Cottage Cheese Tikka Toast
Thick sourdough toast piled high with spiced cottage cheese, roasted bell peppers, and fresh cilantro. An Indian-fusion open-face toast that turns a humble snack into a protein meal.
I used to eat avocado toast like everyone else. It's good, I get the hype, but the protein is basically nonexistent. Six grams if you're lucky. One day I had cottage cheese and some leftover tikka spices, and on a whim I spooned the spiced cottage cheese onto toast instead. That was it. That was the moment I stopped buying avocados for breakfast.
Cottage cheese with tikka spices is unreasonably good. The spices transform it from something bland and healthy into something you actually crave. I warm it slightly in a pan with roasted peppers so it gets a little melty without turning into a puddle. Then I pile it onto thick sourdough toast, which gives you that satisfying crunch underneath the creamy, spiced topping.
Two slices of this toast give you 28g of protein. Twenty-eight grams from toast. Try getting that from avocado toast. I eat this as an afternoon snack, as a pre-workout bite, or as a quick breakfast when I don't have time for a full cook. It takes about ten minutes and uses five ingredients. Sometimes the simplest upgrades are the best ones.
The Protein Upgrade
A typical avocado toast delivers about 6-8g protein per serving. By swapping avocado for a generous two cups of cottage cheese spiced with tikka masala seasonings, we pushed the protein to 28g per serving. The cottage cheese is the perfect toast topping: creamy, flavorful, and packed with protein.
Cottage Cheese Tikka Toast
Ingredients
- 2 cups cottage cheese 28g protein
- 2 slices thick sourdough bread (or any sturdy bread)
- 1 small red bell pepper (diced)
- 1 tsp tikka masala spice blend (or garam masala)
- ½ tsp cumin powder
- ¼ tsp turmeric
- ½ tsp chili powder (adjust to taste)
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp fresh cilantro (chopped)
- ½ lemon (juiced)
- 1 pinch black pepper
Instructions
- Toast the sourdough slices until golden and crispy. You want them sturdy enough to hold the topping without getting soggy.
- While the bread toasts, heat olive oil in a small pan over medium heat. Add diced bell pepper and cook for 3-4 minutes until softened and slightly charred.
- Add tikka masala spice, cumin, turmeric, and chili powder to the peppers. Stir for 30 seconds until fragrant.
- Add the cottage cheese to the pan. Stir gently to combine with the spiced peppers. Cook for 2-3 minutes until just warmed through. Don't overheat or it will get watery.
- Season with salt and a squeeze of lemon juice. Stir once more.
- Pile the spiced cottage cheese mixture generously onto the toasted sourdough slices.
- Top with fresh cilantro and a crack of black pepper. Serve immediately while the toast is still crispy.
Boost Your Protein
- Add a fried egg on top for an extra 6g protein per toast.
- Sprinkle 1oz of crumbled paneer on top for an extra 7g protein per serving.
- Use protein bread instead of sourdough for an extra 4-6g protein per serving.
Ingredient Substitutions
- No cottage cheese? Use ricotta or thick Greek yogurt as the base.
- No sourdough? Use whole wheat bread, English muffins, or naan.
- No tikka masala spice? Use garam masala or a mix of cumin, coriander, and paprika.
- Swap bell pepper for roasted cherry tomatoes or sauteed mushrooms.
