High Protein Spaghetti Bolognese

This hearty, high-protein spaghetti bolognese has a tasty sauce, made from ground beef, marinara sauce, cottage cheese and parmesan.

Here's a high-protein spaghetti bolognese that's hearty and flavorful and so easy to make. Plus, it's healthy, gluten-free, low in calories (for a spaghetti bolognese), and made with just 6 ingredients.

The hearty pasta sauce is made with ground beef, creamy cottage cheese, marinara sauce and parmesan. The cottage cheese adds a rich, creaminess to the sauce, much like heavy cream or ricotta would, but it's lower in calories and fat and higher in protein.

And when your pair the protein sauce with your favorite low-carb noodles, you got one satisfying meal. Here we've paired with palmini noodles, but you could also use zucchini noodles, edamame spaghetti (which is higher in protein and a little higher in carbs) or another low-carb noodle of choice.

This high-protein spaghetti bolognese takes just 15 minutes to prepare and stores well in the fridge (great for meal prep!).

Low Carb or Keto Noodles

We use palmini noodles in this recipe to keep the carbs low, but you could consider other protein or low carb noodles like zucchini noodles (zoodles), shirataki noodles, edadame spaghetti, etc.

Key Ingredients

Marinara sauce: We recommend Rao's Arrabbiata Sauce since it's one the best low-carb sauces out there (in terms of carbs, taste and clean ingredients). We use Arrabbiata sauce since it comes with a little heat, but you can also use Rao's regular marinara sauce or another low-carb sauce of your preference (see our review of low-carb sauces here). Just be sure to check the net carbs as different brands and flavors may have more carbs.

Full-fat (4%), small-curd cottage cheese: Cottage cheese not only increases the protein in the bolognese sauce, but also makes it nice and creamy. We use full-fat (4% milk fat) cottage cheese since a lower-in-fat cottage cheese doesn't increase the protein percentage by much (already high in protein) and we prefer the taste of full-fat cottage cheese.

Ground beef (90% lean): We use 90% extra-lean ground beef in the sauce since it has a higher percentage of protein, less fat and fewer calories per serving.

Parmesan: We love to top our spaghetti with grated parmesan, which is one of the highest protein cheeses. If you prefer not to add, it's still a high protein meal.

Palmini Noodles (or other low-carb noodles): We prefer palmini noodles in this recipes since they resemble spaghetti and are low in carbs and calories. We boil them until they turn more tender and then thoroughly drain them (to keep the sauce from becoming too watery). However, you could also consider other protein or low carb noodles like zucchini noodles (zoodles), shirataki noodles, edadame spaghetti, etc.

How to Make

STEP 1: In a food processor, pulse cottage cream until smooth.

STEP 2: Season beef with salt and pepper. In a large skillet over medium heat, cook beef, while breaking into crumbles, until no longer pink, roughly 7 or 8 minutes.

STEP 3. Prepare low-carb noodles per package instructions or to your liking. If using palmini noodles, we recommend boiling them until they turn more tender and then thoroughly draining them (to keep the sauce from becoming too watery).

STEP 4: Add pasta sauce and whipped cottage cheese to pan with ground beef. Simmer on low until warm. Season with salt and pepper to taste. If sauce is too thick, you can add a few tablespoons of leftover noodle water or even more sauce.

Step 5: Add noodles to sauce and toss until covered in sauce. Heat until thoroughly warmed.

Step 6: Plate and finish with grated parmesan.

HOW TO STORE

You can store this in a closed container in the fridge for up to two to three days. Simply reheat in the microwave.

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If you try this recipe, we would love to hear your feedback! Leave a comment, rate it, and tag @lowcarbsimplified on your photo of this recipe on Instagram or Facebook. We hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do!

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