50+ Surprising Ways to Eat Cottage Cheese - Oh Sweet Mercy (2025)

Think you hate cottage cheese? Here’s over 50 cottage cheese recipes that will change your mind! This versatile and economical protein source is perfect for Trim Healthy Mamas!

Cottage cheese is a great source of protein! Some people can’t stand the texture, though. If that’s you then you’ll love this huge list of surprising ways to eat cottage cheese. Most of these recipes have this inexpensive and versatile ingredient blended into them and you’ll never even know it’s there.

It’s a THM staple in my fridge and this past week all I’ve wanted to eat is cottage cheese for some reason! Maybe because I found a killer deal and bought quite a lot of it. I’ve also been crazy busy so it’s just been plop a cupful in a bowl, sprinkle with paprika, and eat.

Cottage cheese doesn’t have to be boring.

A plain old bowl of cottage cheese is kind of boring. You can do so much more with it! It’s a frugal substitute for whey protein powder if your budget doesn’t allow for that wonderful stuff.

Just use 1/2 cup of low-fat cottage cheese when a smoothie or shake recipe calls for whey. Just remember to be mindful of carbs and fat grams, THMs, to stay within limits for the meal or snack style you’re after.1% is great for E or FP recipes as well as S. If you can’t find it, 2% will work just mind the fat content in your total recipe for E or FP.

It doesn’t just have to be smoothies and shakes either. From there to main dishes and more, you’ll find over FIFTYcottage cheese recipes below to help you get creative.

I’m connected with an awesome group of THM bloggers, and I asked them for their favorite recipes using cottage cheese. Such creativity these ladies have! Please be sure to go give them some love!

Briana Thomas – The Coers Family – Darcie’s Dishes – A Home With Purpose– Joy Filled Eats – Joyful Jane – Lotsa Little Lambs – My Montana Kitchen – Nana’s Little Kitchen – Wonderfully Made and Dearly Loved

If you’re new to Trim Healthy Mama (or just looking for healthy cottage cheese recipes), here’s what the abbreviations after each link mean:

FP – Fuel Pull, low in healthy fats and healthy carbs

S – Satisfying, higher in healthy fats, low healthy carbs

E – Energizing, higher healthy carbs, low healthy fats

For more information on why the Trim Healthy Mama lifestyle might be right for you, read my post here.

Shakes, Smoothies, and ‘Ades

My blogging buddies and I have tons of beverage recipes using cottage cheese. It’s a great way to add protein and creaminess to them without overdoing the fats. Here’s just a few..

Goodie Maple Nut Shake – S

Strawberry Healthy Stealthy Shake from Joyful Jane– FP

Dark Chocolate Shake from Joyful Jane– FP

Frosted Strawberry Limeade from Nana’s Little Kitchen – S or FP

Lemonade Frosty from Nana’s Little Kitchen – FP

Creamy Vanilla Chai Protein Shake – S or FP

Secret Ingredient Peanut Butter Milkshake from My Montana Kitchen – FP

Low Fat Banana Smoothie from Nana’s Little Kitchen – E

Root Beer Shake from Nana’s Little Kitchen – S

Tiramisu Smoothie from Nana’s Little Kitchen – S or FP

Wild Blueberry Cobbler Smoothie from Wonderfully Made and Dearly Loved – E

Creamy Mint Matcha Shake – S or FP

Cinnamon Roll Protein Smoothie from My Montana Kitchen – E

Pumpkin Spice Shake from A Home With Purpose – S or FP

Peanut Butter of Peanut Butter Chocolate Shake from A Home With Purpose – S

Cookies and Cream Shake from Briana Thomas – S

Ice Cold Fruit Smoothie from Briana Thomas – E

Eggs?! Yes!

There was a time where I thought “cottage cheese in eggs? EEEEWWW!” But I was terribly wrong about that. And I’m glad! It’s a great way to boost the protein and tastes fantastic!

Acapulco Eggs from Wonderfully Made and Dearly Loved – S

Kristen’s Versatile Spinach Casserole from Nana’s Little Kitchen – S

Spring Chive Cheesy Egg Puffs – S

Leek and Cheese Pie from Wonderfully Made and Dearly Loved – S

Bacon and Eggs Cottage Casserole from My Montana Kitchen – S

Almond Crusted Breakfast Cheesecake from Joy Filled Eats – S (Your eyes are not deceiving you. Cheesecake. For breakfast. Seriously!)

