Cottage Cheese
10 Tasty Ways Cottage Cheese Makes the Best Pick-Me-Up Snack
Whether you're craving something sweet or savory.
We've partnered with Hood Cottage Cheese to share a few of our favorite ways their creamy, protein-rich cottage cheeses—like their sweet Cottage Cheese with Strawberry and savory Cottage Cheese with Cracked Pepper—make a delicious snack.
Growing up, my mom would eat cottage cheese almost every day, every which way: scooped over a bed of arugula with salt, pepper, a squeeze of lemon, and drizzle of olive oil or spread on whole wheat toast with a little bit of blackberry jam, and a dozen other combos. Years later, and it's still her favorite snack.
Even though it took me a little longer to come around to cottage cheese, I've definitely inherited my mom's snack-y love for it.
Nowadays, whenever I need an afternoon pick-me-up or a pre-lunch snack (or even a quick breakfast), I'll turn to cottage cheese. It's great on its own, but also versatile enough that you can enjoy it savory, sweet, or somewhere in between.
My favorite way to eat it sweet happens to be the same as my mom's: spread on whole wheat toast with a bit of jam (I prefer strawberry to blackberry, though) and a sprinkle of sea salt. When I need something salty, spicy, and a little more substantial, I'll put a few scoops of cottage cheese in a bowl and top it with sliced avocado, a soft-boiled egg, and a few drizzles of hot sauce.
But there are a million different snack ideas out there, so I asked the Food52 team to share a few of their go-tos—here's what they said:
"I love it with sliced strawberries, a drizzle of honey, and a sprinkle of sea salt. The acidity of the berries is tempered by the cottage cheese (and it looks so pretty, too)." —Maggie Slover, copywriter
"With everything bagel seasoning on cracked pepper, whole-grain crackers." —Angela Bartolotta, drop ship supply chain manager
"I love to make mine Greek-ish, so I'll spread it over toasted pita and top it with cucumbers, kalamata olives, a drizzle of olive oil, and maybe a dash of smoked paprika or za'atar." —Lizzie Greene, sales director
"It might sound weird, but I promise it's so yummy and has just the right amount of sweet: a scoop of cottage cheese (usually one that has some kind of fruit mixed in, like strawberries) over a split banana sprinkled with berries, granola crumbles, and a bit of honey." —Rebekah Daniels, account manager
"I'll make some toast, slather it with peanut butter, and top it with cottage cheese, strawberries, bee pollen, and flaky salt." —Joanna Sciarrino, executive editor
"Sometimes when I'm craving this nori sour cream dip, but don't want to whip out the food processor, I'll sprinkle nori over cottage cheese and use it as a dip for sliced vegetables." —Eric Kim, senior editor
"Cottage cheese with Italian dressing. Don't judge." —Sam Stahl, chief revenue officer
"I don't know if this qualifies as 'delicious' as I haven't eaten it this way in years, but my mom used to make cottage cheese bologna roll-ups for me and my sister as kids." —Merrill Stubbs, co-founder and president
"Hear me out: I'll put a bit of cottage cheese on top of my morning waffle with fresh blueberries, cacao nibs, and lots of maple syrup—it's so, so good." —Danielle Curtis-Williams, marketing coordinatoor
"Our food stylist, Sam Seneviratne, eats it everyday with a side of mango slices." —Brooke Deonarine, prop & set stylist
In partnership with Hood Cottage Cheese, we're sharing our team's favorite snack-y ideas for cottage cheese, from overtop split bananas with cocoa nibs and granola crumbles to spread on pita with tangy kalamata olives and crunchy cucumbers. No matter what you're craving—be it something savory and spicy or sweet and satisfying—cottage cheese makes the perfect snack. To make sure you don't stay hungry the next time you're in need of a pick-me-up bite, stock up on Hood Cottage Cheese with Strawberry and Hood Cottage Cheese with Cracked Pepper, which are packed with versatile flavor and a hearty serving of protein.
Written by: Erin Alexander
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15 Comments
I can't wait to try to eat some of the above and below ideas. I usually eat my cottage cheese at night, as it's full of casein protein, which is released slowly–great for muscle sustenance while sleeping. But, that's probably a dude-just-over-forty-thought.
I love it with kimchi. Or umeboshi plum salt. Truffle salt. Finely chopped chipotle. Or maple syrup.
And always large curd..
When the cupboard is a bit bare, a healthy sprinkle of ground black pepper.
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