23 Cottage Cheese Recipes You’ll Actually Crave

The protein-packed staple is great in sweet and savory recipes.

Cottage cheese is a beloved ingredient used in kitchens worldwide for centuries. Its high protein and calcium count make it a healthy food for meal planning. If you have a tub in the fridge, there are many ways to enjoy it beyond plain or with fruit (though we like it that way, too). So whether you're in the mood for pancakes, veggies with dip, or even lasagna, there's a cottage cheese recipe for you.

a stack of waffles topped with blueberries

Kelsey Hansen

01 of 23

Honey-Lemon Cottage Cheese Pancakes

Honey Lemon Cottage Cheese Pancakes
Jason Donnelly

Plain cottage cheese pancakes are already great, but these will hit your breakfast out of the park. Lemon zest, vanilla, blueberries, and honey combine to create the irresistible flavor of your new favorite short (or tall, we don't judge) stack of pancakes.

02 of 23

Cottage Cheese Pizza Toasts

cottage cheese pizza toasts

Grant Webster

Give your ordinary toast a major upgrade with pizza sauce, cottage cheese, and your favorite toppings. We're also including cottage cheese recipe variations for pesto pizza toast and white pizza toast.

03 of 23

Cottage Cheese Breakfast Bowl

Cottage Cheese bowl with fresh fruit and chia seeds
Carson Downing

This fruit and cottage cheese recipe is an upgraded version of the one you're used to having at Grandma's house. Along with fresh berries and kiwi, extra texture comes with every bite in this bowl by topping with granola, dried apricot pieces, and chia seeds.

04 of 23

Classic Lasagna

Classic Lasagna
Kritsada Panichgul

If you've never made this comfort food from scratch, cottage cheese is the secret ingredient to our favorite lasagna recipe. (You can also use ricotta if you don't have cottage cheese.) We can smell the bubbly layers of cheese and tomatoes right now.

05 of 23

Cottage Cheese-Dill Dip

Cottage Cheese-Dill Dip on white plate with assorted raw vegetables
Andy Lyons

Prepare to meet your new favorite party dip. This low-fat cottage cheese recipe includes green onion, herbs, and spices. Chill (up to 24 hours!) until your guests arrive. Serve with veggies and crackers.

06 of 23

Sou Bourek

Sou Bourek
Carson Downing

This delightful cottage cheese recipe by chef Carrie Nahabedian pays tribute to her Armenian roots. Layers of fresh noodles are filled with a mixture of eggs, cottage cheese, and shredded Muenster or Monterrey Jack cheese. If you don't have time to make the noodles from scratch, you can still accomplish an equally tasty dish with wide egg noodles.

07 of 23

Spinach and Feta Casserole

Spinach Feta Casserole
Kritsada Panichgul

With more than 75 ratings, here's a recipe you shouldn't pass up. This creamy cottage cheese recipe gets a bit of extra tang from crumbled feta cheese. Tote this easy vegetable side dish to your next cookout or serve it alongside chicken breast for a wholesome, low-carb meal.

08 of 23

Honey and Poppy Seed Biscuits

Honey Poppy Seed Biscuits
Blaine Moats

Here's another delicious cottage cheese recipe for bread. Instead of butter, these flaky biscuits utilize cottage cheese. A biscuit mix helps keep prep time (and the ingredient count) down. Serve warm with homemade jam alongside eggs for breakfast or lunch.

09 of 23

Copycat Bacon and Gruyere Egg Bites

Copycat Bacon and Gruyere Egg Bites
Dera Burreson

Cottage cheese helps give these filling egg bites the same fluffy texture as your favorite coffee shop. Prepare a few of these to store in the fridge on Sunday, so you'll have breakfast ready for a few days during the busy week ahead.

10 of 23

Mina (Matzo Pie with Spinach and Leeks)

Mina Matzo Pie Spinach Leeks
Blaine Moats

Matzo is an unleavened bread that's traditionally served during Passover. This recipe layers the bread with a filling of spinach, leeks, feta, and cottage cheese. It's a crave-worthy vegetarian meal even meat eaters will devour.

