Simple High-Protein Keto Cottage Cheese Salad
If you’ve ever doubted cottage cheese’s ability to offer a completely satisfying meal, it’s time to blow your mind with this cottage cheese salad recipe.
Cottage cheese salad for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
This salad uses cottage cheese as the base of the salad. It’s the star of the show! I’ve made green salads before where I add cottage cheese as my protein source and then it doubles as the dressing. But with this salad, the cottage cheese is the main ingredient instead of lettuce, and it’s so much better this way. With 29g of protein, you can’t go wrong!
Think of this salad as a form of caprese salad. The cottage cheese is like the fresh mozzarella and then you have the tomatoes and basil. We’re adding in red onion, cucumber, and olives to give it even more of a Mediterranean vibe.
Shout out to @eatingbirdfood for the inspiration!
What goes well with cottage cheese?
My favorite way to eat cottage cheese has been to top it with garden fresh tomatoes and basil, ground black pepper, a pinch of salt, and a drizzle of olive oil. Maybe add pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds.
This cottage cheese salad might replace my favorite way of eating cottage cheese.
Many people prefer to pair cottage cheese with fruit. Peaches, pears, and pineapples are all popular toppers. For keto, be leery of adding these fruits as they’ll add a lot of extra carbs. If you like cottage cheese more on the sweet side, try it with berries, nuts, and seeds.
Cottage Cheese Salad
yield: 2 SERVINGS
prep time: 10 MINUTES
total time: 10 MINUTES
High protein salad of cottage cheese topped with cucumber, tomatoes, onions, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and fresh basil.
Ingredients
- 1/2 English cucumber, diced
- 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, cut into 1/4 pieces (8 tomatoes)
- 1/4 of a red onion, diced
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon pepper
- 2 cups cottage cheese, divided
- 2/3 cup black olives
- 2 tablespoon olive oil, divided
- Fresh basil, sliced
Directions
1
Add diced cucumber, cut tomatoes, and minced red onion to a medium bowl. Mix to combine.
2
Add balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper to the cucumber, tomato, and onion mixture. Stir to combine.
3
Spread 1 cup of cottage cheese in a thin layer on a plate. Spread the second cup of cottage cheese on a second plate if making two servings at once. If you'd like to make only one serving, skip the second cup of cottage cheese plate and halve all other ingredients.
4
Top each plate of cottage cheese with half of the vegetable mixture, about 10 olives, 1 tablespoon of olive oil, and fresh basil.
5
Eat with keto crackers or a fork. Enjoy!
Nutrition Information
Yield: 2 servings, Serving Size: 1 cup cottage cheese with 1/2 the salad (does not include crackers)
Amount Per Serving:
424 Calories | 26.4g Fat | 15.9g Total Carbs | 2.3g Fiber | 10.6g Sugar | 29.1g Protein | 13.6g Net Carbs
Tips for making the best cottage cheese salad:
- Go with a full-fat (4%) cottage cheese to make this taste amazing! Full-fat cottage cheese is so much creamier than non-fat or low-fat.
- Use your favorite brand of cottage cheese. My favorites are Good Culture and Daisy.
- If you want the carbs to be lower, you can reduce the amount of tomatoes, cucumbers, or red onions or use less cottage cheese. Most of the carbs in this recipe (6g) come from the cottage cheese. Just know that the protein content will be lower if you use less cottage cheese.
- This recipe makes two servings so there’s enough to share or you’ve got yourself lunch two days in a row. If you’re looking to make only one serving, cut the recipe in half.
- I used High Key almond flour crackers and they were amazing with this salad.
Cottage cheese is a staple in my house. I often eat it plain for breakfast or lunch, but not anymore. Believe me when I say that I’ll be making this cottage cheese salad regularly, especially as it starts getting warmer outside.
Here’s what my Hip sidekick, Jenna, had to say about this recipe:
“What an awesome way to add some protein to your day! Best part? NO COOKING! This was super filling but in a good way! It’s refreshing, easy to make, and the best salad I’ve ever had! I loved every bite! The kids helped me dice the veggies, and I used keto chips to scoop up the salad – YUM! I will 100% be adding this to my regular meal plan!”
Looking for more keto salad ideas? Check out our recipe for the Famous Columbia 1905 Salad.
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