Kluski z Serem (Polish Pasta with Cottage Cheese Recipe) combines soft, fluffy egg noodles with buttery caramelized onion, cottage cheese, sour cream, salt, and black pepper for an easy comfort food meal that’s similar to macaroni and cheese.
If you like macaroni and cheese, get ready to have your mind blown!
This is a nearly-instant, from-scratch macaroni and cheese-style recipe. All you have to do is sauté onion in butter and boil egg noodles. You don't even have to shred cheese for this recipe!
Combine the buttery onion and the boiled egg noodles with a generous dollop of cottage cheese and a spoonful of sour cream. Season the dish with a little salt and black pepper, and dig in.
Similar recipes are called Kluski z Serem in Polish, Lokshen Mit Kaese in Yiddish, and Túrós Csusza in Hungarian. For the most part, they’re all a variation of a combination of egg noodles or pasta with farmers’ cheese. Some savory versions have bacon, caramelized onion, and/or black pepper added. And there are sweet versions that pair cottage cheese with cinnamon sugar!
I absolutely love the buttery caramelized onion in this dish. Paired with cottage cheese and sour cream, it almost reminds me of the flavor profile of sour cream and onion potato chips, but in noodle form. I like to add a little sprinkle of something green on top – usually parsley or chives – for a pop of color.
You can eat this pasta with cottage cheese as it is for a vegetarian meal along with steamed vegetables or a green salad. Or serve it as a side dish with just about anything. The amounts in the recipe card below are enough for 3 main course-sized servings (or 2 main course servings if you're really hungry!), or 6 side dish-sized servings.
This dish is not only quick, easy, and delicious, but it’s kid-friendly as well! Whip it up the next time you’re craving mac and cheese and I think you might find a new favorite.
What Type of Cheese to Use to Make This Dish Authentic
The main thing to note with this recipe is that the cheese traditionally used is a type of famers’ cheese. It has slightly larger curds than what we’re familiar with here in the U.S. It’s most similar to a dry cottage cheese.
The cottage cheese that we have available here is a decent substitute. However, if you can find dry cottage cheese, by all means use that.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Affordable! Noodles paired with onion and cottage cheese is definitely a meal on the cheap. Add a steamed vegetable or side salad to keep the cost down and round it out.
- Easy. If you can cook onion and boil pasta, you can make this recipe.
- Delicious. It’s great if a recipe is affordable and easy, but that doesn’t mean anything unless it’s also delicious! This one fits the bill. It’s pure comfort food!
The Best Cottage Cheese Pasta Recipe
Ingredients
- Salted butter
- Onion
- Cottage cheese or famers’ cheese
- Sour cream
- Salt and black pepper
- Fresh parsley or chives
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Add the butter to a medium-sized skillet over medium heat. Once melted, add the onion.
- Cook until the onion is softened and starting to brown, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Once the onions are cooked, stir in the boiled noodles.
- After that, stir in the cottage cheese, sour cream, and salt. Top with black pepper and fresh herbs and serve it up!
Cooks Tips
- If you don’t have salted butter, you can use unsalted butter and add ¼ teaspoon salt.
- Instead of cottage cheese, you can use farmers’ cheese if you prefer.
- To bump up the flavor even more, you can crisp up 3 slices of bacon. Remove the bacon from the skillet and crumble it to add to the top of the noodles when serving. Use the bacon grease instead of butter to cook the onion.
Pasta with Cottage Cheese FAQs
What is Túrós Csusza?
Túrós Csusza is a savory Hungarian recipe that consists of curd cheese, sour cream, small pasta or noodles, and commonly bacon. The cheese, which is called Túrós, is similar to farmers’ cheese but with a bit larger curds, similar to a dry cottage cheese.
Read more about Túrós Csusza on Wikipedia.
What is Lokshen Mit Kaese?
Lokshen Mit Kaese is Yiddish for egg noodles with cheese. This is an Ashkenazi Jewish dish of egg noodles and cottage cheese or farmers’ cheese. Savory versions can contain caramelized onion and black pepper, and sweet versions may have cinnamon sugar. You can think of it as a deconstructed noodle kugel.
Find out more about Lokshen Mit Kaese on Wikipedia.
What is Kluski z Serem?
Kluski z Serem, also called Makaron z Serem and sometimes lovingly referred to as “Lazy Pierogis”, is a Polish dish that combines egg noodles and farmers’ cheese or cottage cheese. Onions sautéed in butter are a common addition.
What Type of Pasta Should I Use?
My dad always talked about his grandmother's kluski noodles with so much fondness. Kluski noodles are a type of Polish egg noodle. Here in the US, I use wide egg noodles for a close replica.
However, feel free to use any shape of pasta you like for this recipe!
Does Cottage Cheese Melt in Pasta?
Not really. Cottage cheese will soften significantly in hot pasta and help create a creamy sauce. However, it will still have small lumps.
What Do You Serve with Cottage Cheese Pasta?
- Steamed broccoli, green beans, or asparagus
- Garlic Roasted Mushrooms
- Crispy Instant Pot Brussels Sprouts with Bacon and Balsamic
- Apple Walnut Rainbow Swiss Chard Salad
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Kluski z Serem (Polish Pasta with Cottage Cheese Recipe)
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons salted butter
- 1 cup thinly sliced onion about ¼ of a large onion
- 6 ounces egg noodles cooked according to the package directions and drained
- ⅔ cup cottage cheese or farmers’ cheese
- 3 tablespoons sour cream
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 teaspoons minced fresh parsley or chives (for topping)
Instructions
- Add the butter to a medium-sized skillet over medium heat. Once melted, add the onion and cook until it’s softened and starting to brown, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Once the onions are cooked, stir in the noodles. After that, stir in the cottage cheese, sour cream, and salt.
- Transfer to serving bowls, sprinkle the parsley and black pepper on top, and serve.
Faith's Tips
- Recipe Yield: This recipe makes 3 main course-sized servings or 6 side dish-sized servings.
- You Can Use Unsalted Butter Instead of Salted: If you don’t have salted butter, you can use unsalted butter and add ¼ teaspoon salt.
- Substitute for Cottage Cheese: Instead of cottage cheese, you can use farmers’ cheese if you prefer. Or look for dry cottage cheese for a good replica of what is traditionally used.
- Add Bacon For Flavor and Texture: To bump up the flavor even more, you can crisp up 3 slices of bacon. Remove the bacon from the skillet and crumble it to add to the top of the noodles when serving. Use the bacon grease instead of butter to cook the onion.
Nutrition
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