This recipe developer wanted to add protein to her diet. So, she turned to cottage cheese: ‘The No. 1 thing is the versatility’

Grace Elkus might’ve found her online niche making recipes about cottage cheese. However, she’ll be the first to tell you it took her a while to be converted to the oft-divisive dairy product.

“It’s so funny. I’m sure both my mom and my sister are just saying to themselves, like: ‘Grace, we have been talking about cottage cheese for forever. You are actually late to the trend,’” she told Yahoo Canada. “I’m late to it in their eyes, because my mom — for as long as I can remember — has been eating cottage cheese, has been putting it on her baked potatoes.”

Her sister, meanwhile, loved a former dish offered at the American chain Steak ‘n Shake, a cottage cheese side dish featuring a canned pineapple ring and a maraschino cherry on top. “When we lived in New York together, she knew which grocery stores had the best store brand of cottage cheese,” Elkus added.

These days, Elkus has built a catalogue of doable and delicious recipes focused on high-protein vegetarian offerings. Just like the women of her family, she’s now never far from opening a new container of cottage cheese.

“I think the number one thing is the versatility: I have found ways to add it into every meal, including dessert,” she shared, adding that finding a protein source you love — and ways to incorporate it into your meals — is better than “trying to add in 10 different ingredients” that have the nutrient.

“I found that I really like cottage cheese, and so if I’m adding it into things that I was already making and familiar with how to cook, it just kind of took that barrier of entry into high protein eating [away].”

For others looking to up their protein intake while keeping their grocery bill down, there’s never been a better time to follow Elkus’ lead. Here, we ask the recipe developer and soon-to-be-cookbook-author how to make the most of cottage cheese.

Why should I try cooking with cottage cheese?

Once seen as of-the-‘80s as mall bangs, cottage cheese has recently returned to being chic. However, Elkus noted that’s far from the first reason why it’s a food worth trying.

It’s a versatile replacement for pricier dairy products (cottage cheese is a quick whir in the blender from standing in for ricotta, mascarpone or labneh), helping cut costs on grocery bills. It’s also cost-effective, clocking in at around a dollar per 100 grams.

But the real selling point might be how versatile cottage cheese can be, Elkus re-emphasized. The same day of our phone interview, she mentioned she was in the process of developing a smoothie breakfast bowl that uses cottage cheese as an undetectable source of protein and satiety. She also noted that she often eats cottage cheese multiple times a day.

“I mean, scrambled eggs in the morning, I can add cottage cheese to that. I’m making smoothies? I can add cottage cheese to that. For dinner, I’m making lasagna. Why don’t I use cottage cheese instead of ricotta? It has a very mild flavour and a really creamy texture, and so it can kind of mask itself if you’re not someone that’s inherently drawn to it too,” she said.

Is cottage cheese healthy for you?

“I started paying more attention to my protein intake when I was going to the gym more, and strength training, and looking to build muscle, and realizing that in order to kind of optimize that muscle growth, I needed to be eating more protein,” Elkus explained, adding that as a vegetarian, cottage cheese is a key protein source for her.

“Along the way, I’ve realized it’s important for anyone, not just people going to the gym. It helps make your meals more satiating so that you stay full for longer. It’s also really good for bone health. So my parents, who are getting older, it’s important for them to be eating it so that their bones can stay strong.”

A half-cup of cottage cheese has around 14 grams of protein and is rich in vitamins like B12, all while delivering few carbs and little fat, according to Healthline. (The fat content, of course, can change depending on the fat percentage you choose: Most mainstream brands range from fat-free to four percent.)

The only downside? That same half-cup might offer 20 per cent of your daily recommended sodium intake, a nutrient many Canadians already eat to potentially detrimental excess. If you’re eating cottage cheese often, it may be wise to keep an eye on where else sodium appears in your diet. For most Canadians, the biggest culprits are deli meats, snacks like chips and prepared bread products.

How do I cook with cottage cheese?

If you yourself are a cottage cheese skeptic, Elkus’ sheet pan eggplant parmesan is an excellent jumping off point.

“It’s a combination of cottage cheese, mozzarella and parmesan cheeses, all with the eggplant and the breadcrumbs and the marinara sauce,” she said of the dish. “And it’s all these delicious things, and you 100 per cent would not be able to tell that there was cottage cheese in there. I think any kind of saucy, cheesy thing is a really great place to throw it if you’re trying to convince someone.”

Another easy way to test the waters with cottage cheese? Try adding it to your eggs, Elkus recommended, explaining she believes it makes them fluffy and not dry.

“I always put it into a frittata. I’ll just whisk together the eggs, cottage cheese, some shredded cheese, pour that into a skillet over any veggies I sauteed and bake that, and it keeps the frittata really custardy. A dry frittata is kind of the opposite of what you want,” Elkus added, saying she’s even made a faux-sorbet with blended cottage cheese that satisfies a sweet craving while being nutrient-dense.

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Recipe: Grace Elkus’ Cottage Cheese Sorbet Cup

• 1 cup frozen fruit of choice

• 1 tbsp honey or maple syrup (optional)

Blend cottage cheese, frozen fruit and honey in a blender or food processor on high until combined and smooth. Place into an open container and freeze while making the chocolate topping (if desired).

For the chocolate topping, chop and melt it in 30-second bursts in the microwave, stirring between each. Set aside when melted and melt coconut oil. Add melted coconut oil to the melted chocolate and pour over the container of cottage cheese mixture to form a “Magic Shell”-style topping. Return to the freezer for 10 minutes to harden, then enjoy.

Over on Elkus’ website, other recipes range from a cottage cheese french toast casserole to cottage cheese pasta sauces to a cottage cheese banana pudding.

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The lowdown on cottage cheese

Adaptable, healthful and lower-cost than a lot of other protein options, Elkus said she can’t imagine turning her back on cottage cheese anytime soon.

If it took some viral recipes to get people eating more cottage cheese, I think that’s a net positive.

“I think people are now grouping cottage cheese and high protein together as sort of this trend,” she began. “And I like to think that this way of eating is backed by science, and it’s not a trend. It’s honestly just an incredible thing that honestly, more and more women are trying to fuel their bodies and maybe build muscle in the gym, versus trying to do a bunch of cardio to get smaller. … I think it’s all related.”

She explained she’ll often now see discourse where people are complaining over high-protein diets being everywhere, and questioning when this supposed fad will end. However, she said it’s tricky for herself because she’s been touting the benefits of consuming protein long before there was a bandwagon.

“This is genuinely the way I eat, the way I feel the best eating, the way that I would love to encourage people to eat and help them do so,” she said. “So if it took some viral recipes to get people eating more cottage cheese, I think that’s a net positive, because I think it’s a great ingredient to keep stock, even if this trend seems to pass.”

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