The best meal prep dinners are the ones that don’t feel like meal prep when you’re eating them. This creamy high-protein garlic beef pasta hits that mark. It tastes genuinely indulgent, the sauce is silky and complex, and every serving lands around 35 to 45 grams of protein depending on the pasta you use. The whole thing comes together in an hour and divides cleanly into five containers for the week.

The roasted vegetable sauce base is what makes this high protein creamy beef pasta recipe worth choosing over a standard ground beef pasta. Charred bell peppers, burst cherry tomatoes, and a full bulb of roasted garlic blended with cream cheese or cottage cheese produce a sauce that’s rich, smoky, and naturally thick without a gram of heavy cream in it. The cottage cheese route in particular is worth trying if you haven’t used it in a blended sauce before. Once it’s processed smooth with the roasted vegetables, the texture is indistinguishable from a cream-based sauce.

Macro-conscious eating doesn’t have to mean sacrificing the “hamburger helper” comfort factor. This recipe proves the point.

Why You’ll Love This Creamy High-Protein Garlic Beef Pasta

The roasted garlic is the standout flavor moment in this dish. A full bulb roasted until the cloves are soft and caramelized loses all its sharpness and transforms into something sweet, nutty, and deeply savory. Squeezed directly into the blender with the peppers and tomatoes, it builds a sauce with more complexity than any stovetop garlic addition produces.

The sauce technique is also genuinely clever from a nutrition standpoint. Light cream cheese or blended cottage cheese provides the creaminess and mouthfeel of a much heavier sauce at a fraction of the saturated fat. The starchy pasta water loosens it to the right consistency and helps it cling to every piece of pasta in the skillet.

Extra lean ground beef keeps the protein-to-fat ratio high, and protein pasta pushes the numbers further if that’s a priority. This is a dinner that serves both fitness goals and genuine hunger simultaneously.

Ingredients for Creamy High-Protein Garlic Beef Pasta

I always use the cottage cheese option here when cooking for meal prep. Full-fat or low-fat cottage cheese blended completely smooth with the roasted vegetables adds more protein per serving than cream cheese while keeping the saturated fat lower. If the texture of unblended cottage cheese concerns you, the blender step eliminates it entirely.

The Beef & Pasta:

• 1 lb extra lean ground beef (5 to 10% fat)
• 8 oz protein pasta or whole-wheat pasta (penne, shells, or fusilli)
• 1 teaspoon olive oil

The Roasted Vegetable Sauce Base:

• 2 red bell peppers, de-seeded and chopped
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes
• 1 bulb of garlic, top sliced off to expose the cloves
• 1/2 cup light cream cheese or low-fat cottage cheese
• 1/2 cup reserved pasta water, as needed

The Seasoning Blend:

• 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
• 2 teaspoons dried Italian herbs
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• Salt and black pepper to taste

The Finish:

• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• Fresh parsley, chopped

Red bell peppers are the right choice here over yellow or green. They’re the sweetest variety and balance the acidity of the cherry tomatoes after roasting. Green peppers would add a slightly bitter note that works against the creamy, mild sauce profile. Protein pasta made from chickpeas or lentils boosts the per-serving protein count significantly and holds up well to blended vegetable sauces, though the texture is slightly different from standard pasta. Banza chickpea pasta is the most widely available option and tastes the most neutral of the protein pasta varieties.

How to Make Creamy High-Protein Garlic Beef Pasta

The key to the roasted garlic is patience with the timing. The garlic bulb needs the full 25 to 30 minutes at 400°F for the cloves to become completely soft and caramelized inside their papery skins. Under-roasted garlic is still sharp and pungent rather than sweet and mellow, and it will change the character of the blended sauce significantly. The cloves are ready when they’re golden at the cut end and squeeze out easily like a soft paste.

