Low Calorie Pasta
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My low calorie pasta recipe is creamy, cheesy, and has fewer calories than traditional pasta bakes.
Why this pasta is lower in calories
While traditional pasta dishes can be quite calorie-dense (especially when paired with heavy creams, oil, and cheese), it doesn’t mean pasta has to be off the table.
Instead of cutting it out, I focused on building a version that keeps the flavor of classic baked pasta, while being lighter per serving. My recipe uses real pasta noodles, a tomato-based sauce, and a creamy blend of cottage cheese and mozzarella for texture.
The finished dish is satisfying and cheesy, and easily fits into a more calorie-conscious dinner rotation without feeling like a substitute – Arman Liew
Key Ingredients
Here’s what goes into low calorie pasta recipes, along with kitchen notes. Full measurements are in the recipe card below.
- Pasta. Use a high-fiber or lower-calorie pasta in a penne, macaroni, or tube shape so it holds the sauce well. I typically use Fiber Gourmet pasta, which contains 110 calories per serving.
- Cottage cheese. I like to use fat-free cottage cheese. If your cottage cheese is chunky, you can blend it until it is perfectly smooth.
- Mozzarella cheese. Fat-free or reduced-fat mozzarella cheese will keep the fat on the lower side.
- Egg. Binds everything together.
- Low calorie pasta sauce. I’m using a mix of tomato sauce (passata), Italian seasoning, garlic cloves, salt, pepper, and a brown sugar substitute to bring out the sweetness.
How do you make low calorie pasta
Start by cooking the pasta as per the package instructions. Next, whisk together all the ingredients until combined. In a mixing bowl, add half the pasta sauce, cottage cheese, half the mozzarella, and the egg, and whisk until combined. Add the cooked pasta and mix until combined.
Now, spread 1/4 cup of the pasta sauce into the base of an 8 x 8-inch baking dish. Add the pasta mixture, then pour the remaining sauce on top. Cover that with the remaining mozzarella cheese, then cover the baking dish completely with aluminum foil. Bake for 30 minutes, then remove the foil and continue baking until the cheese is bubbling and browned around the edges.
Recipe variations
- Pasta options. I find high-fiber pasta works best for a lower-calorie base, but you can also use black bean, mung bean, or legume-based pasta. Keep in mind that some of these pasta alternatives absorb sauce differently, so you may need to adjust the liquid slightly.
- Protein. Instead of cottage cheese, use fat-free ricotta for a more traditional pasta bake texture, or non-fat Greek yogurt (it will be a little tangier!).
- Cheese. I’ve had success with fat-free cheddar or reduced-fat pepper jack cheese. I love the subtle heat from the pepper jack.
- Vegetables. Bulk up the dish with mushrooms, bell peppers, zucchini, or eggplant. I do recommend sautéing or roasting the vegetables first to prevent excess moisture in the final bake.
Storage instructions
To store: Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator, covered, for up to five days.
To freeze: Place portions of the pasta in airtight containers and store them in the freezer for up to 6 months.
Reheating: Microwave the pasta in 30-second spurts until hot, and the cheese is bubbling.
Frequently Asked Questions
The calorie count is based on the weight of dry pasta (2 ounces/56 g) before cooking. Pasta absorbs water as it cooks, increasing its weight and volume but not its calories.
Yes, just note the calorie difference. Regular semolina pasta typically contains around 200 calories per two-ounce dry serving, compared to about 110 calories for Fiber Gourmet. That means swapping it will increase the recipe’s total calories.
✅ Nutrition reviewed
Nutrition information is calculated using weighed ingredients and analyzed by our in-house registered dietitian. Values are estimates and may vary based on brand and substitutions. For best accuracy, we recommend weighing ingredients (especially dry ingredients, like pasta) where possible.
Low Calorie Pasta
Video
Ingredients
For the pasta
- 6 ounces low calorie pasta 170g, uncooked
- 1 cup cottage cheese 225g, fat free
- 2 cups fat free mozzarella cheese 200g, divided
- 1 large egg 50g
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning 6g
For the low calorie pasta sauce
- 1 1/2 cups tomato sauce 360g
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning 2g
- 1/2 teaspoon salt 3g
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper 1g
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar substitute 4g
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Grease an 8 x 8-inch baking dish and set aside.
- Measure out the pasta, then cook as per package instructions. In a separate bowl, whisk the sauce ingredients until combined.
- In a large bowl, mix together half of the pasta sauce, the cottage cheese, one cup of the mozzarella cheese, egg, and Italian seasoning. Add the cooked pasta and mix well.
- Spread ¼ cup of the pasta sauce. Add the pasta mixture and then spread the remaining sauce on top. Sprinkle with the remaining mozzarella cheese.
- Cover the baking dish and bake for 35-40 minutes. Uncover and bake until the cheese is melted and bubbling around the sides.
Notes
- Nutritional calculation: The nutritional content is calculated using Fiber Gourmet pasta. If you use regular pasta, each serving will have 334 calories.
- Serving size: 1/4 of the entire recipe, which works out to be about 9.5 to 10 ounces (275-295g).
- Leftovers: Keep in the fridge for 5 days, covered, or in the freezer for up to 6 months.
Nutrition
More low calorie recipes
- I love these low calorie cookies that are thick, chewy, and satisfy the cravings.
- Low calorie pizza is a weekly staple for our pizza nights!
- Satisfy the bagel cravings with these low calorie bagels. The dough needs just 2 ingredients.
- Low calorie chips that skip the excess oil but are so crispy and crunchy.
- This low calorie bread toasts beautifully and is white, fluffy, and tender.
Originally published December 2021. Updated February 2026 to improve measurement accuracy and provide revised nutrition estimates.
