Roasted pumpkin, cottage cheese, a little salty feta and eggs baked until just set — this is the kind of cosy, throw-it-in-a-dish meal that tastes like autumn and doesn’t ask much of you. Around 15g of protein a serve, vegetarian, and genuinely lovely hot or cold. The sort of thing your mama would nod approvingly at, then ask why there’s cottage cheese in it.
Who it’s for: anyone after a meatless meal that still shows up on protein, and anyone who wants one dish that covers breakfast, lunch and a sneaky cold slice from the fridge at 9pm.
- 1 cup roasted pumpkin
- ½ cup cottage cheese
- 2 tbsp feta
- 3–4 eggs
- 2 tbsp walnuts
- Thyme, salt + pepper
- Heat the oven to 180°C.
- Spread the pumpkin, cottage cheese and feta in a small dish.
- Crack in the eggs and scatter over the walnuts and thyme.
- Bake 12–15 min until the eggs are just set.
- Season and finish with a drizzle of olive oil or honey.
Serve with yoghurt or avocado; stir spinach through the pumpkin.
Uses pre-roasted pumpkin.
Why this works
Pumpkin on its own is all comfort and not much staying power — lovely, but you’re hungry in an hour. Cottage cheese and eggs fix that, turning a soft roasted veg into something with real protein behind it, while the feta and walnuts add just enough salt and crunch to keep it interesting. It’s proof that vegetarian doesn’t have to mean “hungry again by three.”
Make it yours
Serve with a dollop of Greek yoghurt or some avocado · stir a handful of spinach through the pumpkin · finish with chilli flakes, a drizzle of honey or good olive oil · swap walnuts for whatever nut’s rattling around the cupboard.
Can I make it dairy-free?
This one leans on its dairy — cottage cheese and feta — so it takes a bit more finessing. Swap the cottage cheese for a thick coconut yoghurt or blended silken tofu, and use a dairy-free feta-style block for that salty hit. You’ll keep the texture and most of the protein, especially if you add an extra egg or a spoon of hemp seeds to make up the difference.