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Arrange the chopped bell peppers and cherry tomatoes on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Place the garlic bulb cut-side up alongside the vegetables. Drizzle everything with a small amount of oil and a pinch of salt. Roast for 25 to 30 minutes until the peppers are softened with slightly charred edges and the tomatoes have burst.
2. While the vegetables roast, cook the pasta in a large pot of generously salted water for 1 minute less than the package directions. Before draining, scoop out at least 1 cup of starchy pasta water and set it aside. Drain and set the pasta aside.
3. Once the vegetables come out of the oven, let them cool for 2 to 3 minutes. Squeeze the softened garlic cloves directly from their skins into a blender. Add the roasted peppers, burst tomatoes, cream cheese or cottage cheese, and half the Parmesan. Blend until completely smooth. Add pasta water a few tablespoons at a time if the sauce is too thick to blend easily.
4. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook the ground beef with the smoked paprika, Italian herbs, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Break into small crumbles as it cooks for 5 to 7 minutes until fully browned. Drain any excess fat.
5. Reduce the heat to low. Pour the blended sauce over the beef and stir to combine. Add the drained pasta to the skillet and toss everything together until every piece is coated.
6. If the pasta looks too dry or the sauce too thick, add the reserved pasta water a tablespoon at a time until the consistency coats the pasta evenly without pooling at the bottom of the pan.
7. Serve garnished with the remaining Parmesan and fresh chopped parsley. For meal prep, divide into five equal portions in airtight containers.

Pro tip: If you’re using cottage cheese and still notice any slight texture, blend the sauce for an extra 30 seconds and then pass it through a fine mesh strainer. This produces an absolutely smooth result that is completely undetectable in the finished dish.

What to Serve with Creamy High-Protein Garlic Beef Pasta

This is a complete, macro-balanced meal on its own, but a few simple sides add volume, micronutrients, and variety to the plate.

Steamed broccoli: The most practical side for a meal prep dinner. Broccoli adds fiber, Vitamin C, and bulk to the plate without significantly impacting the macro profile. Season with a pinch of garlic powder and a squeeze of lemon.

Dark leafy green salad: A simple salad with spinach or arugula dressed with lemon juice and olive oil adds iron, folate, and a fresh contrast to the warm, savory pasta. It takes two minutes to assemble and rounds out the nutritional profile of the meal.

Roasted zucchini: A quick sheet pan of zucchini roasted at the same 400°F as the sauce vegetables makes a natural side that can cook simultaneously. It adds volume and a mild flavor that complements the smoky, garlicky sauce.

Cucumber and tomato salad: A simple chopped cucumber and tomato salad dressed with red wine vinegar and a little olive oil provides crunch and acidity that lifts the richness of the pasta. It also holds up well as a meal prep side stored separately in the container.

Cottage cheese and herb dip with crudités: For a high-protein meal prep spread, a small container of herbed cottage cheese with sliced cucumbers and bell pepper strips alongside the pasta adds more protein and crunch without any additional cooking.

Garlic bread: If macro tracking isn’t the priority and you’re serving this as a family dinner, a slice of crusty garlic bread alongside the pasta completes the comfort food angle and handles any extra sauce in the bowl.

Pro Tips & Variations

Cottage cheese texture: If you find the idea of cottage cheese in a pasta sauce off-putting, know that the blender completely eliminates the texture. Once processed smooth with the roasted vegetables, it’s impossible to distinguish from a cream-based sauce. The flavor is mild, the protein is high, and it works.

Ground turkey or chicken: Both work as direct protein substitutes for the beef. Ground turkey is the most neutral in flavor and keeps the sauce flavors in the foreground. Ground chicken follows the same. Season either one slightly more aggressively than beef since both have less inherent fat flavor.

Chickpea pasta: Banza or similar chickpea-based pasta is the best choice for maximizing the protein content of this dish. It holds up well to the thick blended sauce and has a mild flavor that doesn’t compete with the roasted garlic and peppers. Cook it at the lower end of the package time since it can become soft quickly.

Add spinach: A large handful of baby spinach stirred into the skillet after the sauce and pasta are combined wilts into the dish within a minute over low heat. It adds micronutrients, volume, and color without affecting the flavor or macro breakdown significantly.

Roast extra vegetables: Double the bell peppers and tomatoes on the baking sheet. Use half for the sauce and store the other half in the fridge for three days as a topping for eggs, sandwiches, or grain bowls throughout the week.

Storage & Reheating Tips

This pasta is an excellent meal prep recipe and keeps well in airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. The pasta absorbs the sauce slightly overnight, which actually deepens the flavor and makes day-two portions taste particularly good. I add a tablespoon of water or broth to each container before reheating to loosen the sauce back to its original consistency. Reheat in the microwave at full power in 90-second intervals, stirring between rounds, or warm in a skillet over medium-low heat with the added liquid. For freezing, the sauce and beef freeze well for up to 2 months, but I prefer to freeze them without the pasta and cook fresh pasta when reheating since frozen pasta loses texture after thawing.

