Anything can go viral these days. Take cottage cheese. Often associated with dieting and salad bars, cottage cheese was rediscovered a couple years ago by internet influencers who claimed it could be used for all sorts of fabulous things.
Gluten-free pizza crust? There’s a cottage cheese recipe for it. Ice cream and Alfredo sauce? Ditto.
Daisy, the nation’s biggest producer, even found a reality TV star named Daisy Kent to help promote the stuff, while the U.S. Dairy trade group touted it as the “new ramen” on college campuses. It’s fairly inexpensive, after all.
So recently, armed with about $10 in ingredients and a couple hours to spare, I decided to investigate.
But first, a little background. Cottage cheese is a fresh cheese, meaning it’s not aged, which is what makes cheeses firm as they lose moisture. It’s probably called cottage cheese because it was easy for people to make at home.
Cottage cheese’s nutritional profile makes it attractive to the health conscious. A half-cup of Daisy’s regular version contains 110 calories, 5 grams of fat and 13 grams of protein. Pushed as an alternative to meat for civilians during World War I, cottage cheese peaked in popularity during the 1970s, then took a back seat to yogurt before its recent resurgence.
I grew up eating it the way my mom did, with sliced fruit from a can (this was the 1960s, remember). Once I started cooking, I used it in innumerable casseroles as the cheese layer, usually mixed with an egg and herbs.
When it comes to new recipes featuring it, I’ll start with the bad news. It does not make very good ice cream, unless you like your ice cream slightly sour and salty. The “Alfredo” sauce I made with it came out more like gravy. And baked cottage cheese “crisps” were a disaster.
But it makes a tasty gluten-free “flatbread” that can be eaten as is or used as a wrap. Add just ¼ cup flour to the same recipe and you get a thicker bread that could stand in for a pizza crust.
Spooned onto toast with a drizzle of honey, cottage cheese makes a great quick breakfast; a more elaborate recipe for Rustic Avocado Toast is below. It adds creaminess and a shot of protein to scrambled eggs and egg bites, the latter of which can be made in batches and reheated as necessary.
And while it won’t make an authentic Pasta Alfredo, it’s featured prominently in a savory Hungarian dish called Turos Csusza (Cheese Curd Pasta).
Flatbread/Pizza Crust
2 eggs
1 cup cottage cheese
¼ up flour (optional)
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
¾ teaspoon garlic powder
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth.
Line a baking sheet with nonstick parchment paper. Pour mixture onto baking sheet.
Bake about 30 minutes or until golden brown (can take less or more time depending on thickness).
Remove from oven and use as wrap or pizza crust.
Source: daisybrand.com
High Protein Scrambled Eggs
2 eggs
¼ cup cottage cheese, blended if desired
Kosher salt and cracked pepper, to taste
Directions:
Whisk together eggs and seasoning. Fold in cottage cheese. Coat a nonstick pan with olive oil or cooking spray.
Cook mixture over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, about 2 minutes or until just set. Serve immediately.
Source: daisybrand.com
Easy Egg Bites
9 eggs
¾ cup cottage cheese
½ teaspoon salt
Black pepper, to taste
Optional add-ins: ½ cup shredded cheddar or parmesan, 1 cup chopped spinach, 1/3 cup fresh basil, or ½ cup cooked veggies
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a muffin tin with paper liners and spray with cooking spray.
Place eggs, cottage cheese, salt and pepper in blender. Blend about 20 seconds or until smooth. Pour mixture evenly into muffin tin. Add optional add-ins if desired, pushing down into mixture.
Bake about 22 minutes or until tester comes out clean.
Source: hummusapien.com
Turos Csuza (Cheese Curd Noodles)
4 slices bacon, optional
9 oz. lasagna noodles, broken into irregular bite-size pieces (can substitute egg noodles)
1 to 1½ cups cottage cheese
½ to ¾ cup sour cream
Salt and pepper, to taste
Pinch of paprika
Sliced green onions or chives or fresh dill
Directions:
In a large skillet, cook bacon (if using) until crisps. Drain on paper towels, leaving rendered fat in skillet, and crumble bacon when cool.
Meantime, cook noodles in boiling salted water until al dente. With skillet set over low heat, drain noodles and add to fat in skillet. Stir in cottage cheese and sour cream until noodles are coated. Add seasonings, top with green onions, chives or fresh dill, and top with crumbled bacon, if using. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Source: kitchenfrau.com
Rustic Avocado Toast
2 slices whole wheat bread
1 avocado, mashed
½ cup cottage cheese
8 grape tomatoes, halved
2 teaspoons sunflower seeds
Kosher salt and cracked pepper, to taste
Directions:
Toast bread. Layer with cottage cheese, avocado and sunflower seeds. Sprinkle with seasonings and serve.
Source: daisybrand.com
Homemade Cottage Cheese
1 cup milk
1 tablespoon vinegar
1 pinch salt, or to taste
Directions:
Pour milk into a small pot; bring to a boil. Add vinegar and remove from heat. Stir mixture slowly until curds form, 1 to 2 minues.
Pour mixture into a colander lined with cheesecloth. Allow liquid whey to drain off as curds cool, about 15 minutes. Season curds with salt.
Source: allrecipes.com
