Stir In A Dollop Of Cottage Cheese For A High-Protein Mac And Cheese You Won't Forget

Mac and cheese is one of the most iconic comfort foods of all time. It's simple, delicious, and easy to customize to suit anyone's preferences. Everyone has their own recipe for the ultimate homemade mac and cheese, with different cheeses, noodles, add-ins, and more.

If you're looking for another ingredient to beef up your recipe a bit more, cottage cheese is one of the most underrated cheeses to mix into mac and cheese. It's an easy way to add more protein, as well as other nutrients like calcium and vitamin B12 to your mac and cheese. Not to mention the fact that it adds some thickness to the texture of the dish, making it creamier as a whole. Plus, its flavor profile is fairly neutral so you don't have to worry about it overpowering other ingredients. Just blend it into a smooth sauce with the milk before stirring in the cheese and pasta.

Cottage cheese is an elegant one-ingredient solution to making a protein-packed mac and cheese. You don't have to stop there either; there are lots of other ingredients that can seriously upgrade your mac and cheese, as well as add more protein to make it a more filling meal.

If you want to double up on protein, try adding meat to your mac and cheese. Popular meat pairings with cottage cheese mac and cheese include chicken breast, pancetta, or turkey sausage. You can also top off the dish with crumbled bacon for a protein-filled topping. Plant-based eaters could opt for soy-based proteins like tempeh as well.

That said, meat isn't necessarily the only way to boost your cottage cheese mac and cheese. You can also replace the water that you boil pasta in with bone broth for a little protein spike that also adds a slightly meatier flavor to the dish. Ingredients like whey powder, high protein milk, or high protein pasta are also great ways to boost the dish.

Beyond protein-packed ingredients, consider add-ins like vegetables to bulk up the meal — think broccoli, peas, cauliflower, or roasted squash. Last but not least, consider making a spicy version of this high protein mac and cheese by adding jalapeños, hot sauce, or chili flakes for some kick.