Switch up your breakfast or snack game with this Savory Cottage Cheese Bowl that is equal parts healthy and delicious! Gluten-free, ready in minutes, and an optional Indian twist adds texture and another layer of flavor.
You all know I'm not much of a sweet breakfast person. Recently, I have been looking to add more protein to my day, and so many of the recipes and store-bought options are sweet. So, I came up with this idea of a savory cottage cheese bowl that is high in protein, is ready in minutes, and my Indian tadka (tempering) option just takes it to an absolute different level!
So, start your day with a protein-packed breakfast bowl that's both satisfying and nutritious. This savory cottage cheese bowl combines creamy cottage cheese with fresh vegetables and vibrant seasonings for a perfect balance of flavors and textures. You can even enjoy it as a snack any time of the day. Keep the vegetables prepped in the refrigerator, and just like my protein energy bites, this bowl can be a grab-and-go healthy snack!
Cottage cheese is such a versatile ingredient and deserves more attention than just being a diet food. I have been experimenting a lot with cottage cheese, like including it in our eggs, in smoothies, dips (checkout my avocado cottage cheese dip recipe), etc. So watch out for more cottage cheese recipes on TKD. This Savory Cottage Cheese Breakfast Bowl transforms humble cottage cheese into a protein-rich dish with fresh toppings and bold seasonings. This recipe creates a blend of flavors and textures that might just become your new favorite breakfast or snack!
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✨What you'll love about this recipe?
- High Protein - most of us struggle with getting enough protein in a day, especially if you are a vegetarian. This savory cottage cheese bowl is packed with nutrition.
- Quick and Easy - trust me the time you need is only to prep the toppings of your bowl, and 30 seconds if you choose to make the tempering. Rest is just throwing everything in a bowl!
- Make it your own - don't love cucumbers (like Ms. A)? Skip them or replace them with celery! There are so many options to customize this savory bowl according to your liking.
📋Recipe Ingredients
- Cottage Cheese - use your favorite brand, whatever fat content and curd size you like. This recipe will work great with all different kinds of cottage cheese.
- Seasoning - I used everything but the bagel seasoning and black pepper. You can use flaky sea salt or regular salt in place of ebtb seasoning.
- Veggies: I have used cubed English cucumber, grape tomatoes, carrots, and cilantro for garnish. You can also use colored bell peppers.
👉Optional Tempering Ingredients
I recommend using avocado oil to make the tadka (tempering). The tempering ingredients are black mustard seeds, curry leaves, and peanuts.
Don't forget to check out the recipe card below for a complete list of ingredients along with the quantities.
📖Substitutions, Additions and Variations
- Nuts - use pistachios or almonds instead of peanuts. You do not need to include these in the tempering but can sprinkle chopped nuts directly on to your bowl.
- Cucumber - use mini or Persian cucumber in place of English cucumber
- Tomatoes - swap cherry tomatoes fro grape tomatoes
- Salt - use flaky sea salt or regular salt in place of ebtb seasoning
- Add an egg - use a hard boiled or 6 minute jammy egg to your savory cottage cheese bowl.
- Vegan - use a dairy-free cottage cheese to make this recipe vegan
- Bell peppers - add chopped colored bell peppers
👩🍳Steps to make this recipe
Step 1: Wash and chop the cucumber, tomatoes, and cilantro. Peel and shred the carrot. Take a bowl and add the cottage cheese and all the veggies (Image 1).
Step 2: Season you cottage cheese bowl with ebtb seasoning and black pepper (Image 2).
Note: If you do not want to add the tempering, you can stop at step 2 and add chopped cilantro, and your high-protein savory cottage cheese bowl is ready!
Step 3: Set a small saute pan or skillet on medium-high heat and add the avocado oil to it. once the oil is shimmering and hot, add the mustard seeds (Image 3).
Step 4: Once the mustard seeds start to pop and crackle, add the curry leaves and peanuts. Saute for 15-20 seconds (Image 4). Turn the heat off.
Step 5: Pour the prepared tempering over the contents of your cottage cheese bowl (Image 5).
Step 6: Garnish with chopped cilantro (Image 6) and enjoy!
💡Vaishali's Tips!
- High-quality ingredients—I always recommend using high-quality ingredients, especially when the recipe is super simple and has only a handful of ingredients, like in my marinated tomato salad recipe or the no-cook lemon Parmesan spaghetti recipe.
- Cottage Cheese - I use low-fat cottage cheese in this recipe to make it healthier.
- Tempering—Make sure the oil is hot when you add the mustard seeds so that they start popping. Stand back as you add the curry leaves because the moisture in them makes them splutter and pop.
⏱️Meal Prep and Time Savers
- Pre-Chop Veggies OR Use Pre-Washed and Pre-Cut Veggies: Cut cucumbers, tomatoes and cilantro and shred the carrots in advance and store in airtight containers in the fridge. You can also use store-bought shredded carrots.
❓FAQ
Yes, cottage cheese is high in protein and can be a very healthy breakfast or snack option by itself. It can also be added to other foods to improve their nutritional value. Read more about it at this link from Harvard School of Public Health.
Fruits and vegetables, honey, date syrup, your favorite seasonings, etc. You can also eat it with crackers or serve with crudites.
Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
If you make this recipe be sure to leave a comment and let me know how you liked it! Share it on Instagram with the hashtag #thekitchendocs or share on Facebook, too.
Love – Vaishali
Savory High Protein Cottage Cheese Bowl
Ingredients
- ½ cup cottage cheese
- ⅓ cup chopped English cucumbers
- 6-8 grape tomatoes halved
- ⅓ cup shredded carrots
- 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro leaves
- Everything but the bagel seasoning to taste
- Fresh cracked black pepper to taste
For the tempering (optional)
- 2 teaspoon avocado oil
- 1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
- 1 tablespoon peanuts
- 4-5 curry leaves
Instructions
Assemble the bowl
- In a small bowl, add cottage cheese. Layer cucumbers, carrots, and tomatoes on top.
- Sprinkle with everything but the bagel seasoning and pepper, to taste.
Make the tempering (optional)
- Set a small saute pan or skillet on medium-high heat and add the avocado oil to it. once the oil is shimmering and hot, add the mustard seeds.
- Once the mustard seeds start to pop and crackle, add the curry leaves and peanuts. Saute for 15-20 seconds and turn the heat off.
- Pour or spoon the prepared tempering on the assembled cottage cheese bowl and finish with chopped cilantro.
KEVIN FOODIE
I had no idea that vegan cottage cheese was a thing. Thanks for this substitution tip. To be honest, I am not a fan of cottage cheese, just from the look of it. I like how you incorporated it into your avocado dip. I have some cottage cheese at home, I will also try your cottage cheese bowl recipe and let you know how it turned out. Thanks for sharing.