8 cottage cheese recipes
Cottage cheese is one of the cheapest ways to add protein to a dish, and most people only know it as a sad tub next to the salad. Blended or baked, it disappears into pasta, eggs and even brownies.
CThe Cookpath kitchen11 min read · 8 recipes
Loaded Breakfast Burritos
- 1 h 15 mintotal
- 46 gprotein
- 780kcal
- Intermediatelevel
- 10servings
Why it's here: The most protein on this list. Makes 10 servings, so it covers several days.
17 ingredients · 7 steps
This makes ten, and that is the point. Blended cottage cheese goes into the eggs, which makes them fluffier and stops them going rubbery when you reheat them. Roll them on Sunday, freeze them, and every weekday morning is two minutes in the microwave.
Swap the tater tots for diced roast potato, or the beef for turkey mince if you want it lighter.
Chicken Parmesan Meatballs
- 45 mintotal
- 45 gprotein
- 680kcal
- Intermediatelevel
- 4servings
Why it's here: One of the strongest on the list.
18 ingredients · 13 steps
Chicken mince is lean, which is why chicken meatballs are so often dry. Four spoons of cottage cheese in the mix fix that: they keep the inside soft while the panko crust fries. Then it all goes back into a creamy marinara with mozzarella on top.
This is the heaviest dish on the list at 920 kcal, and it is not pretending otherwise. It is the one for a Friday night.
Cottage Cheese Egg Bake
- 50 mintotal
- 37 gprotein
- 380kcal
- Beginnerlevel
- 4servings
Why it's here: 10 g of protein for every 100 kcal, which is very lean.
10 ingredients · 6 steps
Almost 10 g of protein for every 100 kcal, which is about as lean as a full meal gets. The cottage cheese, egg whites and eggs are blended together, so it bakes into something closer to a soft quiche than to scrambled eggs.
Sauté the shredded sweet potato and the other vegetables for 6 minutes first, pour the egg mix over, and finish it in the oven for 40 minutes. Good for a weekend brunch.
Cottage Cheese Pasta
- 20 mintotal
- 28 gprotein
- 610kcal
- Beginnerlevel
- 2servings
Why it's here: The fastest one here.
12 ingredients · 6 steps
The dish that changes minds. The tomato sauce is blended with the cottage cheese and a few spoonfuls of pasta water until it is smooth and creamy, and you would not guess what is in it. It gives you 28 g of protein for 610 kcal.
Once the sauce is blended, put it back in the skillet with the pasta and toss for only 1 minute over medium-low heat. Do not let it boil. Ready in 20 minutes for two, it is the answer to a tired Wednesday.
Cottage Cheese Veggie Lasagna
- 1 h 45 mintotal
- 28 gprotein
- 450kcal
- Intermediatelevel
- 8servings
Why it's here: Makes 8 servings, so it covers several days.
16 ingredients · 7 steps
Cottage cheese takes the place of ricotta here, mixed with parmesan and garlic powder and layered with zucchini, mushrooms, carrot and spinach. Each slice has 28 g of protein for 450 kcal, and the dish makes 8.
Cook the vegetables down with the balsamic vinegar until the moisture has reduced, or the lasagna weeps. Then let it cool for 15 to 20 minutes before you cut it. It takes 105 minutes in all, so make it for a Sunday or when people are coming.
Egg Ham Breakfast Muffins
- 30 mintotal
- 26 gprotein
- 300kcal
- Beginnerlevel
- 6servings
Why it's here: Makes 6 servings, so it covers several days.
7 ingredients · 5 steps
Egg muffins with the cottage cheese mixed right in the cup, which keeps them soft instead of rubbery. Each has 26 g of protein for 300 kcal, and the tray makes 6.
Crack one egg into each cup, add 60 g of whipped cottage cheese and mix it there, then press the ham, vegetables and cheddar down into the egg. They bake for 20 minutes at 200 °C. Make them on a Sunday and eat them through the week.
Cottage Cheese Frittata
- 35 mintotal
- 19 gprotein
- 220kcal
- Beginnerlevel
- 4servings
Why it's here: A good one to have in the rotation.
9 ingredients · 7 steps
The lightest savoury dish on the list at 220 kcal, with 19 g of protein a serving. Eggs and milk set around shallot, cherry tomatoes and basil, and the cottage cheese goes on top in dollops, so you get soft, creamy pockets.
Beat the eggs with the milk and garlic first and leave the jug by the hob. Cook the shallot, add the tomatoes, pour in the egg and shake the pan to spread it. Bake 15 to 20 minutes at 180 °C until set. Good for brunch or a light supper.
Protein Brownies
- 30 mintotal
- 12 gprotein
- 110kcal
- Beginnerlevel
- 9servings
Why it's here: 11 g of protein for every 100 kcal, which is very lean. Makes 9 servings, so it covers several days.
11 ingredients · 5 steps
Cottage cheese in a brownie sounds wrong, but blended with eggs, egg whites and applesauce it keeps them soft, with no butter or oil in the recipe. Each brownie has 12 g of protein and only 110 kcal.
Blend the wet mix for 10 seconds and whisk it slowly into the dry. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, nearer 12 if you want them fudgy, then cool them completely so they set before you cut 9. Make them for a sweet thing after dinner.
A 100 g portion of plain cottage cheese carries around 11 g of protein, and the low-fat kind has very little fat. The taste is mild and a little salty, so it takes on whatever it is cooked with. That makes it a quiet upgrade to a recipe rather than the star of the plate.
The part people dislike is the texture, not the flavour. The curds are what put them off. Blend it for half a minute and it turns into something close to ricotta or thick yoghurt, and from there it works in sauces, batters and fillings without anyone asking what is in them.
The dishes below use it in different ways: blended into a sauce, baked into eggs, folded into a batter, layered like ricotta. If you are new to it, start with the ones where it is hidden. If you already like it, the baked ones are where it behaves best.
Buy plain, not flavoured, and check the salt on the label, because brands differ more than you would expect. A tub keeps a few days once opened, so plan two dishes in the same week rather than one.
Three things that help
Thirty seconds in a blender takes away the curds. Smooth cottage cheese goes into sauces and batters without changing the texture.
Some tubs have a layer of whey on top. Drain it before cooking or a sauce or bake turns runny.
On its own it is bland. Salt, black pepper, lemon zest and garlic turn it from diet food into a filling.
Every dish here is in the app with timers inside the steps, servings you can change and a shopping list that builds itself.
