How to Make Loaded Cottage Cheese Baked Potatoes
This loaded cottage cheese baked potato recipe is pure comfort food. It’s creamy, hearty, and packed with protein. You’ll love the way the cottage cheese mixture melts right into those nice and crispy potato skins.
Loaded Cottage Cheese Baked Potatoes
Ingredients
Method
- Preheat your oven to 425°.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Take your washed and dried potatoes, poke holes in them with a fork (about 5-6 times), rub olive oil on them, and season them with sea salt. You can try out other seasoning blends here if you want to.
- Bake for 60 minutes.
- Mix together the cottage cheese, Colby Jack cheese, diced bell pepper, diced onions, salt, pepper, and paprika.
- Keep the crumbled cooked bacon separate. I cook my bacon in the oven, and I put it in the last 20 minutes or so of the potatoes baking.
- Slice the cooked baked potatoes in half, fluff them up with a fork, and add butter.
- Add on the cottage cheese mixture.
- Top with bacon and any extra topping you want.
- Store all leftovers in individual containers in the refrigerator. One for the cottage cheese mixture, one for the bacon, and one for the potatoes.
Why You’ll Love This Heartier Meal Take on Baked Potatoes
There’s a good reason this has become a family favorite. It’s high in protein, easy to make, and perfect for meal prep. It’s a good baked potato upgrade — a genius combination I never would have thought of, but I’m so glad a co-worker recommended it to me. The pure goodness of cottage cheese makes every bite feel rich and satisfying. The unexpected flavor twist will have you making it week after week. Not kidding!
And if you love recipes with cottage cheese, you’ll also want to try my cottage cheese pancakes and cottage cheese muffins. They both have that same creamier bite that makes cottage cheese so versatile.
Ingredients for Loaded Cottage Cheese Baked Potatoes
To make this easy recipe, here’s what you’ll need:
- 8 russet potatoes, skins washed
- 4 cups cottage cheese (I like the Good brand, full-fat, but low-fat works too)
- 1 cup shredded Colby Jack cheese
- 1 diced red bell pepper
- 4 green onions, sliced
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon ground pepper (feel free to experiment with different seasonings)
- 1 pound bacon, cooked and diced or crumbled
- Olive oil (for rubbing on potatoes)
Instructions for Loaded Cottage Cheese Baked Potato
- Preheat your oven to 425°F.
- Wash and dry your russet potatoes.
- Use a fork to pierce each potato 4–6 times.
- Rub each one with olive oil and sprinkle with salt.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place the potatoes on it.
- Bake for one hour. The potato skins will turn nice and crispy, which is exactly what we want.
While the baked potatoes cook, make your cottage cheese mixture. In a large mixing bowl, combine:
- 4 cups cottage cheese
- 1 cup shredded Colby Jack cheese (or cheddar cheese)
- 1 diced red bell pepper
- 4 sliced green onions
- Salt, paprika, and pepper (Dan-O’s Outlaws Butter Steak Seasoning comes highly recommended for this recipe as well)
Cook your bacon using your favorite method. Keep it separate for topping later.
When the potatoes are done, slice each one lengthwise. Fluff the inside potato flesh gently with a fork. Add butter if you like — it makes for an even creamier bite. Spoon the creamy cottage cheese mixture over the top of each potato. Sprinkle on the cooked bacon, some extra onions, fresh herbs, or a bit more seasoning if you’re feeling fancy. You can add more Cobly Jack or cheddar cheese on top.
This is the perfect way to take your baked potato game to the next level. It’s an easy swap for traditional sour cream and cheese, but it still gives that classic comfort food feel — just with more protein.
Storage and Reheating Tips
For leftovers, store the cottage cheese topping in its own airtight container in the refrigerator. Keep the baked potatoes in a separate airtight container or zip-top bag. Do the same for the bacon.
When you’re ready to reheat, slice open your potato and fluff it with a fork. Add a little butter, cover it with a damp paper towel, and heat for one minute. Continue in 30-second intervals until hot. Then scoop on the cottage cheese mixture and top with bacon. If you still have bacon left, that is — it tends to disappear fast around here!
You can also just use the cottage cheese mixture as a cracker dip for a side dish. It is the perfect swap with high protein that all your guests will love. In my opinion, of course.
Can You Microwave the Potatoes?
You can, but I’ll be honest — it’s not the same. The skin won’t get that perfect crispness you get from baking them in the oven. If you’re short on time, it works, but if you want the perfect baked potato, the oven is worth the wait. You can put them in the air fryer as well. Just follow your air fryer directions.
Time to Be a Doer and Make This Loaded Potato with Cottage Cheese
These loaded cottage cheese baked potatoes are a good reason to fire up your oven tonight. They’re a baked potato upgrade full of flavor, texture, and protein. Every bite combines the pure goodness of cottage cheese with crispy skin, melty cheese, and salty bacon. My boys love getting in those extra grams of protein and this makes it extra simple.
This is the perfect comfort food for a weeknight dinner or meal prep — and a genius combination you’ll make again and again.
