This cottage cheese egg bake is 12 eggs blended with a cup of cottage cheese, poured over wilted spinach and cheddar in a 9×13 pan, and baked at 350°F for 35 to 40 minutes. Mine comes out fluffy and fully set, with no watery layer on the bottom, and it slices cleanly into 8 squares.
Below you’ll find the recipe, why blending makes it fluffier, the one step that keeps an egg bake from turning watery, and how much protein the cottage cheese actually adds. Each slice has about 197 calories, 16.4g of protein and 2.6g of carbs. It’s part of our collection of easy cottage cheese recipes.
Why Blend the Eggs and Cottage Cheese?
Blending turns the eggs and cottage cheese into one smooth, creamy base. If you only whisk them, the curds sink and leave little wet pockets in the bake. Blended, the cottage cheese spreads evenly through the eggs, so every slice comes out tender and fluffy instead of rubbery in some spots and cheesy in others.
A regular blender works best for a full dozen eggs. Blend for about 30 seconds, just until you can’t see any curds. It also spreads the protein through the whole pan: one cup of full-fat cottage cheese adds about 25g of protein to the batch, according to USDA FoodData Central (FDC 172179). It’s the same blend-first trick behind our cottage cheese scrambled eggs and copycat Starbucks egg bites.
What Do You Need for a Cottage Cheese Egg Bake?
You need five main ingredients for a 9×13 cottage cheese egg bake: 12 large eggs, 1 cup of full-fat cottage cheese, 5 ounces of fresh spinach, 1 cup of shredded cheddar and simple seasoning. Here is what each one does.
- 12 large eggs. The base. A dozen large eggs has about 76g of protein, according to USDA FoodData Central (FDC 171287).
- 1 cup full-fat (4%) cottage cheese. Adds creaminess and about 25g more protein. Full-fat holds together better in the oven than low-fat.
- 5 ounces fresh spinach, wilted and squeezed dry. More on why below.
- 1 cup shredded cheddar, half mixed in and half on top for a golden crust.
- Seasoning: ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper and ½ teaspoon garlic powder.
- A 9×13 baking dish, greased with butter or cooking spray.
How Do You Keep an Egg Bake From Getting Watery?
Wilt the spinach and squeeze it dry before it goes in. Raw spinach is 91.4% water, according to USDA FoodData Central (FDC 168462), and that water ends up in the bottom of the pan if you add it raw. Five ounces of fresh spinach cooks down to a small handful once you press the liquid out.
- Squeeze the spinach in a clean towel or press it in a sieve until no more liquid drips out.
- Use full-fat cottage cheese. Low-fat and nonfat versions hold more whey, which can weep out as the eggs set.
- Don’t overbake. Eggs that cook too long tighten and squeeze out liquid. Pull it when the center is just set.
- Let it rest 10 minutes before slicing, so it firms up and cuts cleanly.
Any watery add-in works the same way. Sauté mushrooms, zucchini or tomatoes first, so their liquid cooks off in the skillet instead of in your egg bake.
How Do You Make a Cottage Cheese Egg Bake?
- Wilt the spinach in a skillet, then squeeze it dry.
- Spread the spinach and half the cheddar in a greased 9×13 pan.
- Blend the eggs, cottage cheese and seasoning until smooth, then pour it over.
- Top with the rest of the cheddar and bake at 350°F for 35 to 40 minutes, until the center is set.
- Rest for 10 minutes, then slice into 8 squares.
The center is done when a knife comes out clean and it no longer jiggles. Egg dishes are safe at 160°F, the USDA’s safe minimum temperature for eggs, so an instant-read thermometer is a quick way to check.
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Cottage Cheese Egg Bake
Ingredients
Method
- Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 9×13 baking dish.
- Wilt the spinach in a large skillet over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Let it cool slightly, then squeeze out as much liquid as you can in a clean towel or sieve.
- Spread the squeezed spinach and half the cheddar evenly in the baking dish.
- Blend the eggs, cottage cheese, salt, pepper and garlic powder for about 30 seconds, until smooth with no visible curds.
- Pour the egg mixture over the spinach and sprinkle the remaining cheddar on top.
- Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the center is set and a knife comes out clean (160°F). Rest 10 minutes, then cut into 8 slices.
Notes
- Not watery: squeeze the spinach very dry and use full-fat cottage cheese.
