Served with zingy pomegranate salsa and a superfood lentil and chard (or whatever delicious veggies you like) mix, I am sure you are going to fall head over heels for this unique recipe! I am a big fan of cottage cheese. Seriously, it’s so healthy and such a good protein source for vegetarians. I would honestly whack it in most dishes if I could ( and I do!). Enter your email & we’ll send it to your inbox. Plus, get great new recipes from us every week! By submitting this form, you consent to receive emails from Hurry the Food Up. What’s all the hype about, you ask? Well, let’s for starters, cottage cheese is high in calcium, phosphorus, selenium B vitamins, and vitamin A. As a fermented food, it also has plenty of gut friendly bacteria. Finally, it is high in protein and low in fat. Whew! What more could you ask for? It’s in part thanks to the cottage cheese in this recipe that these fritters are so delightfully healthy. It helps get the protein up to 21g per serving, all while lending a delicious tart creaminess to the fritters themselves. That 21g protein is a fantastic amount – in fact, it’s increasingly clear that low-protein, processed foods are NOT the way to go. Check out this article from Forbes on low-protein and obesity. Combine that with all the fresh goodness of the pomegranate salsa and the healthy green chard and lentils – you’ve got quite the meal of champions on your hands!
Ingredients
There are 3 elements to this recipe: the fritters, the salsa and the chard (or broccoli) and lentil side. What are the main ingredients for each element?
Fritters
Potatoes Grated potatoes are the main base of the fritter. I recommend pressing them through a sieve and then salting them, in order to dry them out, so your fritters will turn golden brown and crispy when you fry them! Breadcrumbs Breadcrumbs add bulk and also help to absorb some of the moisture in the fritters. You can use shop bought or homemade. As ever, homemade is always best, especially if you use whole wheat bread to make them. It’s a great way to use up stale bread! Cottage Cheese A healthy dollop of cottage cheese makes these fritters creamy and high protein! Paprika + Caraway Seeds I use paprika and caraway seeds to give a smoky flavor to the fritters, but you are free to experiment. A dash of garlic powder, or maybe a sprinkling of chili flakes could also go down well! I also love using the pre-made spice mixes, there are some really great flavours! Same goes for herb mixes, like Herbs de Provence.
Pomegranate Salsa
Pomegranate Kernels I recommend buying the kernels/seeds frozen – far easier (and far less messy!). Mint Leaves A sprig of mint leaves adds a delicious freshness to the salsa. Make sure to chop them finely so they release as much flavor into the salsa as possible. Chili Pepper A chopped chili gives this salsa a kick! You can use whatever type of chili you prefer, depending on how spicy you like it! Feel free to scale down and scale up on the heat, according to preference. Apple Cider Vinegar Vinegar gives a salsa that unmistakeable sharpness that cuts through the creamy cottage cheese fritters. If you don’t have apple cider to hand you can also use rice vinegar.
Tasty Veggies
Chard Chard is a kind of leafy green. You can use whichever variety you can access, and if you can’t access any, you are welcome to swap it out for another substantial green, like kale! Or chopped broccoli florets. Whatever your fave is really! Lentils Brown or green lentils work best for this recipe, as they hold their shape and their nutty flavor complements the earthy chard. Avoid red lentils! Vegetable Broth Cooking the chard in vegetable broth adds a rich, salty flavor. As you are not using any other seasoning, this is a vital component!
How many calories are in cottage cheese fritters?
A meal of cottage cheese fritters with pomegranate salsa and chard contains 428 calories per serving, and it contains 21g protein per serving.
At 21g protein per serving this is the perfect high protein meal, to fuel up after a workout (try these vegetarian post workout meals for more like this!)!
Health benefits
The amount of protein in this meal is a massive health benefit! Protein is such an important macro, it is fundamental for maintaining muscle mass and energy levels. One serving contains 21g protein, which is roughly half the daily protein requirements for the average woman! What’s more, a lot of the individual ingredients have numerous health benefits. For example, leafy green vegetables, like chard, are some of the most nutrient dense foods out there. Chard contains extremely high levels of vitamin K, as well as very solid levels of vitamin C, vitamin A and magnesium. Pomegranates are rich in antioxidants and vitamin C, and may offer benefits such as improving heart health and preventing cancer! Cottage cheese is full of gut friendly bacteria and low fat, high quality vegetarian protein (lots of our low fat vegetarian recipes use cottage cheese). Lentils are also a source of plant-based protein, as well as fiber.
How to make cottage cheese fritters with pomegranate salsa and chard
Variations and alternatives
If you want to make this gluten-free, you could swap out the breadcrumbs for crumbs made from gluten free bread. This should work the same as normal bread. Let me take you through the process of preparing this meal! It’s super quick and easy – ready in just 35 minutes! There are lots of different ways you could serve cottage cheese fritters. Why not try them with sour cream, and chopped chives or sliced spring onions sprinkled on top? They also go really well when dipped in sweet chilli sauce! If you don’t want to fry, you could bake these fritters in the oven instead! It will take a lot longer than frying though – around 30 minutes should do the trick! Unfortunately these are not easily made vegan, without changing them beyond recognition, as cottage cheese is the main component. However if you want an easily vegan-izable patty/fritter recipes, check out our lentil patties, or these Indian parathas instead!
More recipes
If you are loving cottage cheese, why not try one of my other delicious cottage cheese recipes? I have a super quick cottage cheese salad, a brunch-ready avocado and cottage cheese toast recipe, and for those of you with a sweet tooth, I’ve got a cottage cheese cheesecake, a cottage cheese smoothie and even cottage cheese pancakes!! If this pomegranate salsa has you dying to try more salsa recipes, our simple red salsa is what you need! I hope you have enjoyed these delicious cottage cheese fritters (you should also try these cottage cheese snacks if you like this!)! If you have any feedback or questions, just drop me a line in the comments below!