11 of 23

Lightened-Up Spaghetti Pie

Lightened-Up Spaghetti Pie
Andy Lyons

Craving Italian but want a quick, healthier option? Get those same delicious flavors in this savory cottage cheese recipe. Ground turkey is swapped for beef, and fresh veggies (mushrooms, green bell peppers, and onion) provide extra nutrients.

12 of 23

Cottage Cheese Puff

Cottage Cheese Puff in white round casserole dish
Mike Dieter

This nostalgic BHG cottage cheese recipe dates back to the '70s! Whipped eggs give this soufflé-like dish an airy texture while the cheese gives it some tang. It would make an excellent vegetarian dish for brunch or dinner.

13 of 23

Key Lime Cheesecake Bars

Key Lime Cheesecake Bars
Andy Lyons

No one will ever guess this lightened-up sweet treat is a cottage cheese recipe. Blend the curds with cream cheese and lime-flavor gelatin before pouring over a graham cracker crust. This no-bake dessert gives the same delicious flavor of a key lime pie with far less time or stress to prepare.

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Million Dollar Spaghetti

Million Dollar Spaghetti

Rachel Marek

A few extra ingredients help this baked spaghetti recipe earn its million-dollar name. Adding cottage cheese, sour cream, and cream cheese, along with the meaty sauce, ensures the finished dish is rich and creamy.

15 of 23

Hamburger Cheese Bake

Hamburger Cheese Bake
Jason Donnelly

This weeknight-ready cottage cheese recipe can be on the table in under an hour. The hearty casserole is filled with ground beef, cottage cheese, and wide noodles. As one BHG home cook raved, "This is one of my family's favorite meals! Have been making this for years."

16 of 23

Classic Lasagna Soup

lasagna soup

CJ Younger

Skip the fuss of making a pan of lasagna and whip up this hearty soup instead. Each bowl is topped with a dollop of a creamy cottage cheese and Parmesan mixture. Season the finished soup with plenty of fresh basil.

17 of 23

Million Dollar Chicken Casserole

million dollar casserole

Grant Webster

This easy diced chicken and cottage cheese casserole recipe includes cream cheese and sour cream. Top the bubbly baked dish with crushed butter crackers and freshly sliced green onions.

18 of 23

Whole Grain Waffles

a stack of waffles topped with blueberries

Kelsey Hansen

Add a little protein to your morning stack with this cottage cheese waffle recipe. Wheat germ in the batter adds texture, while almond butter adds a nutty flavor to the high-protein breakfast.

19 of 23

Vegetable Lasagna

Vegetable Lasagna
Blaine Moats

This vegetarian lasagna recipe is loaded with mushrooms, broccoli, spinach, and carrots. The creamy layers are made with ricotta cheese, cottage cheese, and Italian seasoning. Top the layered dish with mozzarella and shredded Parmesan cheese.

20 of 23

Sheet Pan Lasagna

sheet pan lasagna

Rachel Marek

If the crispy edges are your favorite part of lasagna, meet your new favorite cottage cheese recipe. Cooking lasagna in a sheet pan allows for more area to become caramelized. Don't worry; all the melty goodness you love is there, too!

21 of 23

Caesar Dip with Vegetables

Caesar Dip with Vegetables
Blaine Moats

Transform the flavors of a classic Caesar dressing into a creamy veggie dip. When blended, cottage cheese becomes smooth and velvety. Mix up the entire dip in your food processor and serve with fresh veggies or potato chips.

22 of 23

Bagel, Lox, and Egg Strata

Bagel, Lox, and Egg Strata

If your go-to breakfast is a bagel topped with lox, this is the breakfast casserole you need to try. Bagel pieces are topped with a cottage cheese and egg mixture, lox, and fresh chives to make it. Add Swiss cheese for melted texture and flavor.

23 of 23

Overnight Breakfast Pie

Overnight Breakfast Pie

Prep this cottage cheese recipe for breakfast the night before you plan to serve it. To assemble, crispy bacon is mixed with eggs, cottage cheese, and hash browns before being piled into a pie crust.

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