Description
This Low-Calorie Cottage Cheese Pizza Bowl is a quick, cheesy, high-protein meal packed with classic pizza flavor—without the crust. Creamy cottage cheese is combined with pizza sauce and Italian seasoning, then topped with melted mozzarella and pepperoni. Ready in about 20 minutes, it’s perfect for an easy lunch, weeknight dinner, or satisfying high-protein snack.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1/2 cup cottage cheese
- 1/4 cup pizza sauce or low-sugar marinara sauce
- 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1/2 oz sliced pepperoni
- Diced bell pepper, optional
- Diced onion, optional
- Red pepper flakes, optional
- Fresh basil, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F.
- For a smooth pizza-dip-style texture, blend the cottage cheese until creamy. Skip blending if you prefer a more textured base.
- Mix the cottage cheese, pizza sauce, and Italian seasoning in a small bowl until well combined.
- Transfer the mixture to a small oven-safe ramekin or baking dish.
- Sprinkle the shredded mozzarella evenly over the top.
- Add the sliced pepperoni and any optional diced vegetables.
- Bake for 10–12 minutes, or until hot and bubbling and the mozzarella is fully melted.
- For golden, lightly browned cheese, broil for 1–2 minutes, watching carefully.
- Remove from the oven and let cool for a few minutes.
- Garnish with fresh basil or red pepper flakes, if desired, and serve warm.
Notes
- Blend the cottage cheese first for the smoothest, creamiest texture.
- Use low-sugar pizza sauce to keep the bowl lighter and lower in carbohydrates.
- Dice vegetables finely so they heat through during the short baking time.
- Avoid overbaking, as cottage cheese can release extra moisture when overheated.
- Broil for just 1–2 minutes for browned, bubbly mozzarella, and watch closely.
- Make it vegetarian by replacing pepperoni with mushrooms, bell peppers, onions, spinach, or olives.
- For a supreme version, add pepperoni, bell pepper, onion, mushrooms, and black olives.
- For a Margherita-style bowl, use marinara, mozzarella, fresh basil, and cherry tomatoes.
- Leftovers can be covered and refrigerated for up to 2 days. Reheat gently until hot.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Category: Lunch, Dinner, Snack
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 276 per serving
- Fat: 18g
- Carbohydrates: 8g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 21g
Keywords: low-calorie-cottage-cheese-pizza-bowl