The Creaminess Of Mac And Cottage Cheese Will Exceed Your Expectations

Cottage cheese has been having a moment since the summer of 2023. If you still think of it as a lumpy, bland diet product, you may want to reconsider. These days, we love incorporating cottage cheese into fancy foods like dark chocolate tahini ice cream, Caprese salad, and tzatziki sauce on a mezze platter, but it also integrates seamlessly into some of our favorite comfort dishes.  

A core requirement of a delicious mac and cheese is that it needs to be creamy — and if you want to ensure the most velvety consistency possible, incorporate cottage cheese into your recipe. This may sound counterintuitive at first, since these containers typically hold a lumpy product. But they key here is to blend your cottage cheese, which will produce a whipped texture that makes for a thick, smooth sauce when combined with your other ingredients. Plus, it boasts a little tang to slightly contrast the richness of your dish, and all the nutritional benefits it was originally famed for (protein, low fat, vitamins, and minerals). And yet, with the enhanced creaminess of your mac and cheese, you won't even notice that it's technically a little lighter.   

Feel free to pick whichever type of cottage cheese you prefer, although a whole milk container will yield the richest mac and cheese (but they'll all bring a creamy consistency). Then to get started, blend your ingredient (right out of the container) with the rest of your sauce components, which typically include milk, shredded cheese, any seasonings you're using, and cornstarch. You may not see the latter in every mac and cheese recipe, but it will only help thicken your cottage cheese and add to its creaminess here. When blending, stop as soon as everything is smooth for the thickest sauce; but if you want something a little thinner, keep going until you're satisfied.

Afterwards, all you need to do is heat up your mixture in a pan until the cornstarch activates, then add in your cooked noodles. But when doing so, don't turn your stove up past medium-low, as this can cause it to separate. And to branch out beyond this simple mac and cheese, feel free to add cottage cheese into your favorite recipe to increase the creaminess. It can work in everything from French onion mac and cheese (just sub out the cheddar), a roasted cauliflower dish (replace the mozzarella), or a pot with garlic shrimp (swap out one cup of the cheddar). Cottage cheese may have a mild flavor, but it's the ultimate way to improve the texture of your comfort food.