THE SPLIT PLATE / RECIPE

High-Protein Chili Cheese Toast

8 open-faced toasts. 130 cal / 13g protein each. Blended cottage cheese + reduced-fat fiesta + chilies on keto buns.

YIELD8 servings
TOTAL TIME18 min
COOK METHODSee method
EST. / SERVING~130 cal | ~13g protein

Ingredients

Ingredients

  • 4 Oroweat Superior Keto Buns, split into 8 open-faced halves
  • 1 Daisy Low Fat Cottage Cheese cup (5.3 oz / 150g, blended smooth)
  • 1 bag (7 oz / 198g) Great Value Reduced Fat Fiesta Blend shredded cheese

Ingredients — continued

  • 2-4 Thai bird chilies (HOT) OR 1-2 jalapeños (medium heat — remove seeds for milder), finely chopped
  • Dan-O's Crunchy Seasoning, to taste
  • Parchment paper or cooking spray (for the baking sheet)

You want a savory snack that hits like comfort food but lands at 130 cal / 13g protein per toast. 18 min total, 8 open-faced toasts on Oroweat keto buns. Make all 8, eat 2-3 now + reheat the rest later in the toaster oven. Adult-only because of the chili heat — not designed as a kid snack.

Method

  1. 1.OVEN. 375°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper (or hit it with cooking spray).
  2. 2.BLEND COTTAGE CHEESE. Daisy Low Fat cup into a small food processor. Blend 30-45 sec until completely smooth — no curds visible. This is the move that makes the filling creamy not chunky.
  3. 3.SCOOP TO BOWL. Transfer the blended cottage cheese to a mixing bowl. Should look like thick Greek yogurt at this point.
  4. 4.ADD CHEESE. Full 7 oz bag of Great Value Reduced Fat Fiesta Blend shredded cheese into the bowl with the blended cottage cheese.
  5. 5.FOLD. Mix the shredded cheese into the cottage-cheese base with a spatula until evenly distributed. Filling should look uniform — no dry shred patches, no cottage-cheese clumps.
  6. 6.CHOP CHILIES. 2-4 Thai bird chilies (hot version) OR 1-2 jalapeños with seeds removed (medium version) finely diced — pieces ~1/8-inch. Smaller dice = better distribution across all 8 toasts.
  7. 7.FOLD CHILIES INTO FILLING. Diced chilies into the cheese mixture. Fold gently to distribute. Don't overmix — visible chili specks throughout the filling is the goal.
  8. 8.SPLIT BUNS. 4 Oroweat Superior Keto Buns split horizontally into 8 open-faced halves. Arrange cut-side up on the lined baking sheet, spaced so the edges don't touch.
  9. 9.FILL THE TOASTS. Divide the filling evenly across all 8 halves. ~2 tbsp filling per toast. Spread to the edges so the cheese melts to the crust. Pile slightly mounded in the center.
  10. 10.SEASON THE TOPS. Dan-O's Crunchy Seasoning over each toast. Don't be shy — it's the salt + texture finish. ~1/4 tsp per toast.
  11. 11.BAKE. 375°F for ~9 min. Filling should be hot + visibly melted + slightly browned on top. Keto buns dry out fast past 10 min — set a timer.
  12. 12.REST + SERVE. Let toasts cool 1-2 min before eating (cheese filling is molten right out of the oven). Eat 2-3 immediately, reheat the rest later.

If something fails

Filling is too thick / hard to spread: You under-blended the cottage cheese. Blend another 30 sec until completely smooth. If already mixed with shredded cheese, add 1 tbsp Fairlife milk (or 1 tbsp water) and fold to loosen.

Buns dried out / cracker-textured: Overbaked. Oroweat keto buns dry out fast past 10 min. Pull at 8-9 min next time — the filling will still be molten + the buns will be lightly toasted, not desiccated.

Cheese didn't fully melt on top: Underbaked OR oven not hot enough (375°F is the floor). Add 60-90 sec at 400°F for a final melt-and-brown. Watch closely — the line between melted and burnt is 30 sec.

Way too spicy for a snack: You used Thai birds with seeds. Either remove seeds before chopping, sub jalapeños (with seeds removed for milder still), or halve the chili count (1-2 jalapeños instead of 2-4 Thai birds).

Filling tastes flat / not enough salt: Light Dan-O's hit. Add another pinch on each toast before serving (toasts are still hot — salt sticks). Or stir 1/4 tsp kosher salt into the filling at the fold-chilies step.

Macros came in higher than 130 cal / toast: Most likely cause: (1) larger Oroweat bun lot (some 8-pack runs are 120 cal each instead of 100, adds ~10 cal/toast), (2) overspilled shredded cheese (the 7 oz bag is the budget), or (3) added oil/butter to the bun. Stick to the bag + cup measurements.

Storage and reheating

Store: Best fresh out of the oven, but the filled-and-baked toasts hold 2-3 days in the fridge in an airtight container. The unbaked filling holds 3-4 days separately if you want to bake fresh per session.

Reheat: Toaster oven 350°F 3-4 min from cold = crisp top, warm filling. Air fryer 350°F 2-3 min works too. Microwave makes the bun soggy — avoid.

Lasts: Baked toasts: 2-3 days fridge. Filling-only (unbaked): 3-4 days fridge. Oroweat buns sealed: per package date.

Estimated nutrition

~130 cal | ~13g protein.

