This high-protein cottage cheese egg bake has become my go-to low-carb meal prep breakfast for busy mornings when I need sustained energy thanks to the 32 grams of protein per serving. It's creamy, fluffy, and nutritious, and you can easily adapt it to whatever ingredients you have on hand.
Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day, so you're in for a treat! If you want another egg breakfast, you can try my quick high-protein cottage cheese scrambled eggs, my copycat Starbucks egg bites, or this 2-ingredient cottage cheese flatbread.
Craving a sweeter breakfast? Try these pancakes, this chocolate mousse, this matcha yogurt bowl, or this amazing moist banana bread - sorry if you don't like the word moist.
This cottage cheese and egg bake recipe is gluten-free because it doesn't call for flour, and I wanted it to be low-carb.
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Why I love this recipe
- High in Protein: Combining eggs, cottage cheese, and cheddar for a protein-rich meal that keeps you satisfied for hours.
- Simple & Easy: The base recipe calls for 3 main ingredients, just mix all the ingredients in one bowl, pour into a casserole dish, and bake - perfect for meal prep.
- Customizable: The base recipe can be adapted with countless variations of vegetables, proteins, and seasonings. I have put a list below for various suggestions.
Ingredients needed
- Eggs: The foundation of the recipe. For a lighter version, you can use half whole eggs and half egg whites.
- Cottage Cheese: Provides creaminess and protein. Low-fat or full-fat both work well. Greek yogurt can be substituted, but will yield a tangier flavor. Make sure you drain any excess water before you use it.
- Cheddar Cheese: Adds flavor and a golden-brown topping. Feel free to substitute with any melting cheese like mozzarella cheese, Gruyere, or parmesan cheese.
- Spinach: My vegetable mix-in of choice, it provides nutrients and color. You can use any leafy green you prefer.
- Seasonings: In this recipe, I only used salt and pepper because I just wanted something bland, but you can use: garlic powder, paprika, Italian seasoning, herbs de Provence, or taco seasoning.
How to make high-protein cottage cheese egg bake
Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and lightly grease a 9x13 inch casserole dish.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together eggs until well beaten.
Add drained cottage cheese, shredded cheddar, and/ or parmesan cheese (reserve some for topping), baby spinach, salt, pepper, and any seasoning of choice, and mix well.
Pour the mixture into your prepared casserole dish and sprinkle the remaining cheese on top.
Bake for 45 minutes, or until the center is set and the top is golden brown. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before slicing and serving.
Hanaa's recipe tips
- Don't oversalt the mixture. Both cottage cheese and cheddar cheese are salty enough, so just a pinch is enough.
- Don't overmix the eggs. Once everything is well combined, resist the urge to keep going.
- For an extra protein and high fiber side dish, I suggest pairing it with this chickpea salsa salad or this high-protein hummus.
- Drain excess moisture from your vegetable mix-ins to keep the baked cottage cheese eggs mixture from becoming too watery and developing an unpleasant texture. If you think it will be extra moist, feel free to add 1 tablespoon of cornstarch if you're gluten-free or all-purpose flour.
- For extra protein, try whisking a scoop of unflavored protein powder into the egg mixture.
- You can add heavy cream to make it keto like in this keto breakfast casserole.
Mix-ins
If you prefer to pack your breakfast casserole with a ton of mix-ins, here are some things that would go well, just make sure that they are drained well. You can also check the suggestions in my cottage cheese quiche.
- Spinach or kale (chopped).
- Red Bell pepper - yellow and green work too- (diced).
- Mushrooms (sautéed for better texture).
- Zucchini (grated and squeezed dry).
- Cherry tomatoes (halved).
- Onions (caramelized).
- Roasted butternut squash (small cubes).
- Broccoli or cauliflower rice.
- Cooked turkey or chicken sausage (cooked and crumbled).
- Smoked salmon.
- Ground turkey or beef (pre-cooked).
- Rotisserie chicken (shredded).
- Sun-dried tomatoes (chopped).
- Kalamata or green olives (sliced).
- Artichoke hearts (chopped).
- Fresh herbs like parsley, basil, or chives.
- Green onions.
Egg casserole meal prep
- Fully bake the egg Casserole, cool completely, then refrigerate. Reheat individual slices in the microwave for 1-2 minutes or the entire casserole (covered and brought to room temperature) in a 325°F oven until heated through.
- Prep Ingredients: Mix everything except the eggs, and store in the refrigerator overnight. Add whisked eggs just before baking.
Storage instructions
- Refrigerator: Store leftover egg bake in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
- Freezer: Cut into individual portions, wrap tightly in plastic wrap or freezer bags, and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw before reheating.
Frequently Asked Questions
When making a cottage cheese and egg bake and it turns water, it could be either the moisture from uncooked vegetables or from the cottage cheese. Also, if you choose to use more eggs than cheese and cottage cheese, or more egg whites. If you think it'll still be runny, feel free to add 1 tablespoon of cornstarch if you're gluten-free or all-purpose flour.
The egg bake should be set in the middle with golden-brown edges. A knife inserted in the center should come out clean like ti would in a cake.
Yes! Replace whole eggs with double the amount of egg whites (1 egg = 2 egg whites).
High Protein cottage cheese egg bake (Recipe card)
High Protein Cottage Cheese Egg Bake
Ingredients
- 8 large eggs
- 1 cup cottage cheese
- 1 cup cheddar cheese
- 1 cup spinach
- 1 pinch salt to taste
- pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and lightly grease a casserole dish.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together eggs until well beaten.
- Add drained cottage cheese, shredded cheddar, and/ or parmesan cheese (reserve some for topping), chopped spinach, salt, pepper, and any seasoning of choice, and mix well
- Pour the mixture into your prepared casserole dish and sprinkle the remaining cheese on top.
- Bake for 45 minutes, or until the center is set and the top is golden brown. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before slicing and serving.
Notes
- Don't overmix the eggs. Once everything is well combined, resist the urge to keep going.
- Drain excess moisture from your vegetable mix-ins to keep the casserole from becoming too watery and developing an unpleasant texture. If you think there will still be moisture feel free to add 1 tablespoon of cornstarch if you're gluten-free or all-purpose flour.
- For extra protein try whisking a scoop of unflavored protein powder into the egg mixture.
- Add any vegetables, proteins, or jarred items to your breakfast casserole for extra fiber, taste, and protein.
- Fully bake the egg Casserole, cool completely, then refrigerate. Reheat individual slices in the microwave for 1-2 minutes or the entire casserole (covered and brought to room temperature) in a 325°F oven until heated through.
- Prep Ingredients: Mix everything except the eggs, and store in the refrigerator overnight. Add whisked eggs just before baking.
- Refrigerator: Store leftover egg bake in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
- Freezer: Cut into individual portions, wrap tightly in plastic wrap or freezer bags, and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw before reheating.
Nutrition
If you make this egg bake with cottage cheese and spinach, I'd appreciate it if you could leave a comment telling us how it turns out.
Shno Ali says
its so delicious for breakfast