Photo: Claire Lower
I love to start my day with curds and whey, always have, even before the Great Cottage Cheese Resurgence of the 2020s. Cottage cheese is filling, neutral enough to pair deliciously with a variety of plant parts, and (most importantly) speedy. I don’t whip it or try or try to force it into a role it never asked for. I just put it in a bowl, then put stuff on it. A bowl of cottage cheese takes the same amount of time to prepare as a bowl of cereal, but will keep you fuller for much longer. (Bonus: If you top it with a vegetable, you get to feel virtuous.)
I’m glad the kids are excited about cottage cheese, but their insistence on fashioning it into something else is misguided, and unnecessary. Cottage cheese, unaltered, is wildly versatile, and has a pleasant salty, savory flavor with a good amount of lactic tang. If the curds throw you off, I don’t know what to tell you. (Yes, I do: Grow up.)
My favorite breakfast follows a simple template of cottage cheese + fruit or veg + seasoning. It’s adaptable to every whim and mood, even my most dire moods, which are always in the morning. Right now I’m on a tomato + bagel seasoning kick, because my garden is full of tomatoes, and I’ve been known to get nutritional yeast involved. It’s also a great vehicle for last night’s roasted vegetables, or a fruit cocktail you forgot to pack in your kid’s lunch. Some other possible quick cottage cheese breakfasts include:
Leftover roasted carrots + curry powderOlives + za’atarCanned peaches + cinnamonPickled apples + fresh pepperPico de Gallo + a squeeze of limePineapple + nutmegStrawberry jam + lemon zestPistachios + honeyBreakfast radishes + flaky sea saltMango + honey + fresh mintTomatoes + bacon bits + scallionsAny vegetable + chili crispAs you can see, the spoonable dairy can be forever riffed on, and plays extremely well with both the sweet and savory. My only caution: Do not get the low- or no-fat kind, as those can taste mealy, dry, and are nowhere near as satisfying. After all, the goal is to start your day on a note of satisfaction.