As an Italian American who grew up with baked ziti (amongst other wonders of the world), as I’ve grown older, I have had to refrain from pasta, in order to keep my weight down. Oh, how we suffer!
However, coming across this recipe has given me new hope!
The only changes I would have to make is dismissing the cottage cheese for part skim ricotta. Which, is best made yourself. For many of the high priced brands now contain various fillers, gums, and other nonsense, of which you get to pay through the nose for. Ricotta is only milk, an acid (usually vinegar) or rennet, and salt. Anything more than those three things is garbage. Leave it on the grocery dairy shelf to rot!
Besides, ricotta is actually easier to make than greek yogurt.
Getting back to this long existing use of cottage cheese in place of ricotta; I’ve tried cottage cheese as a ricotta cheese replacement many times throughout my sixty years in lasagna and similar baked ziti/pasta situations and no… just no. There are just some substitutions that cannot come close to what they are substituting. Better to not have the dish at all unless we like lying to ourselves that the substitution is just as good as the real thing. . . while quietly gagging in our throats.
Speaking of, the same goes for the common misguided idea of putting sugar in your sauce to reduce the acid… The reality is that only results in creating an Italian version of a sweet and sour tomato sauce. Really??? Who came up with that idea? I’d like to string them up with piano wire like they did with Mussolini!
No Italian women in my heavily Italian immigrant city ever heard of such a thing. Th0se old ladies would sooner beat you off their porch with their rolling pin should you insist on such a sacrilege! At worst a little shredded carrot. . . maybe. But sugar? Che Putz! No. None of the Southern Italian old ladies ever heard of such a thing. Mayonnaise Face Americano!
But seriously. There is actually a very simple solution to the over acidic tomato problem if ony we apply what we have learned in basic high school chemistry class. And it goes like this—if there is too much acid in your tomato (and yes, today they do put more citric acid in canned tomato than decades ago) just meet that acid with a base. And that base is. . .
Baking Soda.
However, be careful to use very very very little. In fact 1/16 or even 1/32 of a tsp per dutch oven pot (three or more 28oz cans of tomato) to start with will largely do. Remember, you can always add more, but you cannot take it away. And yes, it works quickly. Simply stir it in well, and you will see a slight effervescence which is the reaction of the base (baking soda) neutralizing the acid.
Again be warned, if you use too much too soon, you will end up with a very non-acidic tomato sauce— something not awful but rather unusual just the same.
Unfortunately, I know of no solution to reintroducing acid back to the sauce once it has been neutralized. Because the baking soda will not only neutralize the added acids used in canning processes, not to mention the naturally occurring acids of the tomato itself. And yes, you may probably be able to add citric acid in, but you will need to add quite a bit to counter the already existing baking soda, and the result would be somewhat citrusy/. For that, you may as well toss it, learn from the experience, and begin agin. So be light of hand—very light. It would also be wise to wait until the very end to introduce the baking soda, as there will be quite a bit of evaporation of water in a long simmering sauce which would change ratios considerably.
I will never understand the American need to put sugar in everything whether it be actual sugar or high fructose corn syrup. You will no more find sugar in an authentic home made Italian tomato sauce than you would in a true to nature Mexican salsa. That is, unless you buy either in a jar off the shelf while stupidly paying some unnecessary amount of money for it.
Unless there is a blight, tomato is cheap. Remember that.
There is no justification in spending $3, $4, $5, $6 or more for a jar of tomato sauce regardless of what little old lady’s photo rests on its label, or what quaint Italian sounding name is scripted upon it. And spending more, does not mean you are actually getting anything any more authentic than Ragu’. Which, last time I checked has no sugar in its ingredient list.
Don’t be a fool for Marketing. 🙂
I love the passion here- and honestly, you make a strong case for sticking with ricotta over cottage cheese. Totally agree that some substitutions just don’t hit the same same, especially in classic dishes. The baking soda tip is interesting too- I’ve always gone the carrot route, but your chemistry approach makes sense if used correctly. At the end of the day, it’;s nice finding ways to enjoy pasta a bit lighter without completely sacrificing what makes it great.
Are the serving sizes a tablespoon? Also, picture included is not an 8×8 pan.
I’m not sure how many people eat one tablespoon of pasta, Lisa. I would suggest enjoying more than that. If that is all you can tolerate, this makes many portions for you 🙂
Correct, it isn’t- its 7 x 9 inches, but we noticed not everyone had this unique size, so recommend 8 x 8 inches, which is most common!
yes
What is a serving size of this?
Hi Kendra! The serving size is 1/4 of the entire recipe, which works out to be about 9.5-10 ounces per serving.
I cannot believe this recipe has less than 200 calories. Pasta can be so healthy and tasty.
I must do this. Mozzarella is neccesary? Maybe some other cheese ?
I’d like to know what math you used to come up with 200 calories per serving ? And if this is correct what actual brands for the ingredients did you use … thankyou any feedback would be appreciated
Hi Troy! We’ve revamped the recipe (based on Fiber Gourmet changing their nutritional profile), which works out to be 224 calories per serving. Our in-house dietitian has broken down all the nutritional information, including what the calories would be if you using regular penne pasta!
Yes, any shedded cheese is fine 🙂
I always buy cottage cheese. I like pasta also. So this recipe is my new lunch!
thank you for sharing
You are so welcome, Cynthia!
How much is 1 serving?
Are these your photos? Because this isn’t what Fiber Gourmet’s penne looks like.
It sure is- Are you based on Australia? Depending on where you live, the color looks a little different due to postage etc.
I’ve never heard of low calorie or Protein Pasta, can you tell me where you buy it?
I live in Boynton Beach, FL
I found it online!