5 Protein-Powered Meals Our Editors Make With Cottage Cheese

By Nina Moskowitz

In Book IX of The Odyssey, Homer describes something strikingly similar to modern-day cottage cheese. When Odysseus and his men enter the Cyclops Polyphemus’s cave, they find it stocked with cheese and dairy supplies. Later, they watch Polyphemus “curdle half the milk and set it aside in wicker strainers,” creating curds that separate from the whey. This ancient coagulation technique is recognizable today: the same basic method used to create cottage cheese. An epic tale with a side of dairy history.

Fast-forward from the lair of a mythical creature to the feeds of Gen Z influencers and tangy, curdy cheese is still having a moment. It has outlasted empires, survived diet fads, and reinvented itself time and time again. These days people can’t get enough of the protein source. Layered into lasagna, stuffed into pierogies, and swiped onto toast, there are so many ways to revel in the curds. (Just not scooped into cantaloupe halves, okay? You can do better.) Read on for how our editors cook with cottage cheese at home.