It's easy, peasy, cottage-cheesy.

My first exposure to Jamie Oliver was when I saw his quote on a sign outside a restaurant, "Real food doesn’t have ingredients. Real food is ingredients." It made me think about food differently, though probably not in the way he intended.

At the time, the sign of a good recipe (see what I did there?) was probably something complex, with half a teaspoon of some ingredients I had never heard of. I would have to go to multiple stores to track down specialty and many times, expensive ingredients. While it’s true there are some incredible dishes out there with long, complex ingredient lists, I am equally wowed by recipes with just a handful of high-quality, fresh ingredients.

It took me until this summer to try a recipe from the author of the quote himself. What finally made me try one of Jamie Oliver's recipes is my fondness for cottage cheese.

Although the ingredient was trendy a few years ago, I’ve recently been inspired to use it again. I find it satisfying to puree the large curds into a smooth, creamy mixture, using it in recipes where you might expect to see Greek yogurt or ricotta. This brought me to Jamie's Jarred Pepper Pasta recipe, which—you guessed it—has cottage cheese.

Why I Love Jamie Oliver’s Jarred Pepper Pasta

This weeknight pasta from Jamie has a complex taste of roasted red peppers and garlic, and is slightly spicy, thanks to red pepper flakes. The cottage cheese is blended both in the sauce and dolloped on top, making the dish creamy without being heavy.

In addition to being delicious, I find this dish is nutritionally balanced, with protein from the cottage cheese and all the benefits of veggies. And if that’s not enough to convince you, I’ll say the magical words: There’s no chopping or cooking required. All you need is a blender.

It's easy, peasy, cottage-cheesy. Jamie Oliver’s Jarred Pepper Pasta is my new go-to weeknight recipe.

Tips for Making Jamie Oliver’s Jarred Red Pepper Pasta

Cottage Cheese: Use Good Culture 2% cottage cheese for this recipe; it whips up thicker and smoother than the generic brands. I used the entire amount of cottage cheese in the blender first, setting aside half to dollop on top of the pasta and keeping the other half in the blender for the sauce.
Recipe Changes: I omitted the parsley oil and almonds to further simplify things. You could add parsley directly to the sauce when blending.
Equipment: Don’t have a traditional blender? Use a food processor or immersion blender.
Serving: Crusty bread is the perfect accompaniment to this pasta. And on the pasta note: It tastes great hot or cold.