I’ve joined the club. I have officially hopped on the bandwagon. I am a protein girly because at 42 I’ve seen the light and I want my young person metabolism back.
First of all, I’ve never liked cottage cheese, so I completely understand the hate. For me, it’s a texture thing. (I also have to physically choke down yogurt because the smoothness freaks me out, so clearly I have issues.) The only way I can happily eat cottage cheese is covered in fruit and granola or hidden in a recipe. And yes, cottage cheese fruit and granola bowls are coming soon.
But I’ve grown up and, consequently, have begun to grow old which means you have to eat things you don’t like so you don’t wither away. So I bought some cottage cheese and made the greatest quiche ever and that’s the story!
Anyway, Zach’s friend Ross came to visit us recently, which naturally meant I had to pull out my healthiest and most impressive recipes because I, much like Tinkerbell, will die without applause.
He loved it. We love it. And now I want you to love it too.
And did I mention it has 21 grams of protein per slice???? Because it does!
Which, for me, is goals.
Why Put Cottage Cheese in Quiche?
Besides the obvious answer—protein—cottage cheese does something really lovely to an egg filling…it makes it taste less like egg.
Side note: I also don’t like eggs and I have realized I am, in fact, sort of a picky eater.
To get to the more-cheese-than-egg quiche flavor, we must first blend the chunks out of the cottage cheese. Yes it’s an additional step but friends, it’s the only way. Heavy cream isn’t full of lumps and our cottage cheese filling cannot be lumpy either.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Frozen pie crust OR homemade (a gluten one coming soon): I’m keeping things easy here. A standard 9-inch frozen grocery-store pie crust works perfectly and saves a considerable amount of time. If you’re gluten free or keto check out my My Favorite Keto Pie Crust (with VIDEO!) because that works too! I’m working on getting my VERY EASY butter and flour crust up which is insanely easy and delicious so stay tuned…
Low-fat or Fat-free cottage cheese: The not-so-secret ingredient. It adds creaminess and plenty of protein without making the quiche heavy.
Eggs: Seven whole large eggs give the quiche a tender, custardy texture.
Ham: Diced ham adds another boost of protein along with plenty of salty, savory flavor.
Cheddar cheese: Because adding cottage cheese does not exempt us from using actual cheese.
Parmesan: This gets sprinkled directly over the bottom of the crust before we add the filling. It’s a little extra layer of salty, cheesy goodness and if added right when the crust comes out of the oven, it creates a barrier to keep the bottom from getting soggy.
Spinach: Finely chopped baby spinach wilts quickly into the filling.
Mushrooms: Button mushrooms add a little earthy flavor without overpowering everything else, but they are optional if you hate shrooms.
Sweet onion: Half of a sweet onion adds flavor and a little sweetness once sautéed.
Seasoning: Keep it simple with seasoning salt (I use Lawry’s GASP but it’s so yummy) or kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper.
The Secret Is Blending the Cottage Cheese
I’m aware that everyone is doing the blended cottage cheese thing right now but I firmly believe in this instance it’s OK because we are swapping a dairy item for another dairy item in a savory recipe. Much different than trying to turn cottage cheese into chocolate sauce or some other diet bullshit.
So anyway! Add the cottage cheese to your blender or food processor before the eggs and blend until it’s smooth. Then add your eggs and seasonings and give everything a few quick pulses to combine.
You don’t need to whip the life out of the eggs. We just want a smooth, creamy mixture without visible cottage cheese curds. Then stir in the shredded cheddar by hand.
Don’t Skip the Par-Baked Crust
Even though we’re using a frozen crust, I still like to give it a little head start before adding the filling.
Preheat your oven to 400°F and use the tines of a fork to pierce the bottom of the crust several times. This gives steam somewhere to escape and helps prevent the crust from puffing. Bake the empty crust for 8 to 10 minutes, just until it starts to look dry and set but hasn’t begun to brown.
Remove it from the oven and let it rest while you finish your filling. We’re not trying to completely bake it here. We’re just helping the crust along so it can stand up to all that creamy egg filling.
Hey Liz, What about Egg Whites??
Like seriously, I thought you’d never ask!! I love egg whites and yes they work here!
I’ve made a variation of this using whole eggs plus liquid egg whites, and it’s actually amazing because it tastes even LESS like eggs, which we all know is a huge win for me.
