Cottage Cheese Spinach Dip
I don’t think you can ever have too many dip recipes. This recipe is definitely a keeper. It bakes up quickly and tastes great. It was a big hit in the cottage cheese class the other night.
Cottage cheese can be a hard sell. I get that. There are plenty of folks who just don’t like it. The appearance is certainly part of the reason. I like cottage cheese, but I understand why others don’t. Because the cottage cheese is pureed there is really no way to tell what is in the dip. It is just a nice creamy base for the spinach, spices and cheese.
You could easily add some artichoke hearts to this recipe, if you like. While it is traditionally served with crackers or bread, you can serve it with vegetables. You can also serve it over baked potatoes for a simple meal. We added diced sweet pepper for color and texture, but other add-ins could include water chestnuts, green onions, sweet onions or of course, artichokes.
Here is the recipe. I hope you will try it.
Spinach Cottage Cheese Dip
1 c. frozen chopped spinach
1 c. cottage cheese
1 tablespoon olive oil
½ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon onion powder
salt and black pepper to taste
¼ cup red bell pepper chopped, optional
2 tablespoon cheese of choice, shredded
⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes, optional for spice
Preheat your oven to 400°F. Defrost your spinach. You can place your frozen spinach package in a bowl of warm water or microwave for about 2-3 minutes. Once your spinach is defrosted, use a cheese cloth, paper towel or a small strainer to squeeze out any excess water. Add your cottage cheese, olive oil and spices to a food processor or high-powered blender and blend until smooth. Pour your blended cottage cheese mixture into a greased oven safe dish, add your spinach and chopped red bell pepper and mix until evenly distributed. Top with shredded cheese. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until to cheese begins to brown. Serve with pita, chips, crackers or veggies.
Note: This recipe could also be baked in an air fryer at 400 degrees for 5 minutes.
This dip is best eaten immediately however it will store in an airtight container for up to two days. Just reheat in the microwave.
Cottage Cheese “Bagels”
Versions of this recipe have been floating around for some time. I decided to make them and was pleasantly surprised. They were easy to make and ready in no time at all. They are not like traditional bagels. These aren’t made with a yeast dough and they are not boiled. The chewy texture of a classic bagel is not there, but there is a bit of a chew and they still taste good. The addition of cottage cheese spikes up their protein content. I thought of maybe calling them something else, but for now, bagels it is.
The original recipe I saw called for 2 ingredients- self-rising flour and cottage cheese. Since most people I know don’t keep self-rising flour around I made the recipe adding baking powder and salt to allow for using regular all purpose flour.
We made these in the cooking with cottage cheese class the other night and the everyone really liked them. In class we topped them with everything bagel seasoning. You can leave them plain or perhaps top with sesame seeds, poppy seeds or caraway. They toast nicely, too.
My next plan to make these with different flours. Spelt and whole wheat flour for sure. Maybe add more ingredients to the dough, too. Other flavorings that I like in more traditional bagels.
So here is the recipe. If you make these, I’d love to know what you think. More recipes from the cottage cheese class will be posted soon.
Cottage Cheese Bagels
1 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup cottage cheese
1 egg, beaten
optional, sesame seeds, everything bagel seasoning or poppy seeds
Preheat the oven to 375 and position the rack to the top position. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone liner. In medium bowl combine flour with baking powder and salt and stir to blend. Set aside. Place the cottage cheese in the food processor or blender and pulse or blend on high until smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides as needed. Add the cottage cheese to the flour mixture. Mix until completely combined and the dough starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl. Transfer the dough to a generously floured work surface and knead the dough 8-10 times, until smooth. Add more flour to the work surface as needed until the dough is no longer sticky. Roll the dough into a ball and divide it into 4 equal balls. If you want them to be the exact same size you can weigh out each piece of dough to approximately 80g or just under 3 ounces. Roll each ball out into a 6-7-inch rope, about 1-inch thick. Join the ends to make a circle and pinch the seam tightly to seal. Brush the tops with a beaten egg and top with your seasoning of choice. Bake in the preheated oven until puffed and golden brown, 25-30 minutes. Allow to cool for 15 minutes before slicing and serving. Bagels stay fresh in an airtight container at room temp for up to 4 days. Makes 4.
Air Fry Directions Preheat the air fryer to 350 for 5 minutes. Spray the air fryer basket with nonstick spray and air fry for 12-14 minutes, until golden brown and no longer doughy in the center.
Note: You can use 1 cup of self- rising flour in place of the flour, baking powder and salt.
