Cottage cheese hasn’t had this much attention since Great Aunt Rita mixed it with Jell-O and took it to the Church ladies potluck in 1972! I can’t imagine anyone actually enjoying the lumpy texture of cottage cheese — do you chew it? I really can’t decide if it’s a liquid or a solid! It’s just not something I can get excited about. Still, I decided to give the new-old thing a try. I purchased the low fat, small curd variety and when I got it home I blendered the entire thing into a lovely, creamy consistency. I tried a bite straight and it actually tasted pretty good — similar in feel to Greek yogurt, but more mild in flavor. The creamy blended texture reminded me of cheesecake batter — which makes me wonder if I could add a few eggs and make cheesecake? Maybe I’ll try that next.
So, I mustered my courage and decided to give Cottage Cheese Pancakes a try. I merged several ideas that I read in various places with my tried and true pancake recipe and came up with Cottage Cheese Banana Pancakes. And they are really good. Like, surprisingly good! And one serving of three pancakes has 13 grams of protein, which is a nice bonus as I find it to be a struggle getting my daily protein in.
I’m still not completely convinced that cottage cheese is any better than Greek yogurt, as far as nutrition is concerned. A half-cup serving of low-fat cottage cheese has 90 calories, 5g carbohydrates, 2.5g fat and 13g protein. A half cup serving of low fat plain Greek yogurt has 85 calories, 4.5g carbohydrates , 2.2g fat and 12g protein. Yogurt has the advantage of containing probiotics, however some brands (check the labels!) of cottage cheese are fermented and also have these gut health bugs! They both contain calcium in similar amounts. The only big differences I can find are sodium content — cottage cheese can have significantly more sodium than Greek yogurt (unless you’re able to find a reduced salt version) and the yogurt is more likely to contain probiotics, regardless of the brand. I like the words “Greek yogurt” better than “cottage cheese”. Maybe it’s just negative connotations from my youth — I remember my brother mixing cottage cheese and apple sauce together. Yuck! (he also ate jelly and cheese sandwiches — so weird)
The results of my research are as follows:
You should eat whichever you prefer. Or neither. Or both. Do whatever you want, just keep it all in moderation and make good choices as often as you’re able.
This is really my entire philosophy on nutrition.
Cottage cheese is having it’s moment of fame, but is really just the new-old kid on the block. Greek yogurt is just as good, maybe better, which may be why its fame has hung on well past the 10 minute mark. We’ll see how cottage cheese holds up.
