Cottage Cheese Recipes

I have been a cottage cheese fan since the 1970s.

It is so much more than “diet food.”

In addition to being nutritious, with about 15 grams of protein in a half cup serving, it can be enjoyed in so many ways – on its own, with fruit or salad, on toast.

In addition to these simple ways to eat cottage cheese, there are all kinds of recipes, both sweet and savory, that contain cottage cheese.

Here is a collection of my personal  favorites including a great recipe for easy cottage cheese muffins.

Cottage Cheese

Cottage Cheese Recipes – Breakfast

Apple Cottage Cheese Pancakes
Serves 4

Ingredients

4 eggs
1 tablespoon sugar
1 apple, grated
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups cottage cheese
Vegetable cooking spray

Preparation

In a large bowl, beat eggs and sugar.  Add apple, cinnamon, and vanilla extract, and mix until combined.  Stir in flour and cottage cheese and combine well.

Coat a medium skillet or a griddle with vegetable cooking spray and heat over medium heat. Using a 1/2 cup measure, pour the batter onto the hot pan. Cook until nearly set, then flip and cook until golden brown. Keep warm on an oven safe plate in a 200F oven until you have enough to serve. Dust pancakes with powdered sugar and cinnamon or drizzle with your favorite syrup.

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Cottage Cheese Muffins
Makes 12 Simple satisfying muffins, perfect for breakfast or as an accompaniment to soup or salad for lunch.Ingredients1 1/2 cups flour
2-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, melted
1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest (optional)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup small-curd cottage cheese
1/4 cup milkPreparationPreheat oven to 425 degrees F. Line muffin pan with paper liners or grease with non-stick cooking spray.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the sugar, eggs, butter, lemon zest (if using) and vanilla until well blended. Whisk in the cottage cheese and milk until blended.

Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture and stir until just blended.

Distribute the batter evenly among the muffin cups.

Bake 16 to 20 minutes or until the tops are golden and a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.

Remove from the oven and cool for several minutes on a wire rack.  Then remove from the muffins from the cups and place on wire rack to cool or enjoy warm.

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Zucchini Fritatta
Makes 4 servings

Ingredients

5 eggs
Salt and ground black pepper, to taste
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 cup cottage cheese
5 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium tomato, seeded and chopped
1 medium zucchini, washed, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced into half moons

Preparation

In a medium bowl, beat eggs with salt, pepper, basil, and oregano. Stir in cottage cheese and half of the Parmesan cheese.

Heat oil over medium heat in a medium nonstick skillet. Add tomatoes and zucchini and cook until zucchini is lightly browned. Pour in egg mixture to fully coat the pan. Sprinkle egg mixture with remaining Parmesan cheese. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook eggs until they are well set, about 15 to 20 minutes. (To brown the top, place under a pre-heated broiler for a minute or two.) Cut into wedges and serve hot.

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Cottage Cheese Recipes – Easy Dinners

Cottage Cheese Sour Cream Noodles
Makes 4 servings

This is a great comfort food dish. A bit rich for everyday, but a delicious occasional treat. It is a great main course served with a side salad or sauteed spinach or chard.

It has infinite variations too. Use the butter to saute any one or more of the following that you then add to the noodles – 1/4 cup chopped onion, 1/4 cup chopped bell pepper, 1/2 cup chopped celery, 1 cup sliced mushrooms, 1 cup well-drained flaked canned tuna or 1 1/2 – 2 cups diced cooked poultry. One of my favorite combinations is sauteed onions, mushrooms and diced cooked leftover turkey.

Ingredients

4 ounces noodles, cooked
1 cup cottage cheese
1 cup sour cream
1 egg, slightly beaten
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
4 tablespoons butter, melted

Preparation

Preheat oven to 375F. Butter a medium sized casserole dish. In a large bowl stir together the noodles and remaining ingredients. Put into the casserole, spreading it out evenly. Bake 45 to 55 minutes, or until bubbling and set.

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Baked Cottage Cheese and Spinach
Makes one 9-inch square pan

Ingredients

10 ounces of baby spinach leaves
5 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup chopped parsley
1/2 teaspoon dill weed or dill seeds
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
2 cups small-curd cottage cheese
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Generously grease an 9-inch square baking pan.

Cook the spinach in a wide skillet over medium-high heat until wilted. Press out the liquid, reserving it. Finely chop the spinach.

In a medium bowl, beat the eggs. Add the herbs and cheese along with 1/2 teaspoon salt and a little pepper. Stir in the chopped spinach and reserved cooking liquid. Pour into the prepared baking pan. Bake until set, about 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool for about 5 minutes. Cut into diamonds or squares.

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Orzo with Cottage Cheese and Peas
Makes 4 servings

Another delicious comfort food dish, but a little fancier.