The texture does change a bit. Egg whites produce a firmer filling that’s a little closer to an egg bake or breakfast casserole than traditional custardy quiche but I stand by this recommendation and you should totes try it.
If that’s your thing, use 3 whole eggs plus 1/2 cup liquid egg whites in place of the 7 whole eggs.
How Much Protein Are We Talkin’ Here?
This version contains approximately 21 grams of protein per serving when the quiche is divided into six slices.
Most of that comes from the eggs, fat-free cottage cheese, ham, cheddar, and Parmesan.
Exact nutrition will vary depending on the cottage cheese, ham, cheese, and frozen pie crust you use, so consider that number an estimate rather than a promise carved into stone.
If you Manage To Have Leftovers…
Allow leftover quiche to cool before covering and refrigerating it in an airtight container.
For the best texture, reheat individual slices in a 350°F oven or air fryer until warmed through. The microwave works perfectly well when convenience wins, although your crust won’t be quite as crisp.
Want more High Protein Recipes? Try These!
- Keto Green Goddess Avocado Egg Salad Wrap
- Quick Mediterranean Omelette! {Low Carb & Keto}
- Keto Pumpkin Spice Protein Balls!
High Protein Cottage Cheese Quiche with Ham
Who knew a pie crust filled with cheese and ham could be high protein AND healthy? And tasty!! This cottage cheese quiche checks all of my breakfast boxes so I hope you love it too!
Ingredients
- 1 9-inch frozen pie crust *see note*
- Avocado oil cooking spray
- ½ medium sweet onion, diced
- ¼ cup button mushrooms, diced
- ½ cup diced ham
- 1 packed cup baby spinach, finely chopped
- Lawry's Seasoning salt or kosher salt, to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 cup Fat-fat cottage cheese
- 7 large eggs
- 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Fit the pie crust into a 9-inch pie dish and use the tines of a fork to pierce the bottom several times.
- Par-bake the crust for 8 minutes, until the surface looks dry and set but hasn't begun to brown. Remove from the oven and set aside.
- Lightly coat a skillet with avocado oil cooking spray and heat over medium heat. Add the onion and mushrooms and sauté until softened.
- Add the diced ham and cook for another 1–2 minutes. Add the chopped spinach and cook just until wilted. Season the vegetable mixture lightly with Lawry's Seasoned Salt and black pepper. Remove from the heat and set aside.
- Add the cottage cheese to a blender or food processor and blend until completely smooth.
- Add the eggs and season with another light sprinkle of Lawry's Seasoned Salt and black pepper. Pulse for a few seconds at a time, just until combined.
- Stir the shredded cheddar into the egg mixture.
- Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F.
- Sprinkle the Parmesan evenly over the bottom of the par-baked crust. Spread the ham and vegetable mixture over the Parmesan.
- Pour the cottage cheese and egg mixture over the filling.
- Bake at 350°F for 40–45 minutes, checking the crust after about 20 minutes. If it's browning quickly, loosely tent the crust edges with aluminum foil. My quiche was finished at approximately 44 minutes, so I'd start checking around 40.
- Remove the quiche when the edges are set and the center has just a slight jiggle.
- Allow to rest for 10 minutes before slicing.
Notes
Homemade crust: I highly recommend using my homemade all-butter pie crust if you have the time. It's flaky, buttery, and considerably better than frozen. [Recipe coming soon] A 9-inch frozen crust will also work if you want to keep things simple.
Don't overbake: The center should be just set when you remove the quiche from the oven. It will continue cooking as it rests.
Watch the salt: Ham, cheddar and Parmesan are already salty, so season the vegetables and egg mixture lightly.
Egg-white option: Substitute 3 whole eggs + ½ cup liquid egg whites for the 7 whole eggs for a slightly leaner variation. The texture will be firmer and more similar to an egg bake than traditional quiche.
Low-carb option: Use your Easy Keto Pie Crust in place of the frozen traditional crust.
Storage: Refrigerate leftover quiche in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
Protein: Approximately 20g protein per 1/6 quiche, depending on the brands used.
Nutrition Information
Yield 6 Serving Size 1 sliceAmount Per Serving Calories 327Total Fat 19gSaturated Fat 7gUnsaturated Fat 12gCholesterol 247mgSodium 680mgCarbohydrates 20gFiber 1gSugar 4gProtein 20g
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