Easy Spinach Cottage Cheese Flagels (Print)

Savory flagels combining spinach, cottage cheese, and mozzarella for a golden, protein-rich treat.

# Ingredients:

→ Dairy

01 - 1 cup cottage cheese, small curd or whipped
02 - 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
03 - 1 large egg, lightly beaten

→ Dry Ingredients

04 - 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting
05 - 3 teaspoons baking powder
06 - 1/2 teaspoon salt

→ Vegetables

07 - 2 ounces baby spinach, finely minced

→ Other

08 - 1 tablespoon olive oil

# Directions:

01 - Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
02 - Place cottage cheese in a mini food processor and blend until completely smooth and creamy.
03 - In a large bowl, combine blended cottage cheese, flour, baking powder, salt, olive oil, minced spinach, and shredded mozzarella. Mix with a spoon until combined, then knead by hand into a cohesive dough ball. Add flour 1 tablespoon at a time if dough is too sticky.
04 - Shape dough into a 6-inch log and cut into 6 equal pieces. Flatten each piece into a 3 to 4 inch wide circle and poke a hole through the center with your finger to form a flagel shape.
05 - Arrange flagels on prepared baking sheet, spacing them about 2 inches apart. Brush tops generously with beaten egg.
06 - Bake for 22 to 25 minutes, until golden brown and firm to the touch.
07 - Let cool on a wire rack before serving.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • Fifteen grams of protein per flagel means you're actually full until lunch, not hunting for a snack at 10 a.m.
  • No boiling water, no steam, no kitchen chaos—just mix, shape, and bake like you're making cookies.
  • These freeze beautifully and reheat in a toaster, turning busy mornings into something almost effortless.
02 -
  • Blending the cottage cheese until it's completely smooth is the difference between a tender flagel and one that feels gritty and falls apart—I learned this the hard way on my second batch.
  • These don't need boiling water, but they also won't rise dramatically in the oven, so don't panic when they don't puff up like regular bagels; their chew comes from the dough composition, not oven spring.
03 -
  • Don't skip the parchment paper—flagels can stick if you use a bare baking sheet, and cleanup matters when you're making breakfast.
  • The dough should feel slightly tacky but not sticky; if you add too much flour, they become dense, but if it's too wet, shaping becomes impossible, so trust your hands more than your instincts.
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