Cottage cheese is having a moment, and I am SUPER happy about it because I’ve been trying to get people on to the cottage cheese train for years. For some reason, it seems to give a lot of people the ick, but I’m convinced a) they’re not eating it right and b) they’re not aware of how nutritious it is!
Think of cottage cheese just as you would any other spreadable cheese like ricotta or straciattella (the inside of burrata). I like to eat my cottage cheese savory for this reason, as it really emphasizes the cheesiness of it al.
A huge perk of cottage cheese is that it’s really high in protein! One serving of cottage cheese (which is just 1/2 cup) has 14 grams of protein! This makes it a GREAT snack or addition to your meal.
My favorite brands of cottage cheese are Nancy’s Probiotic (which is a bit thicker and more tangy) and Good Culture (which is a little more mild and creamier).
Whipped cottage cheese is a great starting point for those freaked out by the texture. You just put your cottage cheese in a food processor and whip it until it’s light and fluffy. I found this texture works great for a dip, hence this recipe!
This dip is a riff on Pimento Cheese, a spread popular in the Southern United States. My husband, who is from Georgia, loves pimento cheese, so I always like to whip up “healthified” versions of it for him using different combinations. Traditional pimento cheese is often made with cream cheese or mayo, but I thought, why not cottage cheese, so you still get that creamy flavor, but with a big boost of protein!
The texture of this dip is much lighter and fluffier than your usual pimento cheese, but it tastes great with crackers, potato chips, veggies, or even spread on a wrap or sandwich!
Get the recipe below!
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to good mood food to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.