COTTAGE CHEESE RECIPES | easy, healthy protein-packed!

So I am definitely having a moment with cottage cheese right now. Not only do I love how creamy and yummy it is, but it is so versatile. Breakfast, lunch, or dinner, you can create so many easy, healthy, high-protein recipes that can help to support your health, fitness, and or weight goals using cottage cheese. Not only does cottage cheese pack in 14 grams of protein per half cup, but it's what's called a casein protein. Therefore, it's a very slow-digesting protein, and the benefit of that is that it can really help you to feel satiated and satisfied after you're done eating. And for so many people, that is half the bat. So for today's video, I'm gonna share five of my go-to cottage cheese recipes that I make and eat on repeat. And keep in mind that I'm gonna link full videos and full recipes down in the description box below if you need more details on any of these. But before I get started, I just wanna thank our amazing sponsor, Element. Element is a high-quality, delicious electrolyte company who is specifically designed for people who enjoy a healthy lifestyle and who like to take a less-processed, more whole-food approach to healthy eating. It contains a science-based balance of sodium, magnesium, and potassium that can help you to balance out the electrolytes in your body. And I'm gonna share more on them in just a bit, but first, let's get started with cottage cheese recipe number one. Cottage cheese and eggs absolutely love each other, and I think that's why my vegetable and cottage cheese breakfast egg bake has become so popular. All I do is start by greasing a nine-by-13 pan with a little bit of butter, or you could also use cooking spray, and then I'm gonna saute a few cups of vegetables. Now, I'm using a combination of onions, mushrooms, and baby spinach, but really, any type of vegetable that you have on hand, you could make it work. Once those veggies are all cooked up and wilted down, I'm gonna spread them across the bottom of my baking pan, and then I'm gonna sprinkle a few ounces of feta cheese right over the top. I am a big fan, and I highly recommend looking for feta cheese that is in block form so that you can crumble it yourself because the flavor and the texture is superior to pre-crumbled feta. Then, for the eggs and the cottage cheese, I have one dozen eggs in a large bowl. I'm just gonna whisk those to break them up, and I'll add one and a half cups of cottage cheese. Not only is the cottage cheese gonna boost the protein in this recipe, but it adds the most delicious flavor and creamy texture to the egg bake. I'll season that with a teaspoon each of garlic powder and onion powder. We'll give it a little bit of sea salt and black pepper, and give that one more mix before I pour this egg and cottage cheese mixture right over the veggies that I have prepared in the pan. Once I've got it all evened out, I'm gonna pop it into a 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes or until it is lightly golden over the top and set through. Served on its own, this recipe has 20 grams of protein per serving, but I personally love to serve it with some whole grain toast and maybe a big dollop of Greek yogurt or extra cottage cheese over the top, a little bit of hot sauce, which bumps the protein up even more. And keep in mind, this one is perfect for meal prep, so you may wanna add the ingredients to this week's shopping list. Okay, cottage cheese recipe number two. I have been making for years. It's my cottage cheese pancakes. I mean, I love this recipe so much. I even included it in the Clean and Delicious cookbook, which, by the way, would make a fabulous gift for the holidays, and I will be sure to link it below for anybody who wants to check it out. These pancakes are so easy. Everything goes right into your blender, starting with one cup of good old-fashioned rolled oats. Then I add one cup of cottage cheese. Now, I'm using a low-fat variety, but a full-fat would also work really well. Then I have 3 1⁄4 cups of liquid egg whites, two teaspoons of baking powder, two teaspoons of cinnamon, and a teaspoon of vanilla. I'm just gonna pop on the lid, blend that up until everything comes together and you have a nice, thin, pourable batter like I have here. And then you're just gonna cook this the way you would traditional pancakes. I'll heat a nonstick skillet, lightly coat that with a little bit of non-aerosol cooking spray, pour about 1⁄4 cup of the batter into the pan. I like to keep the pancakes on the smaller side. And then after about two to three minutes, you'll notice that the pancakes begin to set up and they've got these little tiny bubbles around the edges. So I just get underneath, flip them over, let them go for another couple of minutes or until they're cooked through, and then they're ready to go. This is another high-protein cottage cheese recipe that's perfect for meal prep, and I love serving them with some extra berries and some maple syrup over the top, but you could really use any pancake topping that you love or prefer. Moving right along, I'm gonna show you how to make a creamy, rich, delicious cottage cheese Alfreda pasta. Now, when I first discovered this one, it completely blew my mind, and I'm telling you, you have to try it. It's so delicious and it's so easy. But first, I just wanna tell you a little bit more about today's sponsor, Element. Element is a high-quality electrolyte supplement that can help to prevent headaches, fatigue, muscle cramps, and sleeplessness, which I was surprised to learn can all be signs of electrolyte deficiencies. I especially love Element. After a good, hard workout in the morning, I find when I replenish with Element electrolytes, I just feel more focused and more energized throughout the day. Plus, I also feel really hydrated when I drink it. It's kind of hard to explain, but it makes me feel really good. Plus, I love that Element has zero sugar, no artificial flavors or colors, and it comes in so many delicious flavors. They have watermelon, orange, raspberry, mango chili, grapefruit, citrus salt, chocolate, and unflavored, and I truly love all of the flavors. I never met a flavor I didn't like, but I'm especially excited right now because they just released their limited-time chocolate medley, which offers a combination of some of their most delicious chocolate flavors, and it includes 10 packs of chocolate mint, 10 packs of chocolate chai, and 10 packs of chocolate raspberries. Now, the