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This Cottage Cheese Egg Bake has over 20 grams of protein per slice with eggs, turkey sausage, cheddar, peppers, and onions. The cottage cheese is blended right into the eggs, so the finished bake is soft and fluffy. It reheats well for an easy make-ahead breakfast.
Blending the Cottage Cheese Makes the Difference
Blending cottage cheese right into the eggs is what gives this egg bake its soft, fluffy texture. Instead of stirring it in separately, I blend the eggs, cottage cheese, and cheddar until smooth before folding in the cooked sausage and vegetables. This distributes the cottage cheese throughout the egg mixture and gives the whole bake a more even texture.
A few other things make this one especially good for breakfast prep:
- Over 20 grams of protein per slice. Eggs, cottage cheese, turkey sausage, and cheddar all contribute protein, so each serving makes a substantial breakfast without needing protein powder or egg whites.
- Plenty of flavor and texture. Turkey sausage, sharp cheddar, peppers, and onions make this feel like a complete breakfast casserole rather than a basic baked egg dish.
Ingredient Notes
A few ingredients make a noticeable difference in the flavor and texture of this cottage cheese egg bake:
For full recipe instructions and complete list of ingredients, scroll down to the recipe card at the bottom of this page.
- Cottage cheese: I prefer full-fat cottage cheese because it gives the egg bake the softest, richest texture, but 2% also works well. The cottage cheese gets blended with the eggs and cheddar before baking, which helps distribute it evenly throughout the casserole.
- Turkey breakfast sausage: I use turkey sausage to add plenty of savory breakfast flavor while keeping the casserole high in protein. Cook it completely before adding it to the egg mixture, and drain off any excess liquid or grease so it doesn’t make the egg bake watery. Chicken or pork breakfast sausage also works.
- Bell peppers and onion: Saute these before adding them to the egg mixture rather than putting them in raw. This softens the vegetables and gives some of their excess moisture a chance to cook off before baking.
- Sharp cheddar cheese: Sharp cheddar gives the casserole more noticeable cheese flavor without needing a large amount. I prefer shredding it from a block because it melts more smoothly, but pre-shredded cheese can be used if that’s what you have.
How to Make this Cottage Cheese Egg Bake
- Cook the sausage. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the turkey sausage and cook until browned and completely cooked through, breaking it into crumbles as it cooks. Transfer it to a plate and set aside.
- Saute the vegetables. In the same skillet, add the onion, bell peppers, and garlic. Cook for 4-5 minutes, until the vegetables have softened and most of the excess moisture has cooked off. Remove from the heat.
- Blend the egg mixture. While the sausage and vegetables cool slightly, add the eggs, cottage cheese, cheddar, salt, and pepper to a large bowl. Use an immersion blender to blend until the mixture is smooth and evenly combined. A regular blender works too.
- Combine. Fold the cooked sausage and vegetables into the blended egg mixture until evenly distributed.
- Bake. Pour the mixture into a lightly greased 9×13-inch baking dish. Bake at 350°F for 40-50 minutes, or until the center is set and no longer looks wet. If the top begins browning too quickly, loosely cover the dish with foil for the final 10 minutes.
- Rest before slicing. Let the egg bake rest for at least 10 minutes before cutting into slices. This gives the eggs time to finish setting and makes the casserole easier to cut.
jamie’s tips
My Tips for Fluffy Cottage Cheese Egg Bake
- Cook off excess moisture from the vegetables. Peppers and onions release liquid as they cook, so saute them until they’re softened and most of that moisture has cooked away. Too much liquid going into the casserole can leave the finished egg bake watery.
- Don’t overbake it. Start checking the casserole at the 40-minute mark. The center should be set and no longer look wet, but there’s no need to keep baking until the eggs feel completely firm. Overbaking can make an egg casserole dry and rubbery.
- Let it rest before slicing. Give the egg bake at least 10 minutes to sit after it comes out of the oven. The eggs will continue to set as it cools, which gives you a better texture and cleaner slices.
- Stick with a 9×13-inch pan. The depth of the egg mixture affects how quickly it cooks. I use a 9×13-inch baking dish to ensure the best results.
Make Ahead and Storage
- Make ahead: Cook the sausage and vegetables ahead of time and store them in the refrigerator until you’re ready to assemble the egg bake.
- Refrigerator: Store leftover cottage cheese egg bake in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Reheating: Reheat individual slices in the microwave until warmed through. Avoid overheating, since eggs can become rubbery when reheated for too long.
More Cottage Cheese Breakfast Recipes
If you’ve made and love this Cottage Cheese Egg Bake or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 rating and comments below!
Cottage Cheese Egg Bake (High Protein)
This Cottage Cheese Egg Bake is made with eggs, cottage cheese, turkey sausage, cheddar, peppers, and onions for a hearty make-ahead breakfast with over 20 grams of protein per serving. Blending the cottage cheese into the eggs keeps the finished bake soft and fluffy.
