USAI added kimchi to this bowl by accident — it just happened to be in the fridge. Turned out the kimchi is what makes the whole thing click. The acidity cuts through the sweet and fatty, and suddenly all the components land.
Stir a little taco seasoning into the cottage cheese and let it sit for 5 minutes before serving. The cottage cheese absorbs the flavour and stops being a white blob on the plate.
Cottage Cheese Taco Bowl
By Sergei Martynov
Taco-spiced ground turkey, roasted sweet potato cubes, cottage cheese, avocado, and kimchi or pickled red onion. The kimchi is not optional if you want the bowl to work — the acid cuts through the fat and sweetness and pulls everything together.
What you'll need
Ingredients
- 600 g
See recipes with sweet potatoessweet potatoes
i - 500 g
See recipes with lean ground turkeylean ground turkey
i - 200 g
See recipes with cottage cheesecottage cheese
i - 2 piece
See recipes with avocadosavocados
i - 100 g
See recipes with kimchi or pickled red onionkimchi or pickled red onion
i - 2 tbsp
See recipes with olive oilolive oil
i - 1.5 tbsp
See recipes with taco seasoningtaco seasoning
i - 1 tbsp
See recipes with tomato pastetomato paste
i - 1 tsp
See recipes with chili powderchili powder
i - 0.5 tsp
See recipes with garlic powdergarlic powder
i - 0.5 tsp
See recipes with smoked paprikasmoked paprika
i - 0.5 tsp
- 1 tsp
See recipes with lime juicelime juice
i - 0.5 tsp
See recipes with chili flakeschili flakes
i
How to make it
Instructions
- 1
Preheat the oven to 220°C (425°F). Peel and cut the sweet potatoes into 2 cm cubes. Toss with 1 tablespoon olive oil, garlic powder, smoked paprika, and salt. Spread on a lined baking sheet in a single layer. Roast 25 to 30 minutes, flipping once, until golden and tender.
- 2
Heat the remaining olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground turkey and break it apart as it cooks. Cook 5 to 7 minutes until no pink remains.
- 3
Add the taco seasoning, chili powder, and tomato paste. Stir well and add 3 to 4 tablespoons of water. Cook another 2 minutes until the meat is coated and fragrant. Taste and adjust salt.
- 4
Season the cottage cheese: stir in the lime juice and a pinch of the taco seasoning. Leave for 5 minutes — the cottage cheese absorbs the flavour and stops tasting like a neutral blob.
- 5
Assemble the bowls: divide the sweet potatoes between four bowls, add a portion of turkey alongside, then a generous scoop of seasoned cottage cheese. Top with half an avocado, sliced, and a portion of kimchi or pickled onion.
- 6
Sprinkle with chili flakes. Serve immediately with the components separate so the temperatures stay distinct.
Frequently Asked Questions
Cottage cheese taco bowl — how is it different from a regular taco bowl?
The main difference is cottage cheese instead of sour cream. It gives the same cool creaminess but with 3 to 4 times more protein. The other difference is kimchi or pickled onion, which adds acidity.
Why add kimchi or pickled onion — are they necessary?
This bowl is very rich in fat — without acid it gets heavy. Pickled onion or kimchi cuts through the fat and resets the palate between bites.
Should you blend cottage cheese for a taco bowl?
Blending is worth trying if the grainy texture puts you off. Blended cottage cheese becomes smooth like sour cream.
How to season cottage cheese for a taco bowl?
Minimum: salt and pepper. Better: salt plus garlic powder plus lime juice. Best: stir taco seasoning directly into the cottage cheese and leave 5 minutes.
Is cottage cheese taco bowl good for weight loss?
One serving contains about 40 to 42 grams of protein at roughly 490 to 550 kcal. A restaurant taco bowl with the same protein can run 700 to 900 kcal.
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Comments (1)
Salt the sweet potatoes at least 30 minutes before cooking cottage cheese taco bowl, or right before — never in between. Salt draws moisture to the surface; given 30+ minutes it reabsorbs. At 10 minutes, it's just sitting there making things wet.