Ready in about an hour, this easy alfredo sauce recipe reimagines a classic comfort food. By using cottage cheese as a base, you get a creamy, high-protein sauce without all the heavy cream. Paired with savory Italian sausage, tender chicken, and fresh zucchini noodles, it’s a satisfying low-carb meal the whole family will enjoy.
Here’s how to make it!
What You Will Need:
- 2 cups of cottage cheese
- 1 cup of parmesan cheese
- 1 cup of milk or heavy whipping cream
- 1 teaspoon of oregano
- ½ teaspoon of garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon of sea salt
- ½ teaspoon of freshly cracked black pepper
- 1 tablespoon of cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon of cold water
- 3 pounds of zucchini
- 3 chicken breasts
- 1 pound of Italian sausage
Making the Alfredo Sauce
All you need is a food processor to blend the alfredo sauce. Just add the cottage cheese, spices, parmesan cheese, and cream to the processor and blend. The result should be a thick sauce as seen in the video. To make a thicker sauce, just add more cottage cheese or parmesan cheese. I used a recipe from 40aprons.com as a basis for this recipe. Other milks can be substituted for the heavy cream. To achieve a thick sauce with other types of milk, corn starch may need to be used as a thickener such as cornstarch. Other cheeses can be substitutes for the parmesan cheese such as asiago, pecorino, or any other hard cheese.
The Zoodles for the Alfredo Sauce
Zoodles, or zucchini noodles, are a great low carb alternative to pasta. There are many devices you can use to make zucchini noodles. There are attachments to a Kitchen Aid mixer, hand held devices, and table top devices to name a few. I just used a hand held maker to make my zoodles. Just cut the ends off of a zucchini and twist away!
The Chicken and the Italian sausage
The chicken is cut to bite sized pieces along with the Italian sausage. I used bulk Italian sausage and pressed the pieces into the size I felt appropriate. Place the sausage and chicken pieces on a lined baking sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes at 375 degrees or until the chicken is 165 degrees F. The spices from the sausage will season the chicken while baking. When the chicken and sausage are finished baking, just place the piece into a large skillet and you are ready to add the sauce!
Finishing the Dish
Place the sauce into the skillet with the chicken and sausage. Heat on medium heat until the sauce is warm. While the sauce is heating, place a serving of zoodles on a plate and warm them in the microwave for about 20-30 seconds. When the sauce, chicken, and sausage are warm, pour over the zoodles and serve right away.
Want A Thicker Sauce?
If you would like your sauce thicker, then mix a teaspoon of cornstarch with a teaspoon of water and mix thoroughly. Pour the mixture into the skillet with the sauce and meat. Stir continuously while heat over a medium high heat until the consistency you would like is achieved.
A great salad to go with this dish is the Easy Make Ahead Layered Salad or zucchini roll ups.
FAQ’s:
Absolutely! While this recipe uses zucchini noodles for a low-carb option, you can easily serve this sauce over traditional pasta like fettuccine, penne, or rigatoni. Simply cook your pasta according to package directions and toss with the finished sauce.
When blended, cottage cheese loses its lumpy texture and becomes incredibly smooth and creamy. It provides a mild, slightly tangy base that, when mixed with parmesan, garlic, and oregano, tastes remarkably similar to a traditional rich alfredo sauce.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. To reheat, gently warm the sauce and meat in a skillet over low heat, stirring occasionally. You may need to add a splash of milk to restore its creamy consistency. Avoid microwaving, as it can cause the sauce to separate.
Yes, you can prepare the sauce up to 2 days in advance. Blend the cottage cheese, parmesan, and spices and store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator. When you’re ready to cook, bake the chicken and sausage and heat them with the sauce in a skillet as directed.
This dish is very versatile. Steamed broccoli florets, sautéed mushrooms, or wilted spinach would all be delicious additions. Stir them into the skillet with the chicken and sausage just before serving.
Easy Alfredo Sauce with Chicken and Sausage
Ingredients
- 2 cups of cottage cheese
- 1 cup of parmesan cheese
- 1 cup of milk or heavy whipping cream see notes
- 1 teaspoon of oregano
- ½ teaspoon of garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon of sea salt
- ½ teaspoon of freshly cracked black pepper
- 1 tablespoon of cornstarch optional see notes
- 1 tablespoon of cold water optional see notes
- 3 pounds of zucchini
- 3 chicken breasts
- 1 pound of Italian sausage
Method
- Using a spiralizer, handheld zoodle maker, or whatever you have to make zoodles, make zoodles out of the three pounds of zucchini and set aside.
- Place cottage cheese, parmesan cheese, milk, oregano, garlic powder, sea salt, and pepper into a food processor and blend until combined.
- Next, cut up chicken and sausage into bite sized pieces and place onto a large lined baking sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until chicken reaches 165 degrees F.
- After the chicken and sausage is finished cooking, place in a large skillet. Then add the cottage cheese mixture and cook over a medium heat for about 15 minutes stirring occasionally.
- The mixture will begin to get thin once it starts warming up. If you would like a thicker sauce, then mix the cornstarch and the water together to create a slurry. While stirring the sauce in the pan, pour the slurry in and mix until well combined. Lower the heat to medium low and continue to stir until the sauce is thickened.
- Place a serving size of zoodles on a plate and warm in the microwave for 15-20 seconds. Then spoon a serving of the mixture in the skillet over the zoodles and enjoy!
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