Per toast (~130 cal / 13g protein / 7g fat / 6g net carbs) MacroFactor-tracked. Component breakdown per toast (1/8 of the batch): 1/2 Oroweat Superior Keto Bun ≈ 50 cal / 4P / 1F / 3 net C + 1/8 of blended Daisy Low Fat cottage cheese cup ≈ 11 cal / 1.6P / 0.3F + 1/8 of 7 oz Great Value Reduced Fat Fiesta ≈ 70 cal / 7P / 4.4F / 1C + chili + Dan-O's ≈ 2 cal. Sums to ~133 cal / 12.6P / 5.7F / 4 net C. Atwater check: 13×4 + 6×4 + 7×9 = 52+24+63 = 139 ≈ 130 (small fat-rounding gap, normal for tracked-via-app entries). Flagged estimated because (1) Oroweat bun calorie counts vary slightly batch-to-batch (95-105 cal range), (2) the filling-per-toast portion is eyeball-divided (some toasts get more than others), (3) Dan-O's amount is to-taste. The 130 / 13 anchor holds if the batch math holds.

thesplitplate.com/cookbook/high-protein-chili-cheese-toast

High-Protein Chili Cheese Toast
Quick lunch

High-Protein Chili Cheese Toast

8 open-faced toasts. 130 cal / 13g protein each. Blended cottage cheese + reduced-fat fiesta + chilies on keto buns.

Make this when

You want a savory snack that hits like comfort food but lands at 130 cal / 13g protein per toast. 18 min total, 8 open-faced toasts on Oroweat keto buns. Make all 8, eat 2-3 now + reheat the rest later in the toaster oven. Adult-only because of the chili heat — not designed as a kid snack.

Total time
18 min
Yield
8 servings
Protein / serving
~13g
Cal / serving
~130
Core ratio — locked

1 Daisy Low Fat Cottage Cheese cup (5.3 oz, blended) + 1 bag (7 oz) Great Value Reduced Fat Fiesta Blend + 2-4 fresh chilies + 4 Oroweat keto buns (8 halves). Divide filling evenly across all 8 halves. This is the system — scale by halving (4 toasts) or doubling (16 toasts).

Flavor target

First taste: melty creamy cheese + Dan-O's crunch. Mid: bright chili pop from the chopped fresh peppers. Finish: crispy keto-bun edge + Dan-O's savory salt. Filling should be spreadable not crumbly — the blended cottage cheese is what creates the creamy base.

Ingredients

Batch cookYields 8 servings — quantities below are the full batch.

Ingredients

Method

  1. 1
    OVEN

    375°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper (or hit it with cooking spray).

  2. 2
    BLEND COTTAGE CHEESE

    Daisy Low Fat cup into a small food processor. Blend 30-45 sec until completely smooth — no curds visible. This is the move that makes the filling creamy not chunky.

  3. 3
    SCOOP TO BOWL

    Transfer the blended cottage cheese to a mixing bowl. Should look like thick Greek yogurt at this point.

  4. 4
    ADD CHEESE

    Full 7 oz bag of Great Value Reduced Fat Fiesta Blend shredded cheese into the bowl with the blended cottage cheese.

  5. 5
    FOLD

    Mix the shredded cheese into the cottage-cheese base with a spatula until evenly distributed. Filling should look uniform — no dry shred patches, no cottage-cheese clumps.

  6. 6
    CHOP CHILIES

    2-4 Thai bird chilies (hot version) OR 1-2 jalapeños with seeds removed (medium version) finely diced — pieces ~1/8-inch. Smaller dice = better distribution across all 8 toasts.

  7. 7
    FOLD CHILIES INTO FILLING

    Diced chilies into the cheese mixture. Fold gently to distribute. Don't overmix — visible chili specks throughout the filling is the goal.

  8. 8
    SPLIT BUNS

    4 Oroweat Superior Keto Buns split horizontally into 8 open-faced halves. Arrange cut-side up on the lined baking sheet, spaced so the edges don't touch.

  9. 9
    FILL THE TOASTS

    Divide the filling evenly across all 8 halves. ~2 tbsp filling per toast. Spread to the edges so the cheese melts to the crust. Pile slightly mounded in the center.

  10. 10
    SEASON THE TOPS

    Dan-O's Crunchy Seasoning over each toast. Don't be shy — it's the salt + texture finish. ~1/4 tsp per toast.

  11. 11
    BAKE

    375°F for ~9 min. Filling should be hot + visibly melted + slightly browned on top. Keto buns dry out fast past 10 min — set a timer.

  12. 12
    REST + SERVE

    Let toasts cool 1-2 min before eating (cheese filling is molten right out of the oven). Eat 2-3 immediately, reheat the rest later.

Go deeper

Storage and nutrition

Storage: Best fresh out of the oven, but the filled-and-baked toasts hold 2-3 days in the fridge in an airtight container. The unbaked filling holds 3-4 days separately if you want to bake fresh per session.

Reheat: Toaster oven 350°F 3-4 min from cold = crisp top, warm filling. Air fryer 350°F 2-3 min works too. Microwave makes the bun soggy — avoid.

Lasts: Baked toasts: 2-3 days fridge. Filling-only (unbaked): 3-4 days fridge. Oroweat buns sealed: per package date.

Watch the full cook

Brands I use

Daisy
Daisy
Low Fat Cottage Cheese (5.3 oz / 150g single-serve cup — 90 cal / 13g protein / 2.5g fat per cup)
Blended smooth, it becomes the creamy filling base. The Low Fat variant keeps the macros honest (versus 4% Daisy which doubles the fat per cup). Cross-recipe with id 30 steak noodles, id 33 buffalo wings crema, id 41 beef bacon pasta.
Great Value
Finely Shredded Reduced Fat Fiesta Cheese Blend (7 