Today I am sharing a recipe I grew up with, a staple in my grandparents’ home, especially in the summer – Cottage Cheese Salad. Light, refreshing and healthy too!
GRANDMA’S COTTAGE CHEESE SALAD
Cottage cheese loaded with veggies and seasoned to taste. Perfect for a hot summer day and a great way to use all those garden vegetables. This wonderful salad takes just minutes to make and is so versatile, simple to adapt to your taste. Light, healthy, refreshing…absolutely delicious!
Read rave reviews from people who tried this recipe on Pinterest!
Pictured above is the classic version I grew up with. Cottage cheese with fresh tomatoes, cucumber, and onion with salt and pepper to taste.
This is great with your favorite seasonings too. Often, I’ll add Italian or Greek seasonings. There are no rules. Add what you like and adjust the amounts.
I love adding a splash of balsamic vinaigrette. If you’re in the mood for something with a kick, try adding a few dashes of Tabasco or hot sauce.
PINNABLE IMAGE
Grandma’s Cottage Cheese Salad
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Adapt amounts below to your preference
Ingredients
- 16 ounces cottage cheese (1%, 2%, or 4%)
- 1/2 to 1 cup tomatoes – cut in bite size pieces, seeded if you like (use your favorite tomatoes – plum, cherry, Roma, fresh from the garden)
- 1/4 cup onion (less or more) -Vidalia, any sweet onion, red onion, green onion (use your favorite)
- 1/2 large cucumber (or more), peeled, cut in bite size pieces, seeded if you like. English cucumbers are great with this salad
- salt & pepper to taste
Directions
In a medium-sized bowl, add cottage cheese and veggies – mix well. Season with salt and pepper. Serve chilled. Enjoy!
Optional
- your favorite seasonings (Greek, Italian are great)
- Tabasco, hot sauce
- fresh lemon juice
- any veggies you like – radishes, carrots, peppers, and more
- sliced olives
- pepperoncini
- add a splash of vinaigrette or your favorite Italian or Greek dressing
- Serve with a side of your favorite crackers. I love Wheat Thins and using the salad as a dip. So good!
TIP
Try fruit cocktail. My friend/roommate in college loved cottage cheese topped with fruit cocktail – that was a staple in our apartment! So good.
Thanks so much for stopping by!
Cheers!
Pam
My mother made a version of this, served it at every Christmas dinner and I have carried on the tradition. It had large curd cottage cheese, jarred pimentos (drained), green bell pepper, and green onions in it.
Because of the white, red, and green colors, we always called it “Christmas Salad.”
Deanna Kesner
Has anyone tried this with shredded cheddar cheese?
Elizabeth
I like adding corn to it as well.
Eileen
I add tuna.
Carla Stevens
I like cottage cheese, onions, cucumers, and tomatoes but all these mixed together in the cottage cheese I did not like at all. I dont know maybe the onion was too strong and over powering but I cant even eat the left over.
Mary Neumann
This salad is super easy to adapt, Carla. Next time, leave out the onion, add less or sprinkle on top, so you can control it in the salad.
Cory
You posted Romano as a tomato. What kind is that?? I’ve never heard of it. I do love the recipe and I love all the suggestions (ingredients) which I already have tried. Delicious!
Mary Neumann
Hi Cory. That’s a typo – should be ROMA, fixed. 🙂
Carla Stevens
Have you tried a cottage cheese called Good Culture? Its a but more $ but it us so rich and good. Even the kiw fat version is yummy. I dont buy any other cottage cheese now
Mary Neumann
I will add that to my list to try, Carla! Thanks for sharing!
Cori Garcia
I love this! Sometimes I add sliced black olives as well. I also usually sprinkle Everything but the bagel seasoning on it. So good!
Jan
My father used to make something very similar. He would use a 16 ounce container of cottage cheese and add to that a 8 ounce container of sour cream. He then chopped up some green onions, added some salt and pepper and chilled it.
Kathie
This sounds really good! My mom used to like a tomato stuffed with cottage cheese and onion. This salad combines the veggies and the cottage cheese for a yummy side dish that’s packed with protein AND fresh veggies. I will be trying it soon.
