Hailey Bieber has helped turn another everyday ingredient into a social media talking point. This time, it’s cottage cheese – already firmly back in fashion thanks to the internet’s current appetite for high-protein foods – served with chicken meatballs in tomato sauce and finished with Parmesan.
“I’m sorry, but my chicken meatballs with tomato sauce, cottage cheese, and parmesan is seriously to die for and one of my favorite things I make,” she wrote. “Don’t knock it until you try it.”
The recipe has spread quickly across Instagram and TikTok, where nutritionists and home cooks have produced their own versions. It even made headlines in Vogue.
But the recipe itself is slightly less straightforward than the name suggests. In the version Bieber later described, the meatballs are made with ground chicken, ricotta, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, salt, pepper, gluten-free Italian breadcrumbs and egg. They are browned in a pan, added to tomato sauce and then topped with cottage cheese and Parmesan.
Bieber said she “eyeballs everything”, so there is no official measured recipe. That has left plenty of room for interpretation, including versions such as Emily English’s, which puts cottage cheese directly into the meatball mixture.
The popularity of these adaptations speaks to a wider trend. Cottage cheese has become one of the most visible ingredients in the current high-protein food boom, appearing in everything from scrambled eggs and dips to pancakes and pasta sauces.
According to Lily Keeling, registered nutritionist and senior recipe development manager at Green Chef, Bieber’s meatballs have more nutritional merit than many viral recipes.
“I can see why this recipe has taken off. It’s actually a pretty clever combination nutritionally,” she says. “You’ve got chicken meatballs providing a good source of high-quality protein, cottage cheese adding another source of protein as well as calcium, Parmesan bringing more protein and calcium alongside lots of flavour, and the tomato sauce contributing vegetables and compounds such as lycopene.”
The combination also works because it delivers those nutrients in a format that already feels familiar.
“What I particularly like is that this is genuinely nourishing food that doesn’t compromise on comfort, creaminess or flavour,” Keeling says. “You’re getting plenty of nutritional value from the ingredients, but it still feels indulgent and satisfying – that’s exactly the kind of balance I like to see.”
Cottage cheese’s return is part of a broader shift in the way high-protein foods are being used. Once associated largely with dieting, it is now increasingly treated as an ingredient rather than something to be eaten on its own.
Keeling says that is partly because of its versatility.
“Cottage cheese is definitely having a moment, and I think it deserves to stay. It’s become popular because it’s an easy way to add protein to a meal, but it actually offers more than just protein. It also provides nutrients including calcium and phosphorus – which support strong bones and muscle function – and its mild flavour makes it incredibly versatile.
“You can blend it into sauces, add it to eggs, use it in dips or, like Hailey, turn it into something creamy and comforting.”
The same applies to swapping beef or pork for chicken. Chicken mince can be lower in fat than some alternatives, but the overall nutritional profile depends on the cut, the amount of cheese used and what the meatballs are served with.
The lasting appeal of cottage cheese may lie in exactly that flexibility. It can boost protein without requiring people to overhaul the way they cook or eat.
“We’ve become much more interested in how we can make everyday foods work harder nutritionally without making them feel restrictive,” says Keeling.
Cottage cheese has “gone from something people associated with old-school dieting to an ingredient people are putting into everything from pancakes to pasta sauces. I think the Hailey Bieber recipe is another example of that shift – it’s not telling you to eat a bowl of cottage cheese because it’s ‘healthy’; it’s using it to make a dish you already want to eat.”
Bieber’s recipe is not a nutritional miracle, but it is a useful example of why some viral food trends travel further than others. It is high in protein, easily adapted and based on familiar ingredients that still feel like a proper meal.
Because Bieber does not provide measurements, our version takes the basic idea and turns it into a practical recipe, with cottage cheese in the meatballs, extra vegetables in the sauce and the option of wholegrain pasta alongside.
Hailey Bieber-inspired chicken and cottage cheese meatballs
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
For the meatballs:
500g chicken mince
75g cottage cheese
1 egg
50g breadcrumbs
30g finely grated Parmesan
2 garlic cloves, finely grated
1 tsp dried oregano
Finely grated zest of ½ lemon
½ tsp fine salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp olive oil
For the sauce:
1 tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 courgette, coarsely grated
2 garlic cloves, finely sliced
Pinch of chilli flakes
2 tbsp tomato purée
2 x 400g tins chopped tomatoes
1 tsp dried oregano
100g baby spinach
Small handful of basil leaves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
To serve:
Cottage cheese
Finely grated Parmesan
Basil leaves
Wholegrain pasta or crusty bread, optional
Method:
1. Put the chicken mince, cottage cheese, egg, breadcrumbs, Parmesan, garlic, oregano, lemon zest, salt and black pepper in a large bowl and mix until just combined.
2. Using damp hands, shape the mixture into around 16 meatballs. If the mixture feels very soft, chill it for 15 minutes first.
3. Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over a medium-high heat. Brown the meatballs for 6-8 minutes, turning until coloured on all sides. Transfer to a plate.
4. Reduce the heat to medium. Add the remaining olive oil, followed by the onion and courgette, and cook for 6-8 minutes until softened and most of the moisture from the courgette has cooked away.
5. Add the garlic and chilli flakes and cook for a minute. Stir in the tomato purée and cook for another 1-2 minutes, then add the chopped tomatoes and oregano. Season and simmer for 10 minutes.
6. Return the meatballs to the pan, partly cover and cook gently for another 10-12 minutes, turning once or twice, until cooked through.
7. Stir in the spinach and allow it to wilt into the sauce. Tear over most of the basil.
8. Divide between bowls and finish with cottage cheese, Parmesan, the remaining basil and black pepper. Serve with wholegrain pasta or bread, if liked.
