You might think of cottage cheese as something your mom tossed beside your pork chop when you were a kid. It likely is not something that most people think of when they are weighing their options for a snack. However, cottage cheese is very versatile and pairs well with an assortment of other foods. It makes a great healthy snack on its own or can be jazzed up with one of the cottage cheese snack ideas below.
Jams & Jellies
Mix a spoonful of your favorite jam or jelly into your cottage cheese to create a sweet treat. If you want a pre-made option, grocery stores commonly sell cottage cheese with fruit toppings similar to jam and jelly included. These make a great on-the-go snack.
Peanut Butter
We aren’t endorsing this combination, but many people enjoy it or at least tolerate it because of its high protein content. Simply mix a cup of cottage cheese with about a tablespoon of peanut butter. Check out our thoughts on this combination here.
Fruit
Topping cottage cheese with fruit is one of the most popular mix-ins for cottage cheese. Cottage cheese has a neutral flavors so it goes with almost any fruit or a combination of fruits. Simply toss your favorite fruit on the top of your cottage cheese and enjoy. Trendy fruit toppings include strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, peaches, and cantaloupe.
Salad Topper
Almost all vegetables integrate well with cottage cheese so it’s no surprise that cottage cheese goes great on a salad. Scoop a nice portion of cottage cheese on the top of your salad to add a creamy texture. Ditch the high calorie salad dressing in exchange for the the cottage cheese topping to create a healthy snack.
Hot Sauces
My spouse loves to liberally shaking hot sauce over cottage cheese for a morning snack. I always thought this was a weird combination until I tried it. The spiciness livens up the sometimes bland cottage cheese taste without being too obnoxious of a flavoring. It also adds minimal calories, which is a bonus for many of us snackers. Be sure to add a little at a time. It is easy to over spice cottage cheese.
Granola
Granola isn’t just reserved as a topping for yogurt or to eat for breakfast. It goes great sprinkled on top of cottage cheese as well. You can also mix-in in fruit or jam for added flavoring.
Protein Powder
If you are into weight training, excercising, or just looking to consume some extra protein, you probably have bought one of those big jugs of protein powder. You have probably also looked for ways to consume that powder outside of the traditional milk or water route that can quickly get old. Mix a scoop of protein powder in a dish of cottage cheese to create a high proten snack.
Dips
One of our favorite snack ideas is to make a cottage cheese dip for chips, veggies, pita bread or whatever you like to dip. Check out this Ranch Cottage Cheese Dip or this Skinny Mexican Cottage Cheese Dip.
Smoothie
There are many people that have texture issues with the lumpiness of cottage cheese. One way to eliminate the lumps is to run the cottage cheese through a blender. To make a cottage cheese smoothie just add a 1/2 cup orange juice and a 1/2 cup cottage cheese to a blender. Then add a 1.5 cups of your favorite frozen fruit and blend until smooth. You can also add a tablespoon of honey if you’re looking for a bit more sweetness.
Sandwich
My mom used to toast up bread, spoon on cottage, and add some fresh tomato with salt and pepper. I thought it was a bit odd at the time and mayhe when it comes to sandwiches it still is. But, who cares? This sandwich is a delicious and simple to make for snacking purposes. Add some thinly sliced cucumber for extra crunch and flavor.
Seasonings/Spices
Simply adding your favorite spice or seasoning to cottage cheese can help deter its sometimes bland taste. Cottage cheese, generally, contains a lot of sodium, therefore, you may wish to go light with the seasoning containing salt. One of our favorite seasonings to add to cottage cheese is Everything Bagel Topping.
