Cottage Cheese Has Better Plans: 3 Easy Vegetable Bakes

Cottage cheese doesn’t have to sit sadly next to a cucumber.

Mix it with eggs, a little flour, cheese and vegetables, put it in the oven — and suddenly you have lunch.

Better yet, you don’t need a completely different recipe every time.

The basic idea stays almost the same.

Change the vegetable. Change the flavor. Keep lunch simple.

Here are three easy vegetable cottage cheese bakes to start with:

• Broccoli Cottage Cheese Bake

• Golden Onion Cottage Cheese Bake

• Zucchini & Herb Cottage Cheese Bake

Same family.

Very different personalities.

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1. Broccoli Cottage Cheese Bake

Broccoli is probably the easiest place to start.

It gives the bake plenty of texture, stays visible when you slice it, and works especially well with a lightly golden cheese topping.

Ingredients

• 500 g broccoli, cut into florets

• 3 large eggs

• 1 cup cottage cheese, about 225 g

• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

• ¾ cup shredded cheese

• Salt, to taste

• Black pepper, to taste

• Garlic powder, optional

How to Make It

Bring a pot of water to a boil.

Add the broccoli and cook briefly, just until it begins to soften.

Don’t cook it until it falls apart — it still has time in the oven.

Drain the broccoli really well and let excess moisture escape.

In a bowl, whisk the eggs.

Add the cottage cheese, flour, shredded cheese, salt, pepper and garlic powder if using.

Mix until you have a fairly smooth batter.

The cottage cheese should become part of the mixture rather than sitting inside the finished bake as obvious white curds.

Add the broccoli and fold everything together.

Transfer to a lightly greased round baking dish and spread into an even layer.

Bake at 350°F / 175°C for about 30–35 minutes, until the center is set and the top is lightly golden.

Let it rest for 5–10 minutes before slicing.

The important part

Drain the broccoli.

A wet vegetable can turn a perfectly good bake into something much softer than you planned.

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2. Golden Onion Cottage Cheese Bake

This one looks simple.

Then you taste the onions.

Instead of throwing raw onion straight into the mixture, give it time in the pan first.

Soft, golden onions completely change the flavor of the bake.

Ingredients

• 3 large onions, thinly sliced

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• 3 large eggs

• 1 cup cottage cheese, about 225 g

• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

• ¾ cup shredded cheese

• Salt, to taste

• Black pepper, to taste

• A little fresh or dried thyme, optional

How to Make It

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat.

Add the onions and cook slowly until soft and golden.

You’re not trying to make them dark or crispy.

You want them sweet, soft and lightly caramelized.

Let them cool for a few minutes.

Meanwhile, whisk the eggs with the cottage cheese, flour, shredded cheese, salt, pepper and thyme if using.

Stir in the cooked onions.

Transfer to a greased round baking dish and smooth the surface.

Bake at 350°F / 175°C for about 30–35 minutes, or until set in the center and golden on top.

Rest for 5–10 minutes before slicing.

Don’t rush the onions

Raw onion and slowly cooked onion are basically two different ingredients.

Give this one a few extra minutes on the stove.

It’s worth it.

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3. Zucchini & Herb Cottage Cheese Bake

Zucchini is easy.

Zucchini is also approximately 97% determined to ruin your bake with water if you let it.

So this recipe has one rule:

Squeeze it.

Once you do that, it makes a soft, savory bake that works beautifully with fresh herbs.

Ingredients

• 2 medium zucchini, about 400–450 g

• 3 large eggs

• 1 cup cottage cheese, about 225 g

• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

• ¾ cup shredded cheese

• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill

• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley

• 2 green onions, thinly sliced

• Salt, to taste

• Black pepper, to taste

How to Make It

Coarsely grate the zucchini.

Add a small pinch of salt and let it sit for about 10 minutes.

Transfer it to a clean kitchen towel or cheesecloth and squeeze out as much liquid as possible.

And then squeeze again.

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, cottage cheese, flour, shredded cheese and black pepper.

Add the drained zucchini, dill, parsley and green onions.

Mix until evenly combined.

Taste the salt carefully — the zucchini was already lightly salted before squeezing.

Transfer to a greased round baking dish and spread evenly.

Bake at 350°F / 175°C for about 30–35 minutes, until set and lightly golden.

Rest for several minutes before slicing.

Seriously. Squeeze the zucchini.

That’s the difference between a soft vegetable bake and zucchin