Taste Test: Rachel's Cottage Cheese Roasted Red Pepper

Unlike many people, I eat cottage cheese because I really like it. Loaded with protein and low in fat, it makes a perfect mid-afternoon or nighttime snack (Bedtime Snacking on Cottage Cheese). Cottage cheese is also quite versatile: My favorite snack is a ½ cup of unsalted cottage cheese topped with jalapeño peppers and a tablespoon of salsa.

So I was delighted when I spotted Rachel’s Wickedly Delicious assortment of cottage cheeses on my grocer’s shelf. Although Rachel's yogurt launched stateside in 2007 (it’s a UK-based brand), the cottage cheese line was just introduced nationwide this year.

Rachel’s cottage cheese products, sold in single servings, include "sweet and savory flavor infusions." The sweet (fruity) varieties consist of lemon verbena berry, pomegranate orange cranberry and pear mangosteen, while the savory (veggie) variations include sun dried tomato pesto, cucumber dill and roasted red pepper.

I tried the roasted red pepper because I was impressed with the fact that a 142g container had only 120 calories, 2g of fat, 14g of protein, 4g of sugar, 6g of carbohydrates, and a whopping 6g of fiber--more fiber per serving than any of the other flavors.

Since the goodies are at the bottom, you have to stir the cottage cheese before you eat it. The first thing that struck me is the texture was not as thick as I had expected it to be; it was very creamy.

I generally by unsalted cottage cheese, so I thought it tasted salty. But with 440mg of sodium, it’s equivalent to most cottage cheeses on the market.

The taste, however, is what sold me on the product. There were just enough roasted red peppers to add zest without overpowering--and the texture was nice and velvety.

The products aren’t cheap--my Publix Greenwise was selling them at 2 for $3--but then again, yummy products like these usually aren’t.

Rachel's cottage cheese is free of artificial flavors, colors, preservatives and sweeteners and is made using milk from cows not given artificial growth hormones (rbST-free).

Given the option, I still prefer making this high-protein snack from scratch, mixing my add-ons to natural, unsalted low fat cottage cheese. But Rachel’s cottage cheeses make a convenient, prepackaged alternative.

Why does this matter to you? Because Rachel’s savory cottage cheese varieties make healthy, nutritious on-the-go snacks. And remember, cottage cheese is low in fat and carbs and very high in protein. It is also a good course of calcium, with Vitamin D!