- Calories
- 320
- Protein
- 32g
- Fiber
- 3g
- Sat. fat
- 4g
- Sodium
- 540mg
- Added sugar
- 0g
What this recipe does for you.
A 5-minute savory cottage cheese bowl with tomato, cucumber, olive oil, and za'atar. 32g protein, no sweet stuff, the lunch I eat three times a week.
Why this works
Every recipe on this site ships with an explanation of the technique decisions, why sear then braise, why the acid goes in at the end, why the fat renders before the aromatics. The method below is those decisions, in order.
Good Culture 4% Cottage Cheese (or Longley Farm in the UK)
I have made this bowl with budget supermarket cottage cheese and it goes watery in 90 seconds. Cultured-longer brands hold their shape, taste of dairy rather than salt, and carry the 32g protein cleanly in a single 3/4 cup. If you can only find one, get this one.
Ingredients
Serves 1- 3/4 cupcottage cheese · salted 10 minutes before assembly
- 1 tspflaky salt · on the cottage cheese
- 1/2 wholecucumber · thumb-sized chunks
- 1 wholeripe tomato · or 8 cherry tomatoes, halved
- 2 tbspgood olive oil · on top, last, not stirred in
- 1 tspza'atar · or a small handful of fresh dill, not both
- 1 wholesoft-boiled egg · optional, halved
Method
3/4 cup cottage cheese, salted ten minutes before
A teaspoon of flaky salt onto the cottage cheese, ten minutes before assembly. The salt pulls a little whey out and tightens the curd. Don't skip this. The texture difference is the whole bowl.
Half a cucumber, cut into thumb-sized chunks not slices
Sliced cucumber goes limp in cottage cheese inside two minutes. Chunks the size of your thumb stay crunchy for the time it takes to eat. Salt them lightly, drain on a paper towel for two minutes while you do the tomatoes.
One ripe tomato or 8 cherry tomatoes, halved
If the tomato is in season, that's the bowl. Out of season, switch to cherry or grape tomatoes, they hold their flavor through winter where a beefsteak doesn't. Halve, salt, drain. Three minutes.
Two tablespoons of good olive oil, on top, last
The olive oil goes on at the end, off the spoon, not stirred in. You want it to puddle on top of the cottage cheese so each bite gets a slick of fat alongside the curd. Cheap olive oil tastes like nothing here. Use the green peppery one you've been saving.
Za'atar or fresh dill, pick one, not both
A teaspoon of za'atar over the top, or a small handful of dill chopped finely. Both is too busy. I use za'atar in winter and dill in summer because that is what reads as in season.
Optional: a soft-boiled egg, halved
Bumps protein from 32g to 38g and turns this from a side into dinner. Six minutes from cold tap. The yolk runs into the cottage cheese and the whole thing tastes like a different dish.
Variations
Substitutions and adaptations land with the photography shoot. The method holds across most reasonable swaps.
Storage
Refrigerator: 3 to 4 days, sealed. Freezer: up to 3 months. Reheat covered to retain moisture.
Frequently asked
- Is cottage cheese a daily-driver protein?
- Yes, one of the best high-protein-per-calorie defaults in our kitchen. High protein per calorie, soft texture, mild flavour, and the casein digests slowly so satiety holds. Lena (our RD) recommends it as a default lunch protein when something fragrant is too much.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Components yes, assembled bowl no. The cucumber goes limp and the olive oil bleeds into the cottage cheese after about 20 minutes. Salt the cottage cheese in the morning, chop the vegetables, assemble at the desk.
- What if I don't like cottage cheese?
- Skyr or thick Greek yogurt at 0% are the closest swaps. Both will give you 25-30g protein in the same volume. Same method.
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