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Beyond the Curds: Discovering the Magic of Cottage Cheese Cooking

cottage cheese recipes
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A comforting and flavorful lasagna made with a creamy cottage cheese filling. A fantastic way to discover the versatility of cottage cheese!

Ingredients

Scale

1 Tbsp. olive oil

4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped

1 small yellow onion, chopped

1 lb. lean ground beef (96/4)

1 tsp. oregano

1 tsp. Italian seasoning

1 tsp. paprika

½ tsp. chili powder

1 tsp. salt

½ tsp. black pepper

32 oz. jar of marinara sauce (I use Rao’s)

Filling:

16 oz. low-fat small curd cottage cheese (Good Culture for best flavor)

2 eggs

½ cup Parmesan cheese, shredded (56g)

½ tsp. oregano

½ tsp. Italian seasoning

½ tsp. salt

Pinch of black pepper

10 oz. frozen spinach, defrosted and strained

Lasagna:

8 oven-ready lasagna noodles (Barilla)

2 cups low-moisture mozzarella cheese, shredded (224g)

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and onions to the pan and cook until nicely browned, approximately 3-5 minutes.
  2. Add the ground beef to the pan and break into bite-size pieces. Cook until fully cooked through, mixing often, approximately 5 minutes.
  3. Add the oregano, Italian seasoning, paprika, chili powder, salt, and pepper to the beef mixture and combine to evenly coat.
  4. Add sauce, combine and simmer while you prepare the cottage cheese filling.
  5. For the filling: combine the cottage cheese, eggs, Parmesan cheese, oregano, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper and mix well to combine.
  6. Add the defrosted and strained spinach to the cottage cheese mixture and mix to combine.
  7. Spray a 9x13 inch baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Add a dollop of the meat mixture to the bottom of the dish to lightly coat the bottom.
  8. Top with 4 noodles, the noodles are the width of the baking dish (short side) not the length.
  9. Top the noodles evenly with ½ cup mozzarella cheese (56g), followed by half the meat mixture. Use a spoon or spatula to evenly spread the mixture over the noodles.
  10. Top the meat mixture with half the cottage cheese filling and spread to coat the top.
  11. Repeat with 4 noodles, ½ cup cheese, remaining meat mixture, remaining cottage cheese filling, and 1 cup cheese on top.
  12. Place the baking dish on a baking sheet to catch any overflow. Cover the dish with foil, try to avoid touching the cheese on top so that it doesn’t stick to the foil.
  13. Bake for 50 minutes. Remove the foil and bake an additional 10-15 minutes until the cheese is melted and browned and the sauce is nice and bubbly at the edges.
  14. Top with freshly chopped parsley and cut into 12 equal servings and enjoy this easy lasagna recipe.

Notes

  • Nutritional information is an estimate and will vary with substitutions.
  • Defrost the spinach in the microwave and strain. I personally find it best to just squeeze the spinach with my hands to squeeze out as much water as possible.
  • You do not need to blend the cottage cheese; it will blend together once baked.

Nutrition

Find it online: https://rsyep.com/beyond-the-curds-discovering-the-magic-of-cottage-cheese-cooking/