Kay
I love this dish, I deseed my tomatoes and cucumbers add chopped green onions lots of black pepper plus I add 1 1/2 cups of Miracle Whip to mine (I usually get the 3 pound container) so if you use the 24 ounce it would be maybe 3/4 cup of Miracle Whip. I mix the cottage cheese and MW together first and some black pepper then I add all the other ingredients and mix well and extra black pepper.
vicki
look up red wine vinegrette. delicious!
LauraR
This needs no added salt! Cottage cheese is already very salty. Check out the sodium level next time you buy a carton.
Angela
This looks interesting. I think I am going to have to try this out!
Clara O Howard
I love this. But after i put ut in the fridge for 4 hours it was real runny. Did i do something wrong?
Mary Neumann
It’s the veggies, Carla. This is a salad that’s usually made and eaten all at once. A make and serve kind of salad.
Hopefully you still enjoy it – it should still be delicious!
Carla Stevens
I made it in the morning and ate it at work for lunch
Rhonda Arenas
Take the seeds out of your tomatoes and cucumbers keep it from being runny.
Maria Erekson
I grew up with only the addition of fruit in cottage cheese and when I went to boarding school in Canada I first had the savory side of this dish. Was skeptical then convinced they had discovered an amazing concoction! Any more I usually go for the veg additions but don’t always have all th veg. Usually have 1/2 cup cottage cheese, 5/6 cherry tomatoes,1/2 sliced scallions, S&P. A perfect fresh addition to any meal…or a meal in itself.
Kim
My husband and I love pickled beets on cottage cheese.
Kathryn
My mom made this cottage cheese, tomatoes ,green onion, salt &pepper ,
Worcestershire sauce.
Worcestershire sauce may seem odd but just a bit to taste. Really good
Portia
Soooooooo good!!! Have eaten this 3 days in a row and will be for dinner again this evening. THANK YOU!!!!Portia
Mary Valand
I can’t wait to try this. I enjoy a mixture I’d cottage cheese, chopped apple, pecans or chopped almonds, finished off with a small drizzle of honey.
Stephan
My grandma always made it with tomatoes, bell peppers, onions, and salt & pepper. I still make it like that when I fix it.
Lora L Cotton
My grandparents ALSO served this with nearly EVERY MEAL especially during summer months! After they passed, I wanted to kick myself for all the times I wouldn’t eat it as a kid! I make it myself now, occasionally, as my husband suffers health issues that deny him onions, any fruit or veg with a skin, husk, hull or seed, thus no tomatoes! I DO have a question for you, my grandmother ALWAYS made a kinda sweet & sour dressing for lettuce based salads! I adored it, but have NEVER found a recipe for it (and wasn’t smart enough to get it from her before she passed.). I know there was oil, vinegar and sugar involved, but no clue as to amounts or what, of any other ingredients were used. Do you by any chance have a similar sounding recipe that you could share? I know this dressing was NOT “creamy” to sight, but rather “clear.”. Thanks!
Astaff
I make a dressing with equal amounts of oil and vinegar. Add sugar & salt to taste. Very simple but we enjoy it on coleslaw. Hope this helps.
Lora
Thank you, I will give this a try!
Kristen
I make dressing with equal parts olive oil
and fresh lime juice (can use lemon) crushed fresh garlic, cracked pepper and salt to taste.
I like to add fresh corn off the Cobb (not cooked) to my salads. Crunchy and tasty.
Angelina
I’m crazy about cottage cheese, and have been known to add all sorts of ingredients into it, depending on what I have on hand. I usually mix equal amounts of cottage cheese & Greek yogurt together, beforehand. Hey, & I also LOVE Daisy low fat! Instead of using a vinegarette, I sometimes use ‘light’ Ranch or Blue Cheese dressing….YUM!
Linda
I love cottage cheese salad with tomatoes and cucumbers. I thought I was the only one. I’m a grandmother but none of my grandchildren like cottage cheese. 😩Linda
Cat
I’m a simple gal and enjoy cottage cheese with some Italian dressing added. I’m certainly going to try this!
Kathy
We always had cottage cheese growing up, especially in the summer. It was served as a side dish. When I had my own family, I often served cottage cheese just like in this recipe. I like it with red onion, cucumber, radishes and tomatoes and a good sprinkling of black pepper. I also use it on my baked potato in place of sour cream. Yum!!