Cottage cheese is all the rage these days thanks to the protein maxxing campaigns, but frankly I get a little sick of the way most people recommend eating cottage cheese. It’s usually paired with fruits and berries which is fine, but I like a savory breakfast generally so I tried to pair some savory toppings with cottage cheese and it was FIRE.

So these Savory Cottage Cheese bowls are the go-to breakfast for me now and you can use them as sort of a fridge clean-out option. So many toppings are good on these!

The Cottage Cheese We Buy

There are many cottage cheese brands out on the market these days and some very popular ones (like the Good culture brand, which I do love).

If I’m being honest though, we buy most of our cottage cheese from Costco because, well, we eat a lot of cottage cheese and it’s a good deal and a good brand. If a few people are eating these bowls even a few times a week, you will go through some cottage cheese!

Savory Topping Ideas for Cottage Cheese Bowls

Cottage cheese is kind of a blank slate and it needs some flavors and textures to really make it delicious. Here are some ideas for toppings I’ve used on these bowls, including the ones I used for the photos in this post.

• Eggs! Eggs and cottage cheese go really well together. Sometimes I’ll mix cottage cheese into scrambled eggs before cooking them, but for these bowls, I like crispy fried eggs.
• Avocado. Green savory topping that goes well on the bowls.
• Tomatoes. I like the cherry tomatoes for these bowls which are available throughout the year.
• Cucumbers. English cucumbers or the mini snacking cucumbers are great.
• Pickled jalapenos. These add a little kick to the bowls and nice crunch.
• Fried onions or shallots. Use the jarred stuff and they add a nice crunch to the bowls.
• Everything bagel seasoning. Salty and flavored. I go heavy with it on my bowls.
• Fresh chives. Fresh herbs are a nice addition to these cottage cheese bowls.
• Capers. I didn’t use them for this version, but bright, briny capers would help cut through the fat.
• Radishes. Sliced thin, these would add some nice crunch to the bowls.

Frying a Perfect Egg

I like a fried egg for my bowls, but if you are in a hurry you could leave it out and be just fine.

For my fried eggs, I cook them in olive oil over medium heat. You want to let the egg sitf or a minute until it’s getting crispy around the edges. Then cover it for 30 seconds so the whites can set. A perfect fried egg in my opinion has crispy edges and still a runny yolk.

Building a Cottage Cheese Bowl

These are easy to make once your egg is cooked. I like to serve them in a wide bowl so you have a thinner layer of cottage cheese and maximum toppings.

I start by seasoning the cottage cheese with bagel seasoning and then adding the toppings around the edges of the bowl.

Add a Sweet Drizzle

While I don’t always do this, if you feel like it you can add a sweet drizzle of honey (or hot honey) to the bowls. Sweet and savory work really well together in cottage cheese bowls actually so feel free to experiment!

These are a great breakfast and I hope you try them out!

Here are a few other great recipes to try!