Most people associate cottage cheese with a spoon straight from the tub or a sad weight-loss bowl. In the studio we have over forty recipes spread across the whole day, from a crispy breakfast plate to pizza and homemade ice cream, and not one of them tastes like a diet. Here are ten that prove it.
Breakfasts where cottage cheese is the base of the plate, not an extra
The Crispy eggs in a cheese crust with cottage cheese carry 455 kcal and 39 g P per portion. The cottage cheese here isn't a spoonful on top: it's 130 grams spread over the plate as the base, topped with eggs fried in Parmesan in a dry pan until they form a crispy crust. We dig into the same principle, plenty of protein without the meal feeling heavy, in our guide to protein in your diet.
A tip straight from the recipe in the studio: Don't flip or loosen the cheese crust too early. Wait until its edges are deep golden and the cheese is no longer soft. Then it comes away from the pan in one piece and stays crisp.
Three more breakfasts that keep you full until a late lunch
| Recipe | kcal | Protein | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Breakfast bowl with hummus, avocado, cottage cheese and egg | 612 | 25 g P | 12 min |
| Savoury pink waffles with a bryndza and cottage cheese topping | 374 | 21 g P | 22 min |
| Cottage cheese with Niva and spring onion | 326 | 20 g P | 10 min |
In the Niva (a Czech blue cheese) spread, cottage cheese is the base again; on the waffles it makes a savoury topping with bryndza (a tangy Slovak sheep's cheese), on a batter made from beetroot and spelt flour. If you'd rather reach for a spread than a frying pan, our healthy breakfast ideas have a whole ranking that includes savoury versions too.
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Dinners and snacks where cottage cheese surprises you
The Mini baked pizzas made with cottage cheese dough (504 kcal, 35 g P, 37 min) work exactly the way they sound: a dough of cottage cheese and spelt flour with baking powder instead of yeast, topped with a tomato base, ham, sweetcorn and cheese. The Egg bread with halloumi and cottage cheese spread (436 kcal, 28 g P, 15 min) is a dinner where you hard-boil the eggs and toast the halloumi and the bread in a single dry pan. The egg and cottage cheese spread replaces the butter. A tip straight from the recipe in the studio: Fry the halloumi in a dry, well-heated frying pan and leave it untouched for a while after putting it in. Once a browned surface forms, it comes away from the pan more easily.
For a quick snack between meals, Cottage cheese toast with radishes (321 kcal, 16 g P, 10 min) does the job, with the same logic as our quick dinners: fewer ingredients, more flavour.
Sweet cottage cheese
The Cottage cheese crêpes with apricots and pistachios (524 kcal, 31 g P, 25 min) prove that cottage cheese belongs in batter too: 100 grams are blended smooth with the eggs and milk. The Mango cottage cheese ice cream with mint is homemade ice cream without an ice cream maker; all you need is a blender and a freezer. And when you need something in five minutes, Cottage cheese on rice cakes with honey (176 kcal, 9 g P, 5 min) is exactly the snack that tastes best right away, not an hour later in your handbag.
Frequently asked questions
What is cottage cheese and how is it different from quark?
Cottage cheese is a lumpy fresh cheese made from curds, while quark is smooth and finer. They're close in flavour and texture, and in a recipe you can often swap one for the other.
Can you replace cottage cheese with quark?
In most recipes, yes; the result will just be smoother, without the typical lumpy texture. In spreads and creams you won't notice at all.
Is cottage cheese a healthy food?
On its own, yes: it's high in protein and low in fat. But what really matters is what goes with it in the recipe; the same cottage cheese can be part of a breakfast or a dessert.
How long does opened cottage cheese keep in the fridge?
Usually 3 to 5 days in a sealed container. A sour smell or a change in colour is the signal it belongs in the bin.
Can you eat cottage cheese both sweet and savoury?
Yes, that's exactly its advantage over quark, which in the kitchen mostly sticks to the sweet side. The list above has both.
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