This is part two of my cheese bowl obsession (you can see part one here!) and I really don’t think I can outdo a classic cottage cheese bowl with za’atar roasted vegetables. I am now a cottage cheese girlie. It is just. that. good. Not only does cottage cheese make this bowl high in protein, it makes it something that is easy to whip up, incredibly versatile, and perfect for an easy weeknight lunch or dinner.

This particular cottage cheese bowl uses roasted za’atar vegetables and a drizzle of fresno pepper sauce, but you can swap out the vegetables as you please and the result is still just as delicious. Use what’s in season to make the ultimate cottage cheese bowl, because lucky for us, cheese is always in season 🙂

The ingredients you’ll need for this cottage cheese bowl
How to make this cottage cheese bowl in under 30 minutes
Ways to riff on and adapt this cottage cheese bowl
Looking for similar recipes?

The ingredients you’ll need for this cottage cheese bowl

The ingredients for this bowl are simple, and I have ways to riff on it in the blog post below! But if you are going the traditional route, here is what you will need:

2 large carrots
2 cups fresh green beans
1 tsp za’atar seasoning
Extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt
1 large shallot
1 large fresno pepper
2 garlic cloves
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp honey
1 cup cottage cheese
2 slices sourdough bread, toasted
Freshly ground black pepper

How to make this cottage cheese bowl in under 30 minutes

This bowl is designed to be fast. So in the spirit of ~speedy~ here’s a step-by-step on how to make it!

Preheat the oven to 425°F.
Cut the tips off of the green beans, use a peeler to slice the carrots into strips. Toss both in a drizzle of olive oil and the za’atar seasoning.
Spread the vegetables out evenly on a parchment-lined baking sheet and season with salt. Roast at 425°F for 15-18 minutes or until the edges of the carrots are brown and the green beans have charred on the bottoms.
While the vegetables are roasting, finely dice the shallot, deseed the fresno pepper and finely chop it, and grate the garlic cloves.
Put a small sauce pan on medium heat and add 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add in the shallot, fresno pepper and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season with salt and add in the garlic. Cook another 2-3 minutes, stirring to combine. Add in the honey and apple cider vinegar and stir to create a shimmery hot sauce. Turn off the heat. Taste and season as needed.
To serve, add a scoop of cottage cheese to the center of two bowls. Add the vegetables on one side and the toast on the other. Spoon the hot sauce into the center of the cottage cheese, add a few cracks of freshly ground black pepper and enjoy!

Ways to riff on and adapt this cottage cheese bowl

This bowl is so fun and adaptable, and you can make it with so many kinds of vegetables. I like to keep the za’atar coating and the fresno pepper sauce, but otherwise feel free to play around with it! And if you don’t have fresno peppers, don’t fear. Other kinds of hot peppers (or even mild!) work great in its place.

To riff on this particular cottage cheese bowl, I love also using these vegetables:

Any kind of squash, sliced thinly
Snow peas or sugar snap peas
Parsnips
Cauliflower
Broccolini, sliced thinly
Kale or swiss chard, just cut the cooking time down by half!

But really, the possibilities are endless!

Looking for similar recipes?

Here are more things that have cheese-bowl-energy, and are just as quick to whip up!

Sambal Oelek Cabbage with Edamame & Rice

This recipe is low on ingredients, low on effort, but so high on flavor. It's also plant-based, protein -packed and an easy full meal. All you need is your oven and your rice cooker. I use my favorite Indonesian condiments to add some fun and flavor to this recipe, and it is absolutely a weekday staple in my house.

Check out this recipe

Charred Spring Peas & Ricotta Bowl

I call this a version of a "cheese bowl" because cheese is the main protein source, and everything else is just extra. These bright spring peas are charred quickly on the stove to pull out their sweetness, then paired with a light and flavorful dill salsa verde. Bitter treviso lettuce cuts out any heaviness, making this bowl of cheese something delightful to scoop up, spread, and swirl.

Check out this recipe

Crispy Lime Cabbage & Turmeric White Bean Mash

This is the plant-based meal of my dreams. It is packed with flavor, protein, deliciously sweet-and -acidic vegetables (lime cabbage is a dream) and paired with my favorite carb. Skip the crispy rice step to make this an easy dinner, or go the extra mile to get all the textures and flavors in one place.

Check out this recipe

Sweet Potato Beans

These spicy-sweet sweet potato beans are my dream beans. They use unexpected ingredients like kalamata olives (delicious), calabrian chili and of course, sweet potato to turn the unexpectedly humble canned bean into something delicious.

Check out this recipe

And that’s everything for this cottage cheese bowl!

If you make it, please tag me on Pinterest or Instagram so I can see! It’s my favorite thing to scroll through stories and see what you all are making.

And of course feel free to leave any questions, comments, or reviews! This is the best place to reach me, and I’d love to hear from you <3