Is "diet food" the first thing you think of when we mention cottage cheese? Because when it comes to cooking, this particular dairy product is capable of so much more.
Cottage cheese is a fresh (as opposed to aged) cheese akin to ricotta, queso fresco, and paneer. It's made by curdling milk and draining off the majority of the whey. This results in fluffy loose curds with a mild, slightly tangy milk flavor. Cottage cheese is typically made with cow's milk, but goat's milk, sheep's milk, or any other kind could be used.
That mild flavor and soft texture make cottage cheese a boon when it comes to cooking. This cheese doesn't melt, but the curds tend to dissolve into the background when mixed into a batch of muffins or used to round out a casserole. Because cottage cheese tends to be low in fat and high in protein, as dieter's have discovered, using cottage cheese is a way to bump up the healthiness of a recipe without greatly changing its flavor or texture.
To give you some ideas for how to use cottage cheese in your cooking, take a look at these dishes:
• Chickpea Casserole with Lemons, Herbs, and Shallots • Alsatian Cottage Cheese and Onion Tart • Lighter Stuffed Pasta Shells • Graham Cracker-Crusted and Pistachio-Flecked Cheese Torte • Quick Cinnamon Rolls • Heidi Swanson's Cottage Cheese Muffins
If you're interested in making your own cottage cheese at home, David Lebovitz has a great tutorial:
• Homemade Cottage Cheese from David Lebovitz
How do you cook with cottage cheese?
Related: On Making Soft Cheeses at Home
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Thanks so much for all these recipes with cottage cheese. I LOVE cottage cheese, it was probably the first thing I always bought when I travelled to the US, because we don't have it in Peru. Our cottage cheese there is more like ricotta. That cinammon rolls with this ingredient sound particularly intriguing. And love the idea of making my own cheese too, will let you know how it comes out when I do.
Love cooking with this stuff and oftentimes sub it for ricotta when in a pinch. I also enjoy it stirred into oatmeal to bump up the protein content and make it that much more creamier.
Truth: I like cottage cheese more than ice cream.
Love cottage cheese! So great in baked egg casseroles/quiches/stratas and as an a substitute for ricotta.
I love it in apple/cinnamon pancakes -- just add some grated apple (squeeze out the juice before adding) and a little cottage cheese to the batter (and reduce some of the liquid). It can make the batter a little sticky in the pan, but gives a great flavor! I think I got this idea from one of the moosewood cookbooks years ago.
Well I don't think diet food, but one of my favorite cottage cheese recipes is called Dieter's Tartine by Dorie Greenspan. It's basically bruschetta with a blend of cucumber and tomatoes, and cottage cheese mixed with a little sour cream as a great bread topper and holder of the cucumber tomato mixture. I like to add balsamic vinegar to the cucumbers and tomatoes, or use reduced balsamic to drizzle over the top of everything. You can find the recipe here:
http://www.barecipebox.com/recipeDetail.asp?recipe=000307
We'll also be eating cottage cheese and applesauce tonight with my pork roast dinner.
Sometimes when I feel a bit peckish I will make cottage cheese pancakes for breakfast. Cottage cheese is the dominant ingredient with just a bit of egg and flour to hold it together. It is one of the few recipes that my mother made that I still make today (my mom had many virtues, but cooking made her nervous).
My most comforting childhood food is cottage cheese pancakes. I still request them every time I'm at my parents house. They're moist, melty, salty, and delicious and the perfect foil for berries and a dusting of powdered sugar (or "snow" as we called it when I was a kid). Recipe below:
3 eggs beaten with 1 cup cottage cheese, 2 T melted butter, 1/4 cup sifted flour and 1/4 tsp salt. Beat until well blended, then cook just below 370 on a buttered or nonstick griddle. They cook very differently than normal pancakes, and may take a while to get it right. Makes about 12 pancakes, but recipe easily doubles (and you will want to!).
I've also made this with a gluten-free flour mix and its indistinguishable from the original.
Cottage cheese is surprisingly good in oatmeal...with toasted pecans. Mmmmmm. <3
I realize that this is a heresy for a lot of people, but I like cottage cheese in lasagna in place of ricotta, which can be too finely textured or grainy.
I love cottage cheese with just a little salad dressing. It's a great snack.
I use cottage cheese in lasagna like Kakugori (Not heresy - I grew up with it that way!), except I rarely make real lasagna and instead use whatever pasta I have on hand for a baked ziti-like dish.
Cottage cheese (or ricotta) and butter and flour makes an excellent pastry, especially if the cottage cheese is drained first. Very tender and flaky.
I also like to use cottage cheese in place of part of mayo and/or sour cream in hot and cold creamy dips. For instance, I used some in cold spinach dip the other night. I've also used it for hot spinach and artichoke dip. The lower fat content and creamy texture help make these dishes not quite so calorie-rich, but still very tasty.
A friend once served cottage cheese as a cooling agent with a spicy vegetable curry, which was an excellent combination. She also served mujaddarah (lentils and onions) that night and I thought the cottage cheese went well with that too.
I have never had cottage cheese pancakes, but I think now I will definitely have to try them!
my favourite recepie with cottage cheese is a salad made of cottage cheese, cherry tomatoes, avocado, red onion and a couple of spoonfuls of pesto, little bit of olive oli and a drop of balsamico. yum.
Cottage cheese + baked potato + steamed broccoli + lemon pepper seasoning + a sprinkle of fresh Parmesan = a favourite lunch.
When I can find apple butter, I love to stir some of it into cottage cheese (started by me and my sister on a trip to Lancaster, PA, where we mixed them together at a buffet on a whim and fell in love!) The mixture is brown and lumpy and kind of gross-looking, but SO DELICIOUS.
Ditto on the cottage cheese pancakes. Here is my recipe: 1/2 cup cottage cheese, 1/2 cup sour cream, 1/2 cup flour (I use white whole wheat), and 2 eggs. Mix all ingredients together and cook like regular pancakes. I top them with applesauce and for a special treat for the kids, a little powdered sugar. My whole family loves them. Served with some bacon, they make an easy and great "brinner" (breakfast for dinner).
I adore cottage cheese on a baked potato. I think I'll have to try TravelinGrae's combination!
My favorite breakfast is cottage cheese and pineapple. I prefer ricotta in my lasagna but there is no better breakfast than cottage cheese and pineapple.
My childhood comfort food is toast (well toasted) with jam and loads of cottage cheese piled on top. SO GOOD. Now I'm craving it!
Cottage cheese mixed in with the egg makes a great omelet.