Common Questions

Can I make the sauce ahead of time and store it separately? Yes, and this is worth doing for efficient meal prep. Blend the roasted vegetable sauce, cool it completely, and refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 4 days or freeze for up to 2 months. When ready to cook, brown the beef, warm the sauce in the skillet with a splash of pasta water, and add freshly cooked pasta.

The sauce tastes acidic. How do I balance it? Cherry tomatoes vary in acidity, and sometimes a batch produces a sauce that’s sharper than expected. A pinch of sugar or a half teaspoon of honey stirred into the blended sauce before adding it to the beef balances the acidity without making the dish taste sweet. A small pat of butter stirred in at the end has the same softening effect.

Can I use jarred roasted peppers instead of roasting my own? Yes. Drained jarred roasted red peppers work as a direct substitute for the fresh roasted peppers and save the 30-minute oven step. The flavor is slightly less complex since jarred peppers don’t have the same caramelized char, but the sauce still comes together well. You’ll still need to roast the garlic bulb and cherry tomatoes for the best flavor result.

This creamy high-protein garlic beef pasta is one of the most satisfying ways to hit a protein target without eating plain chicken and rice for the fifth day in a row. The roasted vegetable sauce, the seasoned beef, and the Parmesan finish produce something genuinely delicious that holds up well through four days of meal prep. Make a batch on Sunday and eat well all week.

Creamy High-Protein Garlic Beef Pasta

A macro-friendly creamy beef pasta with a silky roasted red pepper, tomato, and garlic sauce blended with cottage cheese or cream cheese for a high-protein comfort dinner perfect for meal prep.

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 40 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr

Servings: 5 servings

Course: Dinner, Main Course

Cuisine: American, Italian-American

Calories: 480

Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients

  

• 1 lb extra lean ground beef 5 to 10% fat
• 8 oz protein pasta or whole-wheat pasta penne, shells, or fusilli; chickpea pasta for highest protein
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 2 red bell peppers de-seeded and chopped
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes
• 1 bulb of garlic top sliced off to expose cloves
• 0.5 cup light cream cheese or low-fat cottage cheese cottage cheese blends smoother and adds more protein
• 0.5 cup reserved pasta water as needed for sauce consistency
• 2 tsp smoked paprika
• 2 tsp dried Italian herbs
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• salt and black pepper to taste
• 0.25 cup grated Parmesan cheese divided
• fresh parsley chopped, for garnish

Equipment

• Baking sheet with parchment paper
• Large pot for pasta
• Blender or food processor
• large skillet

Method

 

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Place the chopped bell peppers, cherry tomatoes, and garlic bulb cut-side up on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Drizzle with a small amount of oil and a pinch of salt. Roast for 25 to 30 minutes until the peppers are softened with charred edges and the tomatoes have burst.
2. While the vegetables roast, cook the pasta in generously salted boiling water for 1 minute less than the package directions. Reserve at least 1 cup of starchy pasta water before draining. Set aside.
3. Let the roasted vegetables cool for 2 to 3 minutes. Squeeze the softened garlic cloves from their skins into a blender. Add the roasted peppers, burst tomatoes, cream cheese or cottage cheese, and half the Parmesan. Blend until completely smooth, adding pasta water as needed to reach a pourable consistency.
4. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook the ground beef with the smoked paprika, Italian herbs, garlic powder, salt, and pepper, breaking into small crumbles, for 5 to 7 minutes until fully browned. Drain any excess fat.
5. Reduce heat to low. Pour the blended sauce over the beef and stir to combine. Add the drained pasta and toss until every piece is evenly coated.
6. Add reserved pasta water a tablespoon at a time if the sauce looks too thick or the pasta appears dry.
7. Serve garnished with the remaining Parmesan and fresh chopped parsley. For meal prep, divide into five equal portions in airtight containers.

Notes

Cottage Cheese Texture: Blend for an extra 30 seconds and strain through a fine mesh sieve for a completely smooth sauce if any texture remains. Make-Ahead Sauce: Blend and refrigerate the roasted vegetable sauce for up to 4 days or freeze for up to 2 months. Protein Boost: Use chickpea-based pasta (Banza) for the highest protein count per serving. Estimated protein per serving is 35 to 45g depending on pasta type. Storage: Refrigerate in airtight containers for up to 4 days. Add a tablespoon of water or broth before reheating to loosen the sauce. Sauce Acidity Fix: Add a pinch of sugar or half a teaspoon of honey to the blended sauce if the tomatoes make it too sharp. Protein Alternatives: Ground turkey or chicken work as direct substitutes for the beef.