Cottage cheese: protein-rich, tastes nasty. Sure, it’s low-fat and makes you feel full longer. But we know that the taste and texture leaves much to be desired.

Fortunately, there’s a better way of eating it: by creatively preparing it in combination with other ingredients. Plus, the health benefits should outweigh all your whining complaints about it, right? Here are ten cottage cheese diet recipes you should definitely try.

Note: All of these recipes use low-fat cottage cheese.

 

 

1. Cottage Cheese and Fruit

Put ¾ cup of cottage cheese in a small bowl and top with a cupful of pineapple or papaya chunks (you can also use cling peaches). Sprinkle two teaspoons of wheat germ on top. Serves 1.

 

Why it’s good. You’ll get about 20 g of protein per serving, plus vitamin C and calcium. This is the ultimate cottage cheese diet breakfast.

 

 

2. Cottage Cheese Veggie Dip

Dash a small amount of lemon pepper over half a cup of cottage cheese. Mix. Serve with snap (or snow) peas and some baby carrots. You can also use any crunchy veggie. Serves 1.

 

Why it’s good. There’s 14 g of protein per serving, plus calcium, vitamin C and vitamin A.

 

 

3. Cottage Cheese Salad

Combine in a bowl: half a cup of cottage cheese, a quarter cup of chopped green bell pepper, a quarter cup of chopped tomato, one tablespoon of minced scallion and a pinch of salt and freshly ground pepper. Toss. Serves 1.

 

Why it’s good. You’ll be getting 15 g of protein per serving, plus vitamin C (62% daily value).

 

 

4. Berry-Pomegranate Smoothie

Whizz the following in a blender: 2 cups of frozen mixed berries, a cup of pomegranate juice, a medium-sized banana, half a cup of cottage cheese and half a cup of water. Blend until smooth and serve immediately. Serves 3 ½ cups for 2.

 

Why it’s good. It’s loaded with vitamin C and potassium, plus 6 g of protein.

 

 

5. Cottage Cheese Pasta

Cook 2 cups of whole wheat pasta according to package directions. Blend a cup of cottage cheese with half a cup of skim milk and mix until smooth. Drain pasta, stir in cottage cheese mixture and a cup of low-fat cheddar cheese until melted. Sprinkle with pepper or other spices. Serves 2.

 

Why it’s good. There’s 39 g of protein goodness in one serving, plus calcium.

 

 

6. Cottage Cheese Pancakes

Throw in a cup of old-fashioned oats, half a cup of cottage cheese, 3 large egg whites and a dash of cinnamon in a blender or food processor until the mixture looks like a pancake batter. Spray some cooking spray on skillet and add a few spoonfuls of batter. Cook one side for two minutes, flip, and one minute for the other side. Top however you like. Serves 6.

 

Why it’s good. Each pancake has about 6 g of protein, plus zinc, iron and folate.

 

 

7. Cottage Cheese Breakfast

Lightly toast one whole grain English muffin and smear some fat-free mayo on each half. Top each half with one slice of deli-style turkey breast and one tomato slice. Spoon about a quarter cup of cottage cheese on top of the tomato for each half. Lastly, top with avocado slices and sprinkle with ground pepper and green onions. Serves 2.

 

Why it’s good. Each muffin half has 12 g of protein, plus vitamin C, A, E and potassium.

 

 

8. Twice-Baked Potatoes

Preheat oven to 400°F and bake 2 large russet potatoes. Cut in half and scoop out flesh, leaving about ¼ inch of the shell. Puree half a cup of cottage cheese and one large egg yolk in a food processor. Add in potato flesh, 2 chopped scallions, 1 ½ tablespoons of chopped fresh dill, half a teaspoon of salt and ¼ teaspoon of freshly ground pepper. Whizz until blended. Spoon mixture into potato skins and arrange on a baking dish. Bake until heated for about 20 to 30 minutes. Serves 4.

 

Why it’s good. Each half has 8 g of protein, plus potassium and vitamin C.

 

 

9. Cottage Cheese Gelatin

Whizz 2 cups of cottage cheese in a blender until smooth. Boil ¾ cup of water and stir in one package of sugar-free Jell-O until it dissolves. Add a cup of cold in the mixture, place in a container and let it set in the fridge for about an hour. Pour cottage cheese in a shallow pan and place in the fridge. After an hour, pour gelatin mixture over cottage cheese and place in the fridge overnight so it sets completely. Serve with fruits the next day. Makes 6 servings.

 

Why it’s good. One serving contains 9.5 g of protein, plus vitamin C and calcium.

 

 

10.  Haddock with Spinach and Cottage Cheese

Chop three cups of spinach and microwave for a minute on high. Whizz a cup of cottage cheese until smooth in a food processor. Mix spinach and cottage cheese and pour into a glass baking dish. Arrange 4 fillets (about 12 oz. each) of Haddock on top and cover with tomato slices. Top with 2 tablespoons of Parmesan cheese and sprinkle with a teaspoon of basil. Bake at 200° for 20 minutes.  Serves 4.

 

Why it’s good. One serving of this baby contains 29.6 g of protein, plus vitamins C, A, B2 and K. It’s a great low-carb main dish that’s perfect for your cottage cheese diet.

 

With these ten cottage cheese diet recipes, we are going to make you a cottage cheese convert. Or not. Whatever. Before that, try some of these recipes, or try them all. Then give us your two cents.