Ingredients
- 12 eggs
- 12-16 oz turkey breakfast sausage, ground or removed from casing (or use chopped pre-cooked/frozen)
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 16 oz cottage cheese
- 1.5 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
- 1/2 sweet onion, diced small
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 green bell pepper, diced small
- 1 red bell pepper, diced small
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- In a medium skillet, heat oil on medium heat. Add turkey sausage and cook until completely cooked through, about 10 minutes. Transfer to another dish.
- In the same skillet, add onion, garlic and bell peppers. Sauté on medium heat for 4-5 minutes until veggies are softened. Remove from heat.
- While the sausage and veggie mixture is cooling, make your egg and cottage cheese mixture by combining eggs, cottage cheese, cheddar cheese, and salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Blend using an immersion blender (or use a regular blender instead!).
- Add cooked turkey sausage and veggies to the blended egg and cottage cheese mixture, stirring until fully combined.
- Pour into to a large nonstick or lightly sprayed with oil 9×13" casserole dish (or a little larger will work too).
- Bake for ~40-50 minutes, until egg and cottage cheese bake is firm in the middle. If the top is browning too much, cover with aluminum foil for the last 10 minutes of baking.
- Allow to cool for at least 10 minutes and then cut into 9-12 slices.
Notes
- Cottage cheese: Full-fat cottage cheese gives the softest, richest texture, but 2% works well too. Blend it thoroughly with the eggs and cheddar until smooth.
- Don’t overbake: Start checking the egg bake at 40 minutes. The center should be set and no longer look wet. Overbaking can make the eggs dry or rubbery.
- Expect some settling: The egg bake may puff up a little while it’s in the oven and settle slightly as it cools.
- Let it rest: Allow the egg bake to sit for at least 10 minutes before slicing so the center can finish setting and the slices hold together better.
- Pan size matters: This recipe was tested in a 9×13-inch baking dish. A larger pan will make a thinner egg bake and may shorten the baking time.
Nutrition
Serving: 1slice | Calories: 276kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 28g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 277mg | Sodium: 657mg | Potassium: 304mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 1007IU | Vitamin C: 30mg | Calcium: 183mg | Iron: 2mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated and should only be used as an estimate.
Did you try this recipe?Leave a comment + star rating below!
Made this week as breakfast prep for my kids who are out the door early and need a quick grab. They love it!
I did add a layer of frozen tater tots in the bottom too 🤤
oh my gosh tater tots at the bottom!? Genius!
Have you made this a day early and refrigerated until you bake the morning of?
I haven’t, but I have baked it several times and then reheated in the morning 🙂
This looks amazing, but I can’t eat eggs. Would I be able to use tofu in place of the eggs?
The eggs are an integral part of holding the whole thing together, so I don’t think so unfortunately!
Could I bake ahead and freeze this?
Definitely!
The taste of this was good (although I did add a third clove of garlic and used seasoned salt instead of regular salt), but the oven temperature of 350 degrees is too low. I cooked it for the longest suggested time of 50 minutes, and the entire thing was still eggy, jiggly, and very much undone. I had to raise the oven temperature to 375, cover it in foil so the top didn’t burn, and cook it for another 40 minutes, making the cooking time an entire 90 minutes. I would suggest using a higher temp and using either less eggs or less cottage cheese as there was just too much wetness… or you could do the tator tots (pre-baked and a bit crispy) on the bottom like someone else suggested to soak up some of that excess liquid.
Thanks for your feedback! I do find that ovens vary quite a bit but I’m surprised it took 90 minutes. Either way I’m glad you enjoyed it 🙂
I’m going to try this recipe soon
This was really good and so easy to make. I didn’t tell my husband and daughter one of the main ingredients was cottage cheese because neither is a fan. They were none the wiser and loved it. I made it as written except I used regular breakfast pork sausage (couldn’t find turkey sausage anywhere) and I took the suggestion above and used 9 hash brown patties on the bottom. The recipe doesn’t say how much garlic to use so I used 1 tsp. minced. Unless you have everything ready to go, my prep time was more like 30 – 35 minutes. This one is a keeper.
So glad you enjoyed!! Hash brown at the bottom sounds like an amazing addition. Thank you for noticing the garlic- fixed now :).
I used shredded hash browns on the bottom and added browned bacon in small pieces on the top. Cooked 375 for 45 minutes. Delicious.
So glad you enjoyed! That sounds amazing!
Can I substitute egg whites for some of the whole eggs?
I haven’t tried myself but you could give it a try- you may need to decrease the cottage cheese a bit
can this be frozen as baked and then reheated?
I haven’t tried so I’m not sure! I would probably slice this before freezing, or bake in a silicone muffin pan.