This cottage cheese egg bake is an easy, high-protein breakfast packed with flavorful veggies and fresh herbs. With its Mediterranean inspired flavors, it’s the perfect dish to make for a crowd or to have ready to go for busy mornings. It’s a great way to enjoy a savory and healthy breakfast that will start your day off right!
The perfect recipe to meal prep or serve for brunch, this easy breakfast casserole has colorful bell peppers, onions and lovely herbs including parsley and mint. With the addition of feta cheese, cottage cheese and egg whites, it’s a rich yet light and fluffy, and packed with 17 grams of protein.
Serve this yummy and easy cottage cheese egg bake with fresh fruit and goes great with my air fryer sausage patties!
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Why you’ll love this recipe
- Easy prep and cleanup, all baked in one pan and ready in less than 45 minutes. This healthy egg bake is the perfect dish for busy folks on the go.
- Fantastic for breakfast meal prep, an easy and delicious breakfast you can pre-portion in grab and go containers.
- Great make-ahead breakfast casserole for a brunch or light lunch. An affordable dish to serve a crowd for a special occasion, with minimal fuss for the hostess.
- High protein and loaded with nutrients, including Vitamin C and fiber from the peppers, and polyphenols from the fresh herbs.
- Light and fluffy texture from the cottage cheese and plenty of flavor thanks to the feta and parmesan cheese.
Ingredients
This fluffy egg casserole with cottage cheese takes just a few simple ingredients and cost is under $10 for the entire dish!
- 7 whole eggs and 2 servings of egg whites – I like adding egg whites for some additional volume and of course extra protein.
- 1 cup low-fat cottage cheese – adds creaminess and a light and fluffy texture while packing a powerful protein punch!
- 4 ounces feta cheese – it wouldn’t be a Mediterranean inspired dish without the delicious salty tang of feta cheese!
- ½ colorful bell pepper, preferably red, orange or yellow, cut up into small cubes.
- ½ yellow onion, finely diced.
- 2 tablespoon each minced fresh parsley and fresh mint. The addition of fresh herbs adds lots of flavor and delicious nutrients.
- ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese to top the cheesy egg bake. It adds flavor, protein and helps create a golden brown top.
- Salt and black pepper to taste, about 2 teaspoons each.
Simple how-to directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees f and spray a casserole dish with cooking spray of choice, or spread cooking oil on dish with a paper towel. For this dish I used a 9″x13″ sized casserole pan.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the whole eggs, egg whites and cottage cheese with the salt and pepper. The texture of the cottage cheese will lend airiness to the egg dish once it is baked. If you are not the biggest cottage cheese fan, you can blend it up before mixing it in with the eggs. This is a similar technique to my popular egg bites recipe. Totally up to you though.
Stir in the diced onions, peppers, and feta cheese fresh herbs into the egg mixture. Once well incorporated, add veggie and egg mixture to the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle parmesan cheese all over the top, and bake in the preheated oven for about 40 minutes.
Baking time may vary a bit if you use a smaller or larger casserole dish than the one the recipe was tested in. A larger dish will yield a thinner casserole, and a smaller dish a thicker casserole. This may impact cooking time.
To tell if the cottage cheese bake is cooked through, the casserole should be firm in the center and not “jiggle” when you move the pan and when a knife inserted comes out clean. You can also use an instant read thermometer in the center of the egg bake. If it reaches an internal temperature of 160 degrees, it is done!
Let the cottage cheese casserole set for at least 10 minutes before serving. If making ahead, cover cooked vegetable egg bake with aluminum foil or plastic wrap and refrigerate till ready to serve.
If you want more tender veggies
Note that the veggies in this casserole will still have a bit of bite to them. The texture will be on the firmer side, which many people prefer! If however, you want more tender veggies, simply add the bell pepper and onions to a heated sauté pan. Cook till tender, about 5-10 minutes.
Alternately, you can add peppers and onions to a microwave safe bowl. Add a bit of cooking oil, stir and then cook for about 5 minutes. This will aromatize the onions and precook the vegetables, giving them a more tender texture.
Recipe variations
While this particular recipe has a Mediterranean twist, you can easily use the base for a ton of different flavor options! Here are a few suggestions:
- Use different kinds of cheese. Try cheddar cheese or Monterey jack cheese with Canadian bacon or ham. Add in green onions but keep the bell peppers, and you have a delicious Denver omelet inspired egg bake.
- Add green chiles and use a Mexican 3 cheese blend for a fluffy, high protein chile egg bake casserole.
- Add in one of your favorite breakfast meats, such as turkey sausage or bacon, along with mushrooms and kale and shredded gruyere or swiss cheese for a unique and delicious dish!
Cottage cheese egg bake recipe FAQ’s
If you are reheating the entire casserole, it’s best to pop it back into the oven. Cover with aluminum foil to prevent further browning, and reheat in a 350 degree oven for at least 20-30 minutes. General rule of thumb is that you reheat for about ¾ of the original cooking time. Alternately, you can heat individual slices in the microwave for about 60 seconds, till heated through.
If you are reheating the entire casserole, it’s best to pop it back into the oven. Cover with aluminum foil to prevent further browning, and reheat in a 350 degree oven for at least 20-30 minutes. General rule of thumb is that you reheat for about ¾ of the original cooking time. Alternately, you can heat individual slices in the microwave for about 60 seconds, till heated through.
Yes, you can freeze the baked cottage cheese casserole for up to 3 months. If you plan to freeze, I suggest baking in a disposable baking dish. Cover with plastic wrap then aluminum foil, and freeze. To reheat, remove from the freezer and let thaw in the fridge for about 24 hours, then reheat as directed.
If you really aren’t the biggest fan of cottage cheese, but still want to keep the protein content high, you can sub it out for Greek yogurt.
This is such a good breakfast casserole for anyone who needs a quick and easy dish that tastes delicious with plenty of flavor. Whether you are being mindful of your diet and want to go high protein low carb, or just want healthy savory protein dishes to start your day off right, this dish is perfect! If you give it a try, definitely let me know how you like it!
Other high protein easy breakfasts
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Mediterranean Inspired Cottage Cheese Egg Bake
Equipment
- 1 9"x13" casserole dish
Ingredients
- 7 large eggs
- 6 tablespoon egg whites boxed
- 1 cup low-fat cottage cheese
- 4 ounces feta cheese
- ½ medium bell pepper red, orange or yellow
- ½ small yellow onion diced
- 2 tablespoon parsley fresh, minced
- 2 tablespoon mint fresh, minced
- ¼ cup parmesan cheese grated
- 2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees f and spray a casserole dish with cooking spray of choice, or spread cooking oil on dish with a paper towel.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the whole eggs, egg whites and cottage cheese with the salt and pepper.7 large eggs, 6 tablespoon egg whites, 1 cup low-fat cottage cheese, 2 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon black pepper
- Stir in the diced onions, peppers, and feta cheese fresh herbs into the egg mixture. Once well incorporated, add veggie and egg mixture to the prepared baking dish.4 ounces feta cheese, ½ medium bell pepper, ½ small yellow onion, 2 tablespoon parsley, 2 tablespoon mint
- Sprinkle parmesan cheese all over the top, and bake in the preheated oven for about 40 minutes.¼ cup parmesan cheese
- When casserole is done cooking, remove from the oven. Let the cottage cheese casserole set for at least 10 minutes before serving. If making ahead, cover cooked vegetable egg bake with aluminum foil or plastic wrap and refrigerate till ready to serve.
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