This recipe comes from Olympian Colleen Quigley whose Dad has been making this pasta as a mac n’ cheese alternative ever since she was a kid. He would serve it up at Colleen’s high school team dinners and Colleen has been carrying on that tradition ever since! It’s always been a HUGE crowd pleaser and it’s both decadently creamy AND healthy! It has become one of Colleen’s go-to meals the night before a workout or race.
Ingredient highlight
Pasta! I have a deep love for pasta. It’s delicious, it’s a great vehicle for other ingredients, and it nourishes me inside and out.
“Pasta contains a high amount of protein (in the form of gluten) and starch, a complex carbohydrate. Some of that starch is resistant starch, which gets fermented in the large intestine, becoming a form of fiber. If the word “carbohydrate” were replaced by the word “fiber” when referring to pasta, and the word “gluten” replaced with “protein” – suddenly things become very different. Pasta provides the body with protein, fiber, and energy.” – Letitia Clark, Bitter Honey
Servings 4
Prep Time 5 minutes 
Cook Time 15 minutes Ingredients
- 1 lb pasta (Colleen loves shells, spirals, fettuccini, bucatini – I used rigatoni)
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup plain whole milk Greek yogurt
- 1 1/2 cups grated parmesan cheese
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1-2 tsp dried basil or oregano
- 1/2 tsp black pepper (optional)
- 3-5 cloves garlic, thinly sliced*
- Fresh chopped parsley or basil (optional)
- *I like having slivers of toasty garlic in the pasta, but if you don’t like that you could just smash it and then remove it from the oil/pasta or chop it more finely (just note it will cook much faster when finely chopped, so be careful not to burn it).
- Veggie boost! ~ I like this as is, but you could add chopped broccoli or asparagus during the last 1-2 minutes of pasta cooking time (or even fresh or frozen spinach). Or stir in some grilled veggies!
- Protein boost! ~ Add chopped grilled chicken into the pasta along with the yogurt sauce or top with grilled shrimp.
- Note: ~ Serve this with a simple side salad or this week's Lemony Fennel Kale Salad (I like to add some of this salad right into my pasta bowl for a nice tangy crunch).
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to boil (3-4 quarts water, 1 tablespoon salt). Add pasta and cook according to the package instructions. Reserve about 1 cup pasta water, then drain and set aside.
- Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk the egg, then stir in the yogurt, parmesan, and salt until combined.
- Once you’ve drained the pasta, wipe the pasta pot dry (or you can do this in a separate skillet), and add the oil, basil or oregano, black pepper (if using), and garlic. Turn the heat on low and cook until very fragrant and the garlic is softened, about 2 minutes (careful not to burn the garlic, it will continue to cook a bit in the oil before you add the pasta). Turn off the heat.
- Add the pasta back to the pot and immediately stir to coat in that garlic oil. Add the yogurt mixture and stir until everything is well coated. You can thin the sauce out a bit with some of that reserved pasta water, if needed (this comes in handy if the pot is sitting out for a bit before serving).
- Serve topped with black pepper and some fresh herbs if you have them.
Items you can prep ahead (optional)
- Mix together the yogurt mixture
- Thinly slice 3-5 cloves garlic
Substitutions:
- This one is tough to make dairy-free or vegan, so I’d suggest making this Sneaky “Cheesy” Pasta instead!
- To make gluten-free, use gluten-free noodles (Jovial Foods Brown Rice Spaghetti is my favorite).
Storage:
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Leftovers + Repurposing:
- Reheat in the microwave until warmed through. Pasta is never as good reheated because it sucks up a lot of liquid/sauce, so it’s nice to top with a squeeze of lemon and/or lots of fresh herbs to brighten it up and plenty of parmesan cheese and black pepper.
- Toss some chopped protein or cooked veggies in with it! I love this pasta with this week’s Lemony Fennel Kale Salad.
Servings 4 Prep Time 5 minutes Cook Time 15 minutes Ingredients
- 1 lb pasta (Colleen loves shells, spirals, fettuccini, bucatini - I used rigatoni)
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup plain whole milk Greek yogurt
- 1 1/2 cups grated parmesan cheese
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1-2 tsp dried basil or oregano
- 1/2 tsp black pepper (optional)
- 3-5 cloves garlic, thinly sliced*
- Fresh chopped parsley or basil (optional)
- *I like having slivers of toasty garlic in the pasta, but if you don’t like that you could just smash it and then remove it from the oil/pasta or chop it more finely (just note it will cook much faster when finely chopped, so be careful not to burn it).
- Veggie boost! ~ I like this as is, but you could add chopped broccoli or asparagus during the last 1-2 minutes of pasta cooking time (or even fresh or frozen spinach). Or stir in some grilled veggies!
- Protein boost! ~ Add chopped grilled chicken into the pasta along with the yogurt sauce or top with grilled shrimp.
- Note: ~ Serve this with a simple side salad or this week's Lemony Fennel Kale Salad (I like to add some of this salad right into my pasta bowl for a nice tangy crunch).
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to boil (3-4 quarts water, 1 tablespoon salt). Add pasta and cook according to the package instructions. Reserve about 1 cup pasta water, then drain and set aside.
- Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk the egg, then stir in the yogurt, parmesan, and salt until combined.
- Once you’ve drained the pasta, wipe the pasta pot dry (or you can do this in a separate skillet), and add the oil, basil or oregano, black pepper (if using), and garlic. Turn the heat on low and cook until very fragrant and the garlic is softened, about 2 minutes (careful not to burn the garlic, it will continue to cook a bit in the oil before you add the pasta). Turn off the heat.
- Add the pasta back to the pot and immediately stir to coat in that garlic oil. Add the yogurt mixture and stir until everything is well coated. You can thin the sauce out a bit with some of that reserved pasta water, if needed (this comes in handy if the pot is sitting out for a bit before serving).
- Serve topped with black pepper and some fresh herbs if you have them.
Items you can prep ahead (optional)
- Mix together the yogurt mixture
- Thinly slice 3-5 cloves garlic
Substitutions:
- This one is tough to make dairy-free or vegan, so I’d suggest making this Sneaky “Cheesy” Pasta instead!
- To make gluten-free, use gluten-free noodles (Jovial Foods Brown Rice Spaghetti is my favorite).
Storage:
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Leftovers + Repurposing:
- Reheat in the microwave until warmed through. Pasta is never as good reheated because it sucks up a lot of liquid/sauce, so it’s nice to top with a squeeze of lemon and/or lots of fresh herbs to brighten it up and plenty of parmesan cheese and black pepper.
- Toss some chopped protein or cooked veggies in with it! I love this pasta with this week’s Lemony Fennel Kale Salad.
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