: Cucumber, bell pepper and red onion. All finely diced so that they combine well with the pasta.
- Cottage Cheese: Use a full fat cottage cheese for the creamiest dressing. You can use low fat, but it won’t be as rich.
- Red Wine Vinegar: Adds an acidic tang to the dressing. White wine vinegar can also be used.
- Oil: To thin the dressing and emulsify. I used avocado oil and olive oil will work great too.
- Seasonings: Salt, black pepper and Italian seasoning.
- Black Olives: These add a lovely briny tang to the salad. I like to use sliced kalamata olives.
How to Make Pasta Salad with Cottage Cheese
Be sure to scroll down for the full recipe!
- Cook and drain the pasta.
- Dice the vegetables.
- Blend the cottage cheese and other dressing ingredinets together.
- Combine everything together in a bowl and serve.
Recipe Variations
It’s so easy to make this cottage cheese pasta salad your own with different add-ins, and it’s easy to turn it into a full meal too! Try any of these additions or swaps!
- Shredded carrots
- Cherry tomatoes
- Broccoli
- Spinach
- Shredded chicken
- Crispy bacon
- Canned beans
Instead of adding in the red wine vinegar, oil and seasonings to the cottage cheese, you can use a store bought Italian dressing. Ranch would also be a great alternative!
Make Ahead and Storage
Pasta salads are great for meal prep as they can just be grabbed right out of the fridge and enjoyed! This will keep well, refrigerated, for 4 or 5 days, in an airtight container.
Because the dressing contains dairy, it shouldn’t be left at room temperature for more than a couple of hours.
Recipe Notes and Tips
- Salt the pasta water well to start adding flavor right from the beginning.
- You can skip using a blender if you don’t mind a more textured dressing. You can whisk the dressing ingredients together instead and add to the cooked pasta.
Creamy Cottage Cheese Pasta Salad
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 pound dried pasta (454g) I used tricolor rotini, but any short pastas will work well.
- 1 cucumber
- 1 bell pepper
- 1 red onion
- 1 cup cottage cheese (225g)
- 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon oil (olive oil or avocado oil work best)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- ½ cup sliced kalamata olives
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of cold salted water to a boil. Once boiling, add the pasta and cook according to box instructions. Drain and set to one side.1 pound dried pasta
- Whilst the pasta is cooking, dice the cucumber, bell pepper and red onion. Set to one side.1 cucumber, 1 bell pepper, 1 red onion
- Add the cottage cheese, red wine vinegar, oil, salt, pepper and Italian seasoning to a blender. Blend well until smooth.1 cup cottage cheese, 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar, 1 tablespoon oil, ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper, 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- Place the cooked pasta in a large mixing bowl, add the chopped vegetables, olives, and pour over the cottage cheese dressing.½ cup sliced kalamata olives
- Toss well to serve.
Notes
- Salt the pasta water well to start adding flavor right from the beginning.
- You can skip using a blender if you don’t mind a more textured dressing. You can whisk the dressing ingredients together instead and add to the cooked pasta.
