A veggie-forward dinner with a creamy bourbon-tomato sauce, chickpeas, roasted zucchini and just enough bacon to keep things interesting.
Sometimes the best recipes happen when you start with something classic and take a few delicious detours. That’s exactly what happened with this Roasted Zucchini & Chickpeas with Creamy Cottage Cheese Tomato Sauce (it’s like a healthy riff on vodka sauce that I like to call Joe’s sauce because that just rolls off the tongue better, lol).
I started with Don Pepino Pizza Sauce, an OG sauce that’s been around since 1950. It’s made with vine-ripened Jersey tomatoes and has no added sugar or additives, so it brings plenty of rich tomato flavor without needing a long ingredient list.
I wasn’t in a pizza mood, so I took a little inspiration from vodka sauce—but gave it my own twist. Bourbon replaces the vodka, and blended cottage cheese takes the place of heavy cream. The cottage cheese makes the sauce creamy while sneaking in extra protein.
The finished dish is saucy, savory, slightly indulgent and loaded with roasted zucchini and chickpeas. And yes, I finished it with bacon crumbles. Because “veggie-forward” does not mean “bacon-forbidden.” 😂 LOL – but if you’d like to keep it vegetarian friendly, just omit the bacon crumbles (easy-peasy).
Why You’ll Love It
It’s veggie-forward—but actually satisfying. Roasted zucchini brings caramelized edges and tons of flavor. The roasted grape tomatoes add color while chickpeas add fiber, plant-based protein and enough substance to make this feel like a real dinner and not a sad pile of vegetables.
The sauce does the heavy lifting. Don Pepino’s tomato sauce gives this dish a rich, tomato-forward base right from the start. That means less work for me (I don’t have to stand over a simmer pot all day) but still get lots of old-world tomato flavor in the finished dish. Add bourbon, garlic and seasonings, then blend in cottage cheese and you get a creamy sauce that tastes MUCH more decadent than the ingredient list suggests.
Cottage cheese = creamy + protein. Blending cottage cheese into the sauce is one of my favorite tricks for adding creaminess without relying on heavy cream. It also helps bump up the protein, giving this dinner 20 grams of protein per serving.
Leftovers are FIRE. Honestly, I think this might be even better the next day. The flavors have time to hang out, the sauce gets even more delicious and it reheats beautifully. Make it for dinner and you’ve got an easy lunch waiting for you.
Easy to customize. Want to push the protein even higher? Stir in about 1 cup of cooked, chopped chicken breast for a heartier meal. Cooked shrimp would also be delicious, or you could add another protein you love. This is one of those recipes that gives you a great starting point and plenty of room to make it your own.
Great macros. This recipe makes 4 servings, with approximately 417 calories, 32g carbohydrates, 18g fat and 20g protein per serving.
To learn more about Don Pepino Pizza Sauce
This roasted zucchini and chickpeas recipe features a creamy bourbon tomato sauce made with cottage cheese for a delicious, protein-packed veggie-forward dinner.
- For veggies:
- 1 lb. zucchini cut crosswise in 1/3s and then cut into ‘sticks’
- 1 15 oz. can chickpeas drained and rinsed
- 4 oz grape tomatoes halved lengthwise
- 2 tbsp olive oil divided
- ½ tsp sea salt
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
- 2 tbsp Italian seasoning divided
- For Sauce:
- 1.2 Tbsp. olive oil
- 1 tbsp minced garlic
- ½ cup finely chopped onion
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 3 oz. bourbon
- 1 tbsp honey
- 15- oz can Don Pepimo pizza sauce
- 12 ounces cottage cheese blended
- Garnish:
- 2.5 oz bacon crumbles
- 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- ¼ cup chopped fresh Italian parsle
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Preheat oven to 400F.
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Slice zucchini in 1/3s crosswise, and then slice each 1/3 into half. Next to make “sticks”, cut each half into approx. 4 to 5 cuts lengthwise. Set aside in large bowl
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Drain and rinse chickpeas; set aside in the large bowl.
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Cut the tomatoes in half, lengthwise. Set aside in the large bowl.
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Drizzle veggies in the bowl with the 2 tbsp of olive oil. The sprinkle on salt, pepper, and 1 Tbsp. of the Italian seasoning and stir until evenly coated.
