These cottage cheese meatballs are juicy, tender, and SO packed with protein… 25.6 grams in every serving of about 4 meatballs. Blended cottage cheese and zucchini keep them super moist while they bake, and they’re an easy weeknight dinner the whole family will love.
A Quick Look At The Recipe
- Recipe Name: Cottage Cheese Meatballs
- Ready In: 35 minutes
- Serves: 5 servings
- Calories: 216 cal
- Protein: 25.6g
- Fat: 7.9g
- Carbs: 12g
- Why You'll Love It: These Cottage Cheese Meatballs are juicy, tender, and packed with protein! Blended cottage cheese and zucchini keep them incredibly moist while baking, making this an easy weeknight dinner the whole family will love.
I love sneaking a serving of veggies into dinner, and the kids will never know it’s in there! They’re perfect for busy weeknights, meal prep beautifully, and make delicious leftovers all week long. If you love the cottage cheese and marinara combo as much as I do, try my cottage cheese spaghetti squash marinara too.
Is Cottage Cheese Good in Meatballs?
YES. Blending cottage cheese with zucchini makes a creamy mixture that keeps lean beef unbelievably tender. It also adds extra protein, so these meatballs stay macro-friendly without tasting like diet food.
Can You Taste the Cottage Cheese?
Nope! Once it’s blended completely smooth, it melts right into the meat. Between the Italian seasonings, marinara, and broiled parmesan on top, nobody at my table has ever guessed.
Can You Make Cottage Cheese Meatballs with Turkey or Chicken?
Yep. I use 96/4 lean ground beef, but lean ground turkey or ground chicken also work well. Just know the macros in the recipe card are for beef. For another turkey version with hidden veggies, try my skinny turkey zucchini meatballs.
Important Ingredients and Substitutions
- Low-fat cottage cheese: The secret ingredient for a creamy texture and extra protein. It’s naturally gluten-free, but I haven’t made it dairy-free. You could try dairy-free ricotta in place of the cottage cheese and DF parmesan on top.
- Zucchini: It adds moisture and sneaks in a veggie without changing the flavor.
- Fennel seeds: They give these meatballs that classic Italian sausage taste. Not a fan? Leave them out.
- 96/4 lean ground beef: This keeps them macro-friendly. One pound makes about 20 meatballs.
- Trader Joe’s Organic Marinara: This is the one I used. A 113g serving has 50 calories, 2g fat, 8g carbs, and 1g protein. Feel free to use your favorite marinara.
- Parmesan: Freshly grated melts much better than the pre-shredded kind and makes a cheesy, golden top. Pecorino Romano or your favorite Italian cheese blend would also be delicious.
Before You Start Cooking
- Plan for about 35 minutes. That’s 10 minutes of prep and 25 minutes in the oven, including the broil.
- Preheat the oven to 400 and grease a shallow baking dish. The meatballs bake and get sauced in the same dish.
- Grab a blender and a 1.5 Tbsp cookie scoop. Blend the cottage cheese mixture until it’s completely smooth, and the scoop keeps every meatball the same size.
- Don’t overmix the meat. Mix just until everything is combined to keep the meatballs tender.
- Weigh the finished dish if you track macros. One serving is 220g, or about 4 meatballs. Here’s how I add a recipe to MyFitnessPal.
How to Make Cottage Cheese Meatballs
- Blend. Add the cottage cheese, chopped zucchini, and seasonings to a blender and blend until smooth.
- Mix and scoop. Mix the blended mixture with the ground beef until just combined. Scoop into balls with a 1.5 Tbsp cookie scoop and place them in the greased baking dish.
- Bake. Bake at 400 for 20 minutes.
- Drain and sauce. Turn the broiler to low. Carefully pour off any excess liquid, then pour the marinara over the meatballs. Lean beef and zucchini release moisture, so draining keeps the sauce rich instead of watery.
- Broil. Sprinkle the tops with parmesan and broil for 3 to 5 minutes, until the cheese is browning and the sauce is bubbling around the edges.
What to Serve with Cottage Cheese Meatballs
Serve them over pasta, spaghetti squash, zucchini noodles, or mashed potatoes and cauliflower. Or keep it simple with a big green salad like my house salad and some crusty bread to sop up the sauce!
For a veggie side, parmesan smashed broccoli or basil roasted veggies go right in the oven while the meatballs bake.
How to Freeze Cottage Cheese Meatballs
These are on my list of macro-friendly freezer meals. Leftovers keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- To freeze, let the cooked meatballs cool completely. You can freeze them with or without the sauce.
- Store in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months.
- Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
- Reheat in the microwave or warm them gently on the stovetop until heated through.
Want more Italian-style dinners for the freezer? Try my healthy turkey bolognese, Instant Pot pork ragu, creamy tomato butternut skillet lasagna, ground beef and veggie shells, Italian pasta soup, or sheet pan gnocchi dinner.
If you like having dinner figured out ahead of time, my macro-friendly meal plans come with a categorized grocery list and meal prep tips every Thursday, and the recipes are preloaded into MyFitnessPal, Macros First, and Lose It. You can try it free.
Cottage Cheese Meatballs Calories and Macros
One 220g serving (about 4 meatballs) of these cottage cheese meatballs has 216 calories, 25.6g protein, 7.9g fat, and 12g carbs. The recipe makes 5 servings, and the marinara and parmesan are included. To log it, search Lillie Eats and Tells Cottage Cheese Meatballs in MyFitnessPal.
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Cottage Cheese Meatballs
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup low fat cottage cheese 120g
- 1 cup zucchini roughly chopped (150g)
- 1 tsp. kosher salt
- 1 tsp. garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp. oregano
- 1/2 tsp. fennel seeds
- 1 lb 96% lean ground beef 454g
- 28 oz jar of marinara 790g
- 1 oz parmesan cheese 28g
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400℉. Add the cottage cheese, chopped zucchini, and seasonings to the jar of a blender. Blend until smooth.
- Add the blended mixture to a bowl along with the ground beef and mix until combined. Using 1.5 Tbsp cookie scoop, scoop into balls and place in a shallow, greased baking dish. Bake for 20 minutes.
- Remove the dish from the oven and turn your broiler to low. Carefully pour off any excess liquid and pour jarred marinara over the meatballs. Sprinkle the tops with parmesan and broil for 3-5 minutes until cheese is browning and the sauce is bubbling around the edges.
- Enjoy over pasta or your favorite low-carb base, or with a big green salad and some bread to sop up the sauce!
Notes
Tried this recipe?
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These cottage cheese meatballs are AMAZING. Life changing, actually. The flavor is phenomenal. My whole family loves them. Nobody knows there’s a secret green veggie and i love knowing they’re macro friendly and high protein! We always make extra for lunch and they reheat wonderfully. Such an easy recipe, thank you Lillie!
yay!! i’m so happy you like it!