Whole world of savoury dinner pancakes

Ellie Krieger

The word “pancakes” may trigger thoughts of sweet, fruity breakfasts for most, but there is a whole world of savoury dinner pancakes beckoning more attention, and I am personally smitten with them.

My first bites of okonomiyaki from a street vendor in Tokyo, when I was in my teens, were eye-opening and still live vividly in my mind, as do the ham-and-cheese-filled buckwheat crepes I had in France years later. Then there are the potato latkes I grew up eating, the recipe for which, my dad tells me, is my inheritance. The idea of using an eggy batter to bind a selection of vegetables and proteins, then cooking them quickly in a frying pan gets my mind reeling with ideas.

These pancakes are a product of such reeling. They would be right at home in a trendy TikTok video, since they are made with cottage cheese ‒ the high-protein ingredient du jour. But they actually remind me of my grandfather, who ate cottage cheese nearly daily, as a snack mixed with sour cream and sliced banana, or mounded on top of a chopped salad and seasoned with lots of black pepper. Cottage cheese has always been “in” in my family ‒ it was only a matter of time before I worked it into savoury pancake form.

In this recipe, cottage cheese is mixed with beaten eggs and a little whole-wheat flour, forming a base to bind heaps of sautéed onion and cabbage, which is flavoured with fresh dill and generously seasoned with freshly ground black pepper (my grandfather would approve).

Dropped in rounds onto a hot skillet, these vegetable-packed pancakes have just enough binding to hold the deeply browned onion and softened, yet still slightly crunchy, cabbage together in fritter form.

After just a couple of minutes in the skillet, the pancakes come out golden brown, with crisped edges, ready for a dollop of creamy yoghurt and a sprinkle of dill. They make for a quick, satisfying, protein-rich meal any time of day, and are an invitation to give savoury pancakes their turn in the sun.

Cottage Cheese Pancakes With Cabbage and Dill

4 servings (makes 12 pancakes)

Total time: 20 mins

These savoury cottage cheese pancakes with sautéed cabbage put a new spin on breakfast for dinner. Enhanced with browned onion, fragrant with fresh dill and topped with creamy yoghurt, they make a quick, satisfying and protein-rich meal any time of day.

Storage: Refrigerate for up to 3 days; the pancakes may lose their crispness, but will still be delicious.

What you need:

3 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1 large onion (350g), halved and thinly sliced

½ head green cabbage (about 500g), thinly sliced (about 6 cups)

¼ teaspoon plus ⅛ teaspoon fine salt, plus more to taste

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

¼ cup coarsely chopped fresh dill, plus more for garnish

4 large eggs

1½ cups plain whole-milk or low-fat cottage cheese

¾ cup whole-wheat flour

1 cup plain regular or Greek yoghurt (whole-milk or low-fat)

How to make it

Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 90C. Have a large sheet pan nearby.

In a large non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil until shimmering. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and the edges brown slightly, about 5 minutes. Stir in the cabbage, salt and pepper, and cook until the cabbage softens slightly, about 2 minutes. Stir in the dill, then transfer the mixture to a bowl and let cool slightly, about 10 minutes.

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs until well combined, then stir in the cottage cheese. Stir in the flour just to combine, then stir in the cooled cabbage mixture.

Wipe out the frying pan, add ½ tablespoon of the oil and return to medium-high heat. To test whether the oil is hot enough, add a small drop of the batter to the pan, and if it immediately sizzles and begins to brown on the bottom, the pan is ready.

Use a ⅓-cup measure to scoop 3 to 4 mounds of the batter into the skillet, depending on its size. Reduce the heat to medium, and cook until the pancakes brown on the bottom and begin to dry around the edges, about 2 minutes. Flip, and cook until the other side browns and the pancake is cooked through, about 2 minutes more. Adjust the heat as needed if the pancakes are browning too quickly. Transfer the pancakes to the prepared sheet pan and place in the oven to keep warm. Repeat with the remaining oil and batter.

Divide the pancakes among individual plates, top each portion with a dollop of yoghurt and a sprinkle of dill, and serve warm.