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Pour out prepared vegetables onto rimmed baking sheet and roast in oven for 20-25 minutes, shaking up halfway through for even cooking.
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While veggies are roasting, prepare the sauce.
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Add cottage cheese to the blender and process until mostly smooth (a few lumps okay); set aside.
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In 10” skillet, add ½ tbsp olive oil, along with minced garlic and onion and sauté until softened and fragrant; approx. 2-3 minutes. Next add in red pepper flakes and remaining 1 tbsp Italian seasoning and stir until bloomed, approx. 30 seconds.
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Pour in the bourbon and deglaze the pan quickly; stirring for 30 seconds.
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Next pour in the pizza sauce. Stir around for 2 minutes or so until heated.
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Next add the blended cottage cheese. Stir continuously for another 2 minutes, or until heated through.
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Garnish with Parmesan cheese, chopped parsley and bacon crumbles
417 cal, 32g carb, 18g fat, 20g protein
 Treat yourself to pizza night done right with 3-Ingredient Cottage Cheese Pizza Crust, a gluten-free, low-carb and protein-packed alternative to traditional crusts. This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is Cottage-Cheese-Pizza-Crust-Gluten-Free-sq-1024x1024.jpeg I’ve been baking and cooking with cottage cheese for YEARS, so it’s funny to see all these viral cottage cheese recipes on TikTok, Instagram and such as if it’s something new! Using cottage cheese is a smart way to bump up protein, lower fat, and minimize carbohydrates in many recipes – pizza crusts included! The macros on this pizza crust are impressively good. The recipe makes two personal sized crusts (about 6” diameter each) with a single crust (before toppings of your choice) coming in at 163 cal, 4g net carb, 10g dietary fiber, 5g fat and 18g protein. The only ingredients used in this low carb pizza crust are cottage cheese, coconut flour and ground flax seed meal. This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is Cottage-Cheese-Pizza-Crust-ingredients-797x1024.jpeg TIPS FOR MAKING COTTAGE CHEESE PIZZA CRUST: COTTAGE CHEESE: When it comes to selecting cottage cheese for his keto pizza crust recipes, pick a small curd cottage cheese with 2% or 4% milk fat. Stay away from the Fat-free cottage cheese, it does not perform as well. Also, if you use small-curb cottage cheese, there is no need to blend the cottage cheese smooth (as some similar recipes call for). For reference, I used Good Culture 2% Classic Low-Fat Cottage Cheese. They also make a lactose-free cottage cheese, if that is needed. COCONUT FLOUR: This recipe only calls for ¼ cup of coconut flour, but it is a very “thirsty” flour and much less is required than other types of flour. For this reason, please to not make flour substitutes. GROUND FLAXSEED MEAL: I added ground flax seed to add more fiber to the recipes, along with omega fatty acids. If you can not source this, you can *likely* just substitute with 1 tablespoon more of coconut flour – but I have not tried this yet, so let me know if you do. OPTIONAL SEASONINGS: You won’t need salt because cottage cheese has enough sodium. But you might like to add garlic powder, everything bagel seasoning, fresh chopped herbs, or whatever else you would prefer. BAKING: You will need parchment paper or a silicon baking sheet to cover your baking pan and prevent sticking. COOLING & STORING: After removing the crust from the initial baking, you will want to let it cool almost completely. Otherwise, it will be too fragile to handle. This recipe makes two homemade personal-sized pizza crusts. If you are not using both, cover the leftover one and keep in the fridge to use later for up to 5 days. TOPPINGS: After your crust has mostly cooled, feel free to handle it to add sauce, more cheese, veggies, meats or whatever toppings you love. Pop back in the oven for about 10 minutes or until cooked to your preference. This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is Cottage-Cheese-Pizza-Crust-Gluten-Free-1024x647.jpeg I also have a 2-Ingredient, 2-Minut Pizza Crust recipe that the family loves too – it uses Greek Yogurt and self-rising flour (or an all-purpose gluten-free baking blend with a bit of baking soda). 2 Ingredient 2 Minute Pizza Dough https://thefitfork.com/2-ingredient-2-minute-homemade-pizza-crust/)