- Frozen spinach: use a thawed 10 oz package, squeezed very dry.
- Variations: sausage and cheddar, ham with peppers and pepper jack, sun-dried tomato and feta, or broccoli cheddar. Cook and drain wet add-ins first.
- Storage: refrigerate slices up to 3 to 4 days or freeze up to 3 to 4 months. Reheat to 165°F.
- Nutrition is per slice (1 of 8), calculated from USDA FoodData Central (FDC 171287, 172179, 328637, 168462, 171325, 173468).
How Much Protein Does the Cottage Cheese Add?
About 3.1g per slice. Made the same way without cottage cheese, each slice has about 13.3g of protein; with it, about 16.4g, for only 28 more calories. Those numbers come from USDA FoodData Central values for each ingredient, with the pan cut into 8 slices.
| Per slice (1 of 8) | Amount |
|---|---|
| Calories | 197 |
| Protein | 16.4g |
| Fat | 13.2g (5.6g saturated) |
| Carbohydrates | 2.6g |
| Sodium | 448mg (19% of the 2,300mg Daily Value) |
| Calcium | 183mg |
Want to trim the sodium? Use a low-sodium cottage cheese and cut the added salt to ¼ teaspoon, since the cheddar is already salty. The Daily Value comes from the FDA.
What Can You Add to a Cottage Cheese Egg Bake?
The base of 12 eggs and 1 cup of cottage cheese stays the same. Swap the spinach and cheddar for any of these, keeping wet ingredients cooked and drained first.
- Sausage and cheddar: 8 ounces of browned, drained breakfast sausage.
- Denver style: diced ham, sautéed bell pepper and onion, with pepper jack.
- Mediterranean: sun-dried tomatoes, feta and a handful of wilted spinach.
- Broccoli cheddar: 2 cups of steamed, well-drained chopped broccoli.
How Do You Store and Reheat an Egg Bake?
Cool it, cut it into slices, and refrigerate them in airtight containers for up to 3 to 4 days, the USDA’s guideline for leftovers. That makes it an easy weekday breakfast: one pan gives you 8 ready-to-reheat slices with about 16g of protein each. Reheat a slice in the microwave for 45 to 60 seconds, or in a 350°F oven or air fryer, until it reaches 165°F.
For longer storage, wrap individual slices and freeze them. The USDA notes frozen leftovers keep their best quality for 3 to 4 months. Packing breakfasts or lunches for the week? Our high-protein adult lunchables pair well with a slice.
Using the same blend-first trick for dinner? Our cottage cheese lasagna swaps ricotta for blended cottage cheese, with about 21g of protein per slice.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you have to blend the cottage cheese for an egg bake?
You don’t have to, but blending gives a smoother, fluffier bake. Whisked cottage cheese leaves small curds that can sink and create wet pockets. About 30 seconds in a blender with the eggs is enough to make the base completely smooth.
Can I use frozen spinach?
Yes. Use a 10-ounce package of frozen chopped spinach, thawed. Squeeze it very dry in a towel before adding it, since frozen spinach holds even more water than fresh once it thaws.
How do you know when an egg bake is done?
The center should be set and not jiggle, and a knife inserted in the middle should come out clean. For certainty, check with a thermometer: the USDA’s safe minimum temperature for egg dishes is 160°F.
How much protein is in a slice of cottage cheese egg bake?
About 16.4g per slice when the 9×13 pan is cut into 8 pieces, based on USDA FoodData Central values. The cottage cheese adds about 3.1g of that, for roughly 28 extra calories per slice.
Sources
- USDA FoodData Central: Egg, whole, raw, fresh (FDC 171287); Cheese, cottage, creamed, large or small curd (FDC 172179); Cheese, cheddar (FDC 328637); Spinach, raw (FDC 168462); Spices, garlic powder (FDC 171325); Salt, table (FDC 173468); retrieved 2026-10-11. fdc.nal.usda.gov
- USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service, Safe Minimum Internal Temperature Chart, retrieved 2026-10-11. fsis.usda.gov
- USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service, Leftovers and Food Safety, retrieved 2026-10-11. fsis.usda.gov
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Daily Value on the Nutrition and Supplement Facts Labels (sodium 2,300mg), retrieved 2026-10-11. fda.gov
