Tomato and Cottage Cheese Salad
Updated August 25, 2024
Mark Weinberg for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Monica Pierini.
- Total Time
- 20 minutes
- Prep Time
- 10 minutes
- Cook Time
- 10 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
1 ½ pounds heirloom tomatoes, sliced ½-inch thick
Flaky sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
½ teaspoon poppy seeds
½ teaspoon toasted white or black sesame seeds
½ teaspoon dried minced garlic
½ teaspoon dried minced onion
¼ small red onion, very thinly sliced
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce (optional)
1 cup/8 ounces full-fat cottage cheese
⅓ cup coarsely chopped mixed tender herbs (such as chives, parsley and dill)
Grilled or toasted French bread or bagels, for serving
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
25 grams carbs; 10 milligrams cholesterol; 229 calories; 6 grams monosaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 11 grams fat; 4 grams fiber; 636 milligrams sodium; 11 grams protein; 8 grams sugar
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Arrange tomato slices on a platter and season with ½ teaspoon salt.
- Step 2
Meanwhile, combine the poppy seeds, sesame seeds, dried garlic and dried onion in a small skillet. Cook over medium, shaking the pan occasionally, until the mixture is fragrant and golden brown, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl, stir in ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper and set aside.
- Step 3
Scatter the red onion on top of the tomato slices and drizzle with the olive oil and Worcestershire sauce, if using.
- Step 4
Using a spoon, dollop the cottage cheese on top.
- Step 5
Garnish with the herbs and the toasted spice blend; serve with bread.
Private Notes
Comments
Certified cottage cheese fiend here. I’m so thrilled to see this recipe - could it be that I am not alone in my appreciation for this polarizing ingredient? This dish is excellent as written, but should you be pressed for time, I think you could be forgiven for using store bought “everything bagel” seasoning in place of the spice mix. You could even toast it for a few seconds in the microwave. No judgment here.
My mom grew tomatoes. She would cut one beautiful tomato in eighths, part way through so the tomato opened up like a flower, then fill the center with a dollop of cottage cheese. Sprinkled with salt and pepper, it was a frequent summer salad. So fun to find an elevated version in NYT. Yummy!
Toast a couple of slices of good Jewish Rye bread. Slice tomatoes thick or thin, add sea salt and grinds of fresh pepper. Add a good olive oil to the tomatoes. Place the slices atop the toasted rye, spoon dollops of cottage cheese atop. Add basil, more salt and Espelette pepper. Eat over the sink. A mighty fine breakfast!!
Ha! I've enjoyed a variation of this recipe for years. One slight alteration RE: preparation: Take the recipe as written, but cut the tomatoes into large chunks, and toss with all of the ingredients listed (minus the cottage cheese and bread) in a bowl. Let the mixture marinate and sit for a bit (30-60m), and then drape the tomato mix over a big bowl of cottage cheese. Serve with bread or bagels. Bonus points - a bit of sugar and MSG further amplify the tomato flavors.
Yum. Tried this with TJs everything but the bagel seasoning and pickled red onions. I love the Good Culture cottage cheese which is cultured and is very tangy. The pickled red onions balance that out nicely.
Chopped tomatoes, chopped onion, Jane’s Crazy Mixed Up Salt, pepper. Mix all into cottage cheese. Simple, delicious.