Quick & Healthy Oatmeal with Cottage Cheese

Name: Quick & Healthy Oatmeal with Cottage Cheese
Prep time: 3 min
Cook time: 2 min
Total time: 5 min
Yield: 1
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1/2 cup old fashioned rolled oats; 2 tsp chia seeds; Half a ripe banana, sliced; 3/4 cup water; 1/4 cup cottage cheese; Dash of cinnamon; Toppings of choice: such as blueberries, strawberries, sliced banana, and peanut butter

posted by Alex Aldeborgh, RD on Oct 20, 2023 0 comments »

Jump to Recipe·Leave a Review

This cottage cheese oatmeal is a delicious and nutritious breakfast idea that takes 5 minutes to make. Microwave oatmeal to cut down on cooking time and clean up, then stir in a scoop of protein-rich cottage cheese. The cottage cheese makes the oats super creamy with an undetectable flavor! Add your toppings like fresh fruit and nut butter.

bowl of cottage cheese oatmeal with fresh fruit and a spoonful of peanut butter surrounded by small bowls of different ingredients

It’s no secret around here that I’m an oatmeal fanatic.

I love sharing (and eating) all types of oatmeal recipes – stovetop oatmeal, overnight oats, steel cut oatmeal, and baked oatmeal.

As a Registered Dietitian, oats are one of my all time favorite breakfasts. Whole grain oatmeal is affordable, widely available, and packs in a lot of nutrition!

Why put cottage cheese in oatmeal?

Oats have a modest amount of protein (about 5 grams per serving). I like to boost the protein content of my oatmeal using whole food sources, such as Greek yogurt, nut butter, seeds, and cottage cheese!

Cottage cheese is an excellent source of high-quality protein, and also provides other nutrients like calcium and B vitamins, so it boosts the nutrient density of your bowl of oats!

Microwaved oatmeal is faster than stovetop oatmeal, ensuring this breakfast is ready to eat in 5 minutes. Add your favorite toppings and dig in!

This vegetarian recipe makes a single serving, which could be doubled easily.

Ingredients

Old fashioned oats: Old fashioned oats have a pleasant, chewy texture and take less than 2 minutes to cook in the microwave. If you prefer, you can use quick cooking oats – just adjust the cooking time.
Cottage cheese: When mixed into cooked oatmeal, cottage cheese adds creaminess and a mildly sweet flavor. Use any kind of cottage cheese you like. I used 4% milkfat small curd cottage cheese, because I like the richness it provides.
Banana: This oatmeal recipe is naturally sweetened with banana. You’ll microwave sliced banana with the oats, which kind of caramelizes it and makes it sweeter.
Chia seeds: These little seeds are a nutritious addition to oatmeal. You can’t taste them, and they add fiber, omega-3 fatty acids, and more.
Cinnamon: A dash of cinnamon pairs perfectly with the sweet flavors in this oatmeal recipe.
Toppings: I love to add fresh berries and a scoop of creamy peanut butter to cottage cheese oatmeal.

More healthy cottage cheese recipes for breakfast: lemon blueberry cottage cheese pancakes, cottage cheese avocado toast, and cottage cheese egg bites.

Kitchen equipment needed

Measuring cups and spoons
Microwave safe bowl

Step-by-step instructions

bowl of oats, chia seeds, and banana before being cooked — 1. Add oats and chia seeds to microwave safe bowl. Slice banana on top of the oats. Add water.

microwaved oatmeal with banana in a bowl — 2. Microwave for 1 minute and 45 seconds. The sliced banana on top keeps the oats from bubbling over the bowl!

bowl of oatmeal with cinnamon and cottage cheese on top — 3. Add a sprinkle of cinnamon and cottage cheese to the bowl.

hands mixing up a bowl of oats with cottage cheese — 4. Stir in the cinnamon and cottage cheese until everything is combined.

Then, add your toppings and you are ready to enjoy your oats and cottage cheese!

Healthy oatmeal topping ideas

Here are some topping suggestions that can boost the nutrient density of your bowl of oats even more!

Fresh fruit: sliced banana, blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, pear, mango, pomegranate seeds
Dried fruit: raisins, chopped dates, dried cranberries, dried cherries, dried coconut flakes
Cooked fruit: stewed apples, poached apples, or poached pears
Nut butter: peanut butter, almond butter, cashew butter, tahini
Nuts: walnuts, toasted pecans, toasted almonds, pistachios
Additional spices: cardamom, turmeric, ginger, pumpkin pie spice

Can I prepare oatmeal in advance?

You could prepare this oatmeal a day or two in advance.

Let it cool and store it in an airtight container in the fridge.

To reheat it, add a splash of water or milk, then microwave for 1-2 minutes until it is warmed through.

Oatmeal nutrition benefits

Oatmeal is a very healthy food to include in your diet.

If you follow a plant-based diet, it’s especially beneficial because of its protein and iron content.

One cup of cooked oatmeal (1/2 cup uncooked) provides:

4 grams of fiber (15% of your daily needs)
5.3 grams of plant-based protein
1.7 mg iron (9% of your daily needs)
0.186 mg thiamin (16% of your daily needs)
55.89 mg magnesium (13% of your daily needs)

Oatmeal is a good source of soluble fiber, which can help lower “bad” LDL cholesterol levels.

The main type of soluble fiber in oats is beta-glucan, which is linked to health benefits like lowering cholesterol levels and supporting gut health.

Cottage cheese nutrition benefits

Cottage cheese is perhaps besto known for its high protein content.

It also provides several other nutrients!

Half a cup of 4% milkfat cottage cheese provides 13 grams of protein, as well as:

80 mg calcium (6% of your daily needs)
0.71 mcg vitamin B12 (30% of your daily needs)
0.186 mg riboflavin (14% of your daily needs)
10.17 mcg selenium (18% of your daily needs)
151.42 mg phosphorus (12% of your daily needs)

Registered Dietitian Tip: Cottage cheese is high in sodium. Enjoy cottage cheese with low sodium foods, such as whole grains, fruits, and vegetables, to avoid consuming excess sodium.

Let me know if you love this post by leaving a comment or star rating below, and check out Instagram and Pinterest for more healthy lifestyle inspiration. Thanks for stopping by!