Forget Sour Cream, There's A High-Protein Topping Your Chili Deserves

Just when you thought there couldn't possibly be any more ways to utilize super-trendy cottage cheese, another one comes along. But this time, you don't necessarily have to mix it with anything or alter it in any way. Cottage cheese happens to make a delicious topping for chili, especially when you add depth to your chili with a bitter ingredient like cocoa powder. Just dollop a portion right on top, the way you would add a spoonful of sour cream. It's creamy and mild like sour cream, so it gives a nice cooling sensation to otherwise spicy chili, but without the tang of sour cream. It does, however, contain a good bit of protein; There are 12 grams of it in a half-cup serving.

If you already enjoy cottage cheese, then you probably won't mind the curds. But, if you're used to the velvety texture of sour cream, all you need to do is pop your cottage cheese into a blender or food processor until it's smooth. You can even add flavorings like spices, dried or fresh onions, taco seasoning, cilantro, or lime juice (to bring back any tang you miss from sour cream). If you like this protein-rich condiment on chili, you can also use it anywhere you might usually find sour cream; like on tacos and nachos, on chili mac and cheese (You could also mix cottage cheese into this dish to make it creamy), and on top of baked potatoes.

Once you discover how cottage cheese makes for a really decent substitute for sour cream on chili, don't be afraid to use it in other recipes that call for the latter. For many dishes, though, it might be a good idea to make store-bought cottage cheese creamier by blending it, to get the right texture and consistency. For example, you can make excellent chip dips that might otherwise use sour cream. Blend a container of cottage cheese and mix in bacon crumbles, shredded cheddar cheese, and chopped green onion, and you'll have a delicious, loaded baked potato dip. Use it similarly for spinach and artichoke dip.

Dishes like beef stroganoff, coffee cake, pancakes, mashed potatoes, Waldorf salad, hash brown casserole, and tuna casserole all feature varieties that are famously made with sour cream, and can be experimented with, using blended cottage cheese instead. Plus, if you've got your blender out anyway, you can make a creamy cottage cheese banana pudding by pulverizing cottage cheese with a ripe banana and a little vanilla extract. If eating cottage cheese for every meal is wrong, who wants to be right?