Cottage Cheese Pizza Bowl (Print Version)

Creamy cottage cheese layered with pizza sauce, melted mozzarella, and fresh toppings for a quick low-carb meal.

# What You'll Need:

→ Dairy

01 - 1 cup cottage cheese, full-fat or low-fat
02 - 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
03 - 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

→ Vegetables

04 - 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
05 - 1/4 small red onion, thinly sliced
06 - 1/4 bell pepper, diced
07 - 1/4 cup sliced black olives

→ Sauce and Seasonings

08 - 1/3 cup pizza sauce or marinara
09 - 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
10 - 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
11 - Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes, optional
12 - Salt and pepper, to taste

→ Optional Toppings

13 - 6 to 8 slices turkey pepperoni or vegetarian pepperoni
14 - Fresh basil leaves, for garnish

# How to Make It:

01 - Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or leave unlined.
02 - Divide the cottage cheese evenly between two small oven-safe bowls or ramekins, spreading it into an even layer at the bottom of each.
03 - Spoon the pizza sauce or marinara evenly over the cottage cheese layer in each bowl, covering the surface.
04 - Scatter the halved cherry tomatoes, sliced red onion, diced bell pepper, and sliced black olives over the sauce in each bowl.
05 - Sprinkle the shredded mozzarella and grated Parmesan evenly over the vegetables in both bowls.
06 - If using turkey or vegetarian pepperoni, arrange 6 to 8 slices on top of each bowl.
07 - Season each bowl with dried oregano, dried basil, crushed red pepper flakes if desired, and salt and pepper to taste.
08 - Place both bowls on the prepared baking sheet and bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until the cheese is bubbly and lightly golden on top.
09 - Carefully remove the bowls from the oven. Garnish with fresh basil leaves if desired and serve immediately while hot.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It scratches the pizza itch without the heaviness of dough, and you get to eat it with a spoon which feels strangely satisfying.
  • The cottage cheese melts into the sauce in a way that becomes creamy and tangy, nothing like eating cold cottage cheese from the container.
  • From fridge to table in under thirty minutes, which makes it a realistic weeknight dinner instead of an aspirational one.
02 -
  • Those oven safe bowls get dangerously hot in fifteen minutes, so always use a towel or oven mitt when handling them because grabbing one bare handed is a mistake you only make once.
  • Let the bowls rest for a couple minutes after baking because the cottage cheese layer holds heat like lava and will burn the roof of your mouth.
03 -
  • Full fat cottage cheese holds up better during baking and creates a creamier result, but low fat works fine if that is what you have in the fridge.
  • Warming the sauce slightly before spooning it over the cottage cheese helps the layers meld together faster and more evenly in the oven.

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