Creamy Macaroni
Revised & updated 1/14/2021 – I developed this comfort food recipe in the late 1960’s while I was still in high school. I always loved the combination of cottage cheese & sour cream and since I also loved macaroni, it was an obvious pairing in my mind. Once I tasted it, I was hooked. Over the years I’ve made a few changes to the recipe to make it a little healthier, like using whole grain macaroni or linguine, using Greek yogurt in place of sour cream. Sometimes I’ll add other ingredients (see Tips & Suggestions) or serve it on a bed of organic baby kale or other greens. This recipe is totally customizable. Have fun with it & add things to it that you like & who knows… you may create a whole new recipe that your family will love!
Serves: 1
Ingredients
3/4 to 1 cup whole grain macaroni or other pasta of your choice
1/2 Tblsp butter
1/4 cup small curd cottage cheese
1/4 cup sour cream or plain Greek yogurt
Optional for serving: organic baby kale leaves or other greens
Salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste
Directions
1. Cook pasta al dente according to package directions. Drain well & return to pot.
2. Add butter, allow to melt & stir to coat.
3. Add cottage cheese & sour cream. Stir to coat. If adding other ingredients, stir them in now.
4. Bring pot back to stove, heat on medium-low for just a minute to heat back up.
5. Serve as is topped with a little salt & pepper. If using kale or other greens, add a handful to a plate, top with creamy macaroni, salt & pepper & serve.
Tips & Suggestions
1. Here are some ingredients that I’ll stir in, either individually or a combination of all of them: 1 piece of chopped sundried tomato, 3 halved large black pitted olives, 1 to 2 canned or jarred artichoke hearts (not with vinegar) cut into large bite-sized pieces, 1/4 cup (packed) baby spinach leaves.
2. Another variation I really like is at step #3 leave off the cottage cheese & just use 1/3 to 1/2 cup of sour cream… add 1/4 tsp dried parsley, 1/8 tsp dried oregano & 1/8 tsp granulated garlic and continue on to step #4.