Ingredients

2 cups cottage cheese, at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup minced scallions or chives
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
Black pepper to taste
1/2 pound orzo (rice shaped pasta)
1 cup frozen peas
Grated parmesan cheese

Preparation

In a medium-sized bowl, combine the cottage cheese, salt, scallions, lemon zest, and black pepper. Mix until well combined.

Cook the orzo in plenty of boiling salted water until tender.  While the orzo is cooking, place the peas in a colander in a the sink.

When the orzo is done, drain into the colander right onto the peas. Shake off the excess water and dump into the bowl with the cottage cheese mixture. Stir gently and sprinkle with grated parmesan. Serve warm or at room temperature.

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Baked Ziti
Makes 4 servings

This is another versatile recipe. You can boost its nutrition and make it more filling by adding extra vegetables. I like to saute  cup of chopped mushrooms and zucchini along with the onions. Spinach would be good too.

Ingredients

8 ounces ziti, uncooked
1/2 pound extra lean ground beef or ground turkey
2 medium onions, chopped
3 cups spaghetti sauce
2 cups cottage cheese
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Cook ziti according to package directions. Drain, and set aside.

Meanwhile, crumble meat in a large skillet coated with nonstick cooking spray. Add onions. Sauté until meat is fully cooked. Add spaghetti sauce.

In large bowl, combine cottage cheese, Parmesan cheese, egg, parsley, and garlic powder. Mix thoroughly. Add cooked ziti and mix well. Spread about 1/3 of the meat, onion, and spaghetti sauce mixture in bottom of prepared pan. Spoon ziti and cheese mixture into pan. Pour the remaining sauce mixture over the top. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for about 30 minutes.

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Macaroni and Cheese
Makes 6 servings

Ingredients

8 ounces elbow macaroni, uncooked
2 tablespoons butter, melted
2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 cups cottage cheese
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup seasoned bread crumbs
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a medium baking dish with cooking spray and set aside. Cook macaroni according to package directions until firm, but don’t overcook. Drain macaroni and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine macaroni, butter, cheddar cheese, and black pepper. Place cottage cheese and milk in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Pour this over macaroni mixture and mix thoroughly.

Pour entire mixture into baking dish. In a small bowl, combine bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese. Sprinkle on top of the macaroni. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until hot in the center. Serve warm.

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Easy Lasagna with cottage cheese
Makes 12 servings

Mom always made lasagna with cottage cheese instead of ricotta and this is how I still prefer it. (Turn up your nose if you must but it is lighter and less rich.) For texture closer to ricotta, buzz in blender or food processor for a few seconds

Ingredients

1 pound ground beef
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 28 ounce jars prepared marinara sauce
2 beaten eggs
24 ounces cottage cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
3 cups shredded Mozzarella cheese
12 no-boil lasagna noodles

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9×13-inch pan with nonstick cooking spray.

Brown ground beef in a skillet over medium heat until no longer pink. Add salt and marinara sauce. Stir to combine and then set aside.

In a medium bowl mix beaten eggs, cottage cheese, Parmesan cheese, basil, garlic powder, onion powder, and 1 cup of mozzarella cheese.

Starting with the sauce, layer the sauce, noodles, and cheese mixture in a 9×13 inch baking dish. (Noodles will not completely cover sauce – they swell as they cook.) Repeat layers twice. Top with remaining 2 cups of mozzarella cheese.

Bake for 40-45 minutes or until brown and bubbly. Let stand for 15 minutes before serving so that it firms up and is easier to cut.

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Cottage Cheese Recipes – Desserts

Cottage Cheese Pie
Makes one 8 or 9 inch pie

This is like cottage cheese cheesecake only easier, since you don’t need to fiddle with a spring form pan. You bake it in a regular old pie plate that you line with a graham cracker crust. If you are feeling especially lazy, go ahead and use one of those already prepared graham cracker crusts, like the one by Arrowhead Mills that is organic and trans-fat free.

For the Crust:

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups finely crushed graham cracker crumbs
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup butter, melted

For the Filling:

Ingredients

2 cups cottage cheese
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup light cream
3 eggs, well beaten
2 tablespoons butter, melted
Grated rind of 1 lemon
Juice of 1 lemon

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350.

Make the crust. Mix together the crumbs, sugar, and butter in a bowl. Set aside 1/2 cup of the crumb mixture for the top of the pie. Press the remaining crumbs evenly into an 8 or 9-inch pie pan and refrigerate while you prepare the filling.

Place all the ingredients in a blender or food processor until smooth and well mixed. Alternatively you can beat in a bowl with an electric mixer, but the end result will not be quite as smooth.

Pour the mixture into the prepared pie pan and sprinkle with the reserved crumbs. Bake in the preheated 350F oven for 40-50 minutes, until a knife comes out clean. Remove from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool completely. Then chill in the refrigerator for several hours before serving.

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Do you have a favorite way to eat cottage cheese?

You might also like…

• 12 Ways to Eat Cottage Cheese
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