Description
Pizza Style Cottage Cheese Bake: A quick, comforting dish loaded with cottage cheese, marinara sauce, pepperoni, and gooey melted mozzarella. Irresistible!
Ingredients
Scale
- 24 oz (680g) cottage cheese (4% fat works best for creaminess)
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup (100g) shredded mozzarella, plus ½ cup (50g) for topping
- ¼ cup (25g) grated Parmesan cheese
- ½ cup (120ml) pizza sauce or marinara
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
- 4 oz (115g) pepperoni slices (or preferred pizza toppings)
- 1 bell pepper, diced (about ¾ cup)
- ½ cup (75g) sliced black olives
- 2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped, for garnish
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Step 1: Prepare Your Ingredients Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C) and lightly grease a 9×13-inch baking dish. If your cottage cheese seems watery, drain it in a fine-mesh strainer for about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, dice your bell pepper, measure out your cheese, and gather your other toppings. This preparation ensures your Pizza Style Cottage Cheese Bake comes together smoothly.
- Step 2: Create The Base Mixture In a large bowl, combine the cottage cheese, eggs, 1 cup of mozzarella, 2 tablespoons of Parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Mix thoroughly until everything is well incorporated. The eggs will bind everything together, creating a stable base for your pizza-inspired bake.
- Step 3: Layer Your Bake Pour the cottage cheese mixture into your prepared baking dish, spreading it evenly. Next, dollop the pizza sauce over the mixture and gently swirl it through the top layer (don’t mix completely – you want those distinct pizza sauce pockets!). Sprinkle your pepperoni, bell peppers, olives, and any other pizza toppings you love across the surface.
- Step 4: Add The Final Cheese Layer Top everything with the remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese, ensuring even coverage. This will create that classic pizza cheese pull and develop a golden brown crust as it bakes. A sprinkle of red pepper flakes at this stage adds a pleasant hint of heat that complements the rich flavors.
- Step 5: Bake To Perfection Place your dish in the preheated oven and bake for 35-40 minutes until the cheese is bubbly and golden brown around the edges. The center should be set but still have a slight jiggle – it will continue firming up as it cools. Allow your Pizza Style Cottage Cheese Bake to rest for 10-15 minutes before garnishing with fresh basil and slicing into generous squares.
Notes
Fresh ingredients will always yield the best flavor results.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 square
- Calories: 290 kcal
- Sugar: 3g
- Sodium: 820mg
- Fat: 18g
- Saturated Fat: 8g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 8g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 24g
- Cholesterol: 130mg