Cheesy Cottage Cheese Eggcloud Bake (Printable)
Fluffy baked egg clouds with cottage cheese and melty cheddar for a light, savory breakfast or brunch.
# What You'll Need:
→ Dairy
01 - 1 ½ cups cottage cheese, full-fat or low-fat
02 - 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
03 - ½ cup grated Gruyère or mozzarella cheese
04 - ⅓ cup whole milk or heavy cream
→ Eggs
05 - 6 large eggs, separated (whites and yolks)
→ Vegetables and Aromatics
06 - 2 green onions, thinly sliced
07 - 1 tablespoon fresh chives, finely chopped (optional)
→ Seasonings
08 - ½ teaspoon kosher salt
09 - ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
10 - ¼ teaspoon sweet paprika
→ Optional Add-Ins
11 - ½ cup chopped cooked spinach or blanched broccoli florets
# How-to Steps:
01 - Preheat the oven to 375°F. Lightly grease an 8x8-inch baking dish with butter or nonstick spray.
02 - In a large, clean mixing bowl, beat the egg whites using an electric mixer on medium-high speed until stiff, glossy peaks form. Set aside.
03 - In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, cottage cheese, milk or cream, salt, black pepper, and sweet paprika until smooth and well combined.
04 - Stir the shredded cheddar, grated Gruyère or mozzarella, sliced green onions, and any optional vegetables or fresh herbs into the yolk mixture until evenly distributed.
05 - Gently fold the whipped egg whites into the cottage cheese mixture in two additions, using a spatula and careful folding motions to preserve as much volume and air as possible.
06 - Pour the light, fluffy batter into the prepared baking dish and use a spatula to spread it evenly, smoothing the top.
07 - Bake on the center rack for 25 minutes, or until the top is deeply golden, the edges are puffed, and the center is fully set.
08 - Remove from the oven and allow the bake to rest for 5 minutes before slicing into portions and serving warm.
# Expert Pointers:
01 -
- It eats like a soufflé but requires zero finesse or anxiety about collapsing.
- The cottage cheese melts into the eggs in a way that makes you forget cottage cheese ever had a texture problem.
- Leftovers reheat beautifully the next day without turning rubbery.
02 -
- Even a trace of yolk in the whites will prevent them from reaching full volume, so separate your eggs carefully one at a time into a small bowl first.
- The bake will deflate a bit as it cools and that is completely normal, so do not panic when it shrinks.
03 -
- Bring all your ingredients to room temperature before starting because cold eggs whites take longer to whip and cold cottage cheese makes folding harder.
- Run your spatula around the edge of the dish right after it comes out of the oven so the bake pulls away cleanly as it cools.