Pecan Crusted Pumpkin Breakfast Cheesecakes from Joyfilled Eats – S

Salads

I have a friend who makes interesting salads. She puts cottage cheese on her lettuce salads and a bazillion other things that for me, just do not go together. Like raisins and olives. I prefer my cottage cheese on the side. But you can make other salads like these.

Strawberry Pineapple Salad by Wonderfully Made and Dearly Loved – E

Pear Waldorf Salad by Wonderfully Made and Dearly Loved – E

Waldorf Cottage Cheese Salad in the Trim Healthy Mama Cookbook, page 190 – E

Small Budget, Big Taste Salad in the Trim Healthy Mama Cookbook, page 185 – E

Apple Salad from Briana Thomas – E

Main Dishes

Many people use ricotta cheese in their lasagna, but I grew up eating lasagna with cottage cheese. Don’t limit yourself to lasagna when it comes to cottage cheese in your main dishes!

Cottage Cheese Casserole by Wonderfully Made and Dearly Loved – S

Baked Spaghetti “Zoodle” Casserole by Darcie’s Dishes – S

I found this Dill Pickle Soup on Pinterest – FP

Creamy Pearlchilada Bake in the Trim Healthy Mama Cookbook, page 143 – S

Wonder-Wrap-Ful Lasagna, in the Trim Healthy Mama Cookbook, page 148 – S

Burr-E-Toes from The Coers Family – E

Cheesy Chicken Vegetable Casserole from My Montana Kitchen – S

Easy Mexican Taco Casserole from Joy Filled Eats – S

Low Carb Cauliflower Mac N Cheese from Kitchen Stewardship – S

Single-Serve Lasagna in a Bowl from Briana Thomas – S

Chicken Alfredo over Zoodles from Briana Thomas – S

Creamy Sweet Potato Bisque from Briana Thomas – E

Creamy Salsa Chicken by Joy Filled Eats – S

Desserts and Even Bread!

Honestly, I don’t know that I’d ever have thought of adding cottage cheese to bread and cakes – so clever!

Mama’s Best Peanut Butter Cheesecake from Wonderfully Made and Dearly Loved – S

Applesauce Spice Cake from Lotsa Little Lambs – E

Carrot Cake from Lotsa Little Lambs – E

Coconut Berry Cloud – S

Savory Sprouted Wheat Cottage Bread from Nana’s Little Kitchen – E

Southwestern Pan bread in the Trim Healthy Mama Cookbook, page 202 – E

Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls from My Montana Kitchen – E (you won’t believe where the cottage cheese is in this one! So clever!)

Cottage Banana Whip from A Home With Purpose – E

Cottage Baked Apple from A Home With Purpose – E

Mock “Cinnamon Life” Meuslifrom Briana Thomas – E (another very clever use!)

Bejeweled No-Bake Cream Cheese Bars from Briana Thomas – S

Chunky Monkey Chia Pudding from Briana Thomas – S

Chocolate Covered PB&J Mess from Briana Thomas – S

Basic Chocolate Frosting from Briana Thomas – S

Ice Cream

It deserves its own listing. Because ice cream is awesome.

Cottage Style Vanilla Ice Cream from Wonderfully Made and Dearly Loved – FP (yes, FP ice cream that’s delicious!)

Cottage Style Chocolate Ice Cream from Wonderfully Made and Dearly Loved – S or FP

Chocolate Chai Ice Cream from Wonderfully Made and Dearly Loved – FP

Superfood Single-Serve Ice Cream from Briana Thomas – FP

Strawberry Almond Soft Serve from Briana Thomas – FP

Low Carb, Sugar Free Chocolate Ice Creamfrom My Montana Kitchen – S

Low Carb, Sugar Free Vanilla Ice Creamfrom My Montana Kitchen – S

Still think you hate cottage cheese?

There may be some uber picky palates out there that can detect even the mere thought of cottage cheese. All the transformation in the world will not convince those otherwise that cottage cheese is actually a wonderful thing.

But I’d dare to bet that for most of you, at least one of these recipes will change your mind! Which one is it? I’d love to know so please leave a comment below!

You’ll definitely want to PIN this huge list of ways to eat cottage cheese for later!