Cottage cheese is having a moment right now! I’ve seen online recipes and videos for cottage cheese ice cream, cookie dough, muffins and smoothies (love these smoothie options: Try Raspberry Zinger Cottage Cheese Smoothie, Blackberry Cinnamon Cottage Cheese Smoothie, and Peach Basil Cottage Cheese Smoothie – my favorite!).
I have always liked cottage cheese. Growing up, we often had a scoop with canned peaches or pears. Cottage cheese with a handful of whole-wheat crackers or sliced tomatoes make a great snack. I even top baked potatoes with cottage cheese in place of sour cream.
Cottage cheese is rich in protein and high in calcium, B vitamins and vitamin A. A one-cup serving of low-fat cottage cheese contains:
- 185 calories
- 25 grams of protein
- 7 total grams of fat (1.4 grams saturated fat)
- 11 grams of carbohydrates
- 136 mg potassium
Some of the potential health benefits of cottage cheese include:
Bone health. Cottage cheese is an excellent source of calcium, protein and selenium, all of which play an important role in maintaining bone health.
Blood sugar management. Cottage cheese has a limited impact on blood glucose levels, especially compared to other low-fat dairy products.
Muscle recovery. Research suggests that people who eat protein-rich bedtime snacks like cottage cheese enjoy better muscle quality and higher metabolism. The high protein content in cottage cheese comes mostly from casein, which — because it’s slowly absorbed — can build muscle just as well as whey protein.
I recently came across this recipe for Baked Cottage Cheese with Roasted Grape Tomatoes on the Cabot Cheese website. I made a few modifications to the original recipe – kept the baked cottage cheese pretty simple and made a fresh tomato salad rather than roasting the tomatoes. The filling is similar to a savory cheesecake and is perfectly complemented by the fresh tomatoes. My husband and I both loved it!
Ingredients:
Baked Cottage Cheese:
- 24-ounce container low-fat cottage cheese
- 3 eggs
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 3 Tbsp flour
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- Pinch of black pepper
Tomato Basil Salad:
- 1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
- 2 Tbsp fresh basil, cut into strips
- 2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- Pinch of salt and pepper
Directions (Baked Cottage Cheese):
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 9-inch pie plate with cooking spray and set aside.
- In a food processor or blender, combine the eggs and cheese. Process until smooth.
- Add the Parmesan cheese, flour, olive oil and black pepper. Pulse a few times or stir to combine.
- Pour mixture into prepared pie plate. Bake for 35-45 minutes until lightly browned on top.
- Cool to room temperature. Cut into wedges and serve topped with tomato basil salad.
Directions (Tomato Basil Salad):
- Combine all ingredients and lightly toss together.
Forge is delighted to partner with Laura Rutledge, MA, RDN, CSO, a Registered Dietician Nutritionist who focuses on oncology nutrition for during and after cancer diagnosis and treatment. For more information and recipes from Laura check out Nourishing Plate. You can find additional blogs from Laura on Forge’s blog!