Cottage cheese has been blessed with an image overhaul. Once considered a stodgy health food, it’s now a popular recipe add-in thanks to its sky-high protein content; a huge advantage in a day and age that treats protein like the be-all and end-all of nutrition.

For people who eat dairy (because not everyone does), “cottage cheese is a really excellent concentrated protein source,” Desiree Nielsen, RD, a recipe developer with a focus on plant-based nutrition, tells us. While it also contains other vital nutrients like calcium, phosphorus and vitamin B12, protein is really the standout. Just a half-cup of cottage cheese contains around 12 grams, putting it at par with some protein powders, so even a small amount will have a big impact.

Compared to some other dairy foods (like regular cheese), cottage cheese is low in saturated fat, making it an especially strong dairy protein choice, according to Nielsen. It also has a mild flavour and soft, blendable texture that adapt well to a variety of dishes. “You can absolutely eat it out of a bowl with a spoon if you like, but it lends itself very well to incorporation in different recipes too,” Nielsen says. “There’s endless possibilities in terms of what people can make with cottage cheese,” Jasmine Hormati, MS, RD, a certified intuitive eating counsellor and the founder of the New York City–based practice Mendinground Nutrition, says. “The sky’s the limit right now.”

On that note, we rounded up a few of the best tips and tricks for turning cottage cheese into high-protein breakfasts, lunches and desserts. Here are seven creative suggestions for sneaking this ingredient, a bona fide “protein delivery vehicle,” as Nielsen describes it, into your cooking for a meaningful boost.

Put it in smoothies

For Nielsen, this is the first option that springs to mind. Relative to protein powders, which tend to be pretty expensive, cottage cheese is a “great, affordable option for boosting,” she says. Adding a cup or two to your blender could deliver a comparable protein value for cheaper. Basically, any smoothie that you’d typically make with Greek yogurt “will also taste delicious if you put some cottage cheese in it.”

Spread it on toast

While this tip is not earth-shatteringly original, it’s still worth mentioning because it’s so tried-and-true and it even happens to be a personal favourite breakfast hack of Hormati’s. Once the cottage cheese is on, add vegetables, fruit or other toppings as desired. “It could be some sort of fruit with honey drizzled on it or some sort of jam or vegetables like tomato, avocado or cucumber,” Hormati says, adding “I personally love doing a cucumber-tomato option.” Her suggestion: lean into seasonality. In summer, “fresh peaches would be really nice,” she says, though apples or berries could be tasty too. And honey always “brings a nice little bit of sweetness.”

Enhance dips and dressings

You can easily protein-ify any dip or dressing by adding in blended cottage cheese, according to Nielsen. For an easy two-ingredient cottage cheese pesto, just stir some of the former into the latter. P(r)esto: a protein-enhanced version of the beloved basil-leaf paste. “So delicious and easy,” Nielsen says. Plus, it takes “five minutes to make.” Heads-up: “You might need to balance the salt level or, if it’s tasting flat, add a little fresh acid, like a tiny splash of apple cider vinegar or a little bit of lemon.” Just make sure your cottage cheese is blended, since that will soften the sludgy-yet-chunky texture and, in turn, make it easier to work with. “It becomes more like yogurt,” Nielsen says. Whatever dip route you take, finish by dunking in some veggie sticks for a “fantastic” afternoon snack.

Turn it into a pasta sauce

If you’re not feeling a dip or dressing, “making a creamy sauce with cottage cheese could be another alternative,” Hormati says. You could try substituting cottage cheese for heavy cream in a homemade white sauce, adding cottage cheese to store-bought sauce for a creamier texture or even striking out on your own entirely. If you’re in the mood for something seasonal, a suggestion from Hormati: try blending chopped, cooked squash with cottage cheese for a DIY option that embraces fall flavors.

Swap it in for mayo

No mayo? No problem. You can always use cottage cheese in a pinch. This hack can apply to any number of recipes: egg salad, mayo-based dips, dressings and sauces, according to Hormati, even deviled eggs. “I’ve seen someone do that before,” she says and it was “just so unexpected, so good.” More recently, she and her partner made chicken salad this way, replacing the mayo with an equivalent amount of cottage cheese. “What we we did was make the sauce first in a bowl and use a whisk to make it smoother and creamier and then add in our food.” Chopped boiled chicken, tomatoes, pickles, almonds and dried cherries, plus some dill, sumac and pomegranate molasses for an Iranian twist, Hormati says. She notes the swap results in a lighter texture and slightly different flavor profile that some people might find more pleasant.

Use it as a base for a burrito filling

The sheet pan strategy is always an excellent meal prep option if you’re trying to get ahead on your breakfasts, lunches and dinners for the week. Nielsen recommends mixing cooked eggs, cottage cheese and various other burrito filling-type foods (“like black beans and corn or tomatoes and greens”), spreading the mixture on a baking sheet and popping it in the oven to cook. If you’re planning to incorporate lettuce, make sure to add it in after the baking step, otherwise the heat will turn it limp, soggy and wholly unappetizing. Once the mixture is done baking, you can cut it into sections and roll it into tortillas for an easy to-go meal.

Boost your baking mix

Yep, you can even make sweet treats with cottage cheese, athough, FYI, Nielsen doesn’t recommend going off-book. “I highly recommend that you seek out recipes,” she says. “Maybe just don’t sort of freestyle it on your own.” Thankfully, there should be no shortage of inspiration online if you’re in the market for a cottage-cheese-based baked good. Banana bread is a popular option, Nielsen says, but if you’re feeling something a little more out of the box, you can find creators putting cottage cheese in everything from bagels to pancakes. Plus, the protein boost isn’t the only benefit. Taking this approach will also enhance the moisture content, arguably improving on the OG.

And if none of these options really speak to you? Not to worry; there’s plenty more where that came from. Use it to instantly elevate any egg recipe (eggs pack less protein than you think), including egg bites, egg muffins and even frittatas.