chocolate flavors you wanna drink hot, and be prepared to have your mind blown because it's the wildest thing. When you mix any of these chocolate flavors with hot water or hot milk, you could even mix it with some coffee and make a mocha, they literally taste just like hot chocolate. It's so good. My husband and I are seriously addicted, and we enjoy them all throughout the cooler and colder months. So if you'd like to give them a try, Element is offering everybody in the Clean and Delicious community eight single-serve packets for free with any purchase. So this is a great way to try all eight flavors. All you have to do is visit drinkelement.com forward slash dannyspeez. Now, this is only available with my link, so again, that's www.drinklement.com forward slash d-a-n-i-s-p-i-e-s. Okay, now let me show you how to make this insanely easy five-minute cottage cheese alfredo sauce that might just change your entire life. Into a blender, I'm adding one cup of cottage cheese, low-fat or full-fat would work, a half a cup of freshly grated Parmesan cheese, and a half a cup of milk. Okay, that's the base. I'm using an organic 2% milk here, but if you wanted it to be even richer and creamier, you could certainly do a full-fat milk, or you could even sub in a coconut milk if that's your preference. Then I season this with a half teaspoon of Italian seasoning and a half teaspoon of garlic powder, a little bit of sea salt, some black pepper, and then blend it up. That's all you have to do, and your sauce is ready to go. Then all you really need to do is choose what type of pasta you wanna serve it with. Personally, I love to serve it with a chickpea or a lentil pasta because this creates a meal that's higher in protein and rich in fiber. So once the pasta is cooked and drained, I just pour the sauce right over the top, gently toss it all together, and it is ready to roll. It is so good, and I'm telling you, this may just give you a whole new respect for cottage cheese. It's next level. Okay, cottage cheese recipe number four is the viral cottage cheese flatbread. This one I enjoyed more than I thought I would because it really creates like a hearty wrap that has a crepe-like texture, and it's a fantastic option for anybody who's looking for a higher protein, lower carb alternative to a traditional wrap or bread. And it's actually extremely easy to make. All you do is combine one cup of cottage cheese, two eggs, a quarter teaspoon each of garlic powder and Italian seasoning right into a small food processor, and then you just blend it all up until you have a nice smooth batter like I have here, okay? Then what I'm gonna do is I'm gonna pour this onto a rimmed baking sheet that I have lined with some parchment paper, and do my best to just spread it out evenly. It doesn't have to be perfect, but you wanna get it as even as you can. Then this goes into a 350 degree oven for 30 to 35 minutes or until lightly golden and set through. And once it's cool enough to handle, you'll see that it comes off the parchment paper very easily. Each recipe like this is two servings, so I just cut it in half. And then I love to build wraps with this. One of my go-to favorites that I've showed you in the past is I will layer some tzatziki with some arugula, some shredded chicken, a rotisserie from the grocery store is a fantastic shortcut, some baby tomatoes, and then thinly sliced onions. You just roll that together, slice it in half, take a bite, and once again, be in awe of all that cottage cheese is capable of. And then our fifth and final cottage cheese recipe can be made for breakfast, lunch, and dinner because there's so many different varieties. It's less of a recipe, more of an assembly-only two-minute meal that we all need in our life sometimes, right? And it's cottage cheese toast. What I love about this is truly the flavor combinations are endless, but I do wanna show you a few of my favorites just to give you a little bit of inspiration. So for the base, all you need is cottage cheese and your favorite bread. Personally, I am a huge fan of sprouted grain bread, and I also am a big fan of sourdough. Okay, once you've got your base, the topping options are truly endless. One of my personal favorites is to take a little bit of nut butter and spread that right over the top of the toasted bread. Then I add the cottage cheese, and then I sprinkle fresh berries over the top. This is like a higher-protein, more nutrient-dense, fresher alternative to our traditional peanut butter and jelly sandwich. It's really good. You have got to try it. Now, a second favorite is to take that toast, to pile the cottage cheese right on top of the toast. Then I'll slice a hard-boiled egg right over the top and sprinkle some everything bagel seasoning over the top. This is gonna give you that bagel sandwich vibe, but again, a lot lighter and a lot more nutrient-dense. And of course, keep in mind, if one slice isn't enough, you can always make two and maybe make a few little different flavors for yourself. And then one last flavor idea just to show you the versatility here. I will sometimes do this one for dinner if I'm feeling extremely lazy and not wanting to cook or put anything together. I will take some tapenade, like an olive tapenade, spread that right on top of the toast. Then you're gonna add your cottage cheese, and then I will top this with some fresh-sliced tomatoes and thinly-sliced cucumbers. A little bit of salt, a little bit of pepper. Divine. So simple, so delicious. And again, these are the types of meals that can really save you from ordering takeout or grabbing something on the go that doesn't really align with your goals because they take so little effort and so little time, but it's also extremely satisfying. So of course, I am now curious to know which of these cottage cheese recipes have you already tried or do you think you will try next? Come on down below and let me know. And keep in mind that I have also linked full videos and printable recipes for each of these down in the description box as well. So be sure to grab those if you need them. Once again, I'd like to thank Element for sponsoring this video. If you wanna give them a try, remember they are offering eight single-serve packets for free with any purchase. All you have to do is visit drinkelement.com forward slash dannyspeez. As always, thank you so much for watching. I'm Dannyspeez, and I'll see you back here next time with some more clean and deliciousness. Cheers.