This post is sponsored by Breakstone’s. Find their creamy cottage cheese and smooth sour cream at a retailer near you.

Spring is just starting to spring and that means we need all the brunch recipes like this Ham & Cottage Cheese Egg Casserole! I love this recipe because it tastes incredible and even a little decadent, but it’s packed with 22 grams of protein per slice. Breakstone’s Cottage Cheese sneaks in plenty of good-for-you protein, plus I used a mix of liquid egg whites and whole eggs to keep the fat content in check without sacrificing flavor.

Cottage cheese may be having a multi-year moment right now, but I’ve loved it for many more years as an easy and versatile way to hit my protein goals. Breakstone’s is made with high quality dairy and is the perfect choice for all your cottage cheese creations. As for the protein content, their 2% milk fat version boasts 13 grams of protein per 1/2 cup serving.

Here’s what you’ll need to recreate this Ham & Cottage Cheese Egg Casserole:

• Breakstone’s 2% Cottage Cheese – Don’t worry about blending the cottage cheese for this recipe! You won’t even notice a difference in texture. Fat free, 2%, or 4% versions will work great, so use what you like.
• Liquid egg whites – I find it easiest to buy these in a carton to get the volume you need for this recipe without cracking a bunch of eggs and having egg yolks leftover.
• Eggs – We’re using both egg whites and whole eggs in this recipe to balance texture and flavor with fat content. You can play with the ratio and add more or fewer whole eggs if you like (adjust the amount of egg whites accordingly), but I found this to be a good balance.
• Half and half – A little bit of half and half helps keep the eggs tender as they bake. There’s a whole science-y reason behind it, but any dairy milk you have on hand will work for this purpose – skim, 2%, whole, half and half, and even heavy cream.
• Ham – I like ham steak for the texture, rather than deli ham. Any breakfast meat that you like will work though – sausage, Canadian bacon, or regular bacon.
• Cheese – I went with a sharp cheddar but I bet gouda would be awesome too.
• Spinach – I prefer fresh baby spinach here, but if you want to use frozen, be sure to get rid of any excess moisture by squeezing the thawed spinach in paper towels.
• Green onion – Chives would work here too, but I prefer the green onions for a stronger flavor and they’re less likely to burn during baking.
• Seasoning – I kept it simple with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.