Add Cottage Cheese To Your Salad Dressing For A Tasty Protein Boost

If you've ever looked at a carton of cottage cheese and thought it was limited to simple serving presentations with fruit or alongside breakfast staples like eggs, think again. The fresh cheese made from coagulated milk curds can easily be blended until smooth to make a delicious salad dressing that's high in protein. 

Full fat cottage cheese contains 11.5 grams of protein per 100 grams, which is generally higher than other common dairy salad dressing bases like Greek yogurt, and way more than mayonnaise, which has very little. Just like you can add cottage cheese to make protein-boosted scrambled eggs or pasta sauce, you can add it to a variety of dressings — from ranch to green goddess — for extra creaminess that's high in protein and lower in fat than mayonnaise. As cottage cheese has a pretty neutral flavor it will complement a range of recipes.

And the best thing is that because there a variety of cottage cheese brands, you can pick the one with the fat and sodium levels that suit you, or even choose a lactose-free option. If you're targeting a salad dressing that's both low in fat and high in protein, go with low or nonfat varieties, which contain slightly more protein per serving (about 14 grams per half cup serving) and still add lots of pleasant creaminess to the mix.

To add cottage cheese to your next salad dressing, first blend it to break the curds, until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Use a blender or food processor, then simply add other dressing ingredients like oil, spices, and herbs right in to combine. Make ranch-style dressing, which includes blended cottage cheese, lemon juice, and chopped parsley. Add a splash of buttermilk or dijon mustard for extra tang. Replace mayo in Thousand Island or French dressing with cottage cheese for a lighter protein-packed take. Cottage cheese also blends seamlessly into already cheesy mixes like blue cheese dressing. 

You can blend cottage cheese into scratch-made dressings or into a variety bottled dressings for a serious upgrade. For instance, you can add cottage cheese to store-bought ranch dressings to smooth out the flavor and texture, and add protein. Or get creative with green goddess dressing by bulking up the herbaceous mixture with cottage cheese, which also imparts a complementary balanced dairy flavor. Similarly, you can blend a little cottage cheese into your favorite store-bought vinaigrette to add protein and creaminess.

The salad dressing and serving options with cottage cheese are plentiful. It's even possible to make a whipped ricotta-inspired salad by blending cottage cheese until well-aerated, then topping it with greens or roasted veggies. Or stick to traditional dressing formats. You really can't go wrong with the protein-rich dairy ingredient.