The enduring appeal and adaptability of cottage cheese. Plus: a recipe for pancakes packed with the low-carb protein

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For those of us who existed in the seventies and eighties, cottage cheese will forever be tied to the “diet plate” offered on restaurant menus – served by the scoop atop a plain burger patty, with a wedge of cantaloupe – and diet plans in “women’s magazines.”

Diet culture has transmogrified into wellness culture, with similar content fed digitally, directly into our pockets, and cottage cheese still has a starring role – this time as the ingredient that transforms a perceived unhealthy food (bread, cheesecake, ice cream, gooey dip, chocolate fudge), into a version that’s high-protein and low-carb and thus, according to influencers chasing virality, best for weight loss and guilt-free. Often cocoa and maple syrup are involved. Maybe an avocado. Almost always a blender.

In my world, cottage cheese is a staple in my parents’ fridge, essential for the pancakes my mom has been making for decades. Not bougie lemon-ricotta pancakes, but something she came up with to boost the protein in their regular breakfast. Essentially, she adds a good amount of cottage cheese to any pancake batter, and dials down the milk a bit. (This will depend on the texture of your cottage cheese, but it’s easy to wing it.)

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The pancakes are golden and crispy-edged, the tiny, mild cheese curds melting into gooey nuggets inside. For me, they taste like summer holiday – I eat them when I’m visiting in July or August. When peaches are in season, my mom slices them overtop, letting their juice soak into the pancakes. (This won’t likely happen this year, as stone fruit orchards in B.C. were damaged by a cold snap and the harvest is anticipated to be grim to non-existent.) There are almost always blackberries gathered down the path out front – sometimes I pick them while she mixes up the batter, and the berries are still warm from the sun.

Sitting at the table in my PJs with coffee doing Wordle, while my mom makes pancakes, insisting she sit down and eat, too, before making my dad and I another, knowing she’ll mix up another batch as soon as my teenager emerges from the bunk bed he’s now far too tall for … that’s my idea of wellness.

Cottage Cheese Pancakes

The egg adds more protein, but the cheese itself acts as a binder to hold these together if you want to leave it out. (When I make pancakes without egg, I add about 1/4 tsp. baking soda and a tablespoon or two of lemon juice to give them extra lift.) For a fully plant-based version, pulse equal parts silken and medium-firm tofu in a blender or food processor until soupy-chunky, like cottage cheese. The recipe is easily doubled or tripled if you have more people around your breakfast table – or it’s easy to mix up another batch as the pancakes cook.

1/2 cup cottage cheese

1 egg

1/2 cup milk (any kind)

1/2 cup flour (or pancake mix)

1 tsp baking powder (if you used flour)

1/4 tsp salt (or a big pinch – if you used flour)

vegetable oil or ghee, for cooking

In a medium bowl, stir together the cottage cheese and egg; add the milk, flour or pancake mix, baking powder and salt and stir just until combined.

Set a skillet over medium-high heat, add a drizzle of oil or dab of ghee and swirl the pan to coat the bottom. Spoon in about 1/2 cup batter at a time and cook until the pancakes are golden on the bottom and bubbles are starting to break through the surface (there won’t be as many as with traditional pancakes – the cottage cheese gets in the way), turning the heat down if you need to and flipping with a thin spatula to cook until golden on the other side. Serve right away, with maple syrup and berries or other seasonal fruit. Makes 3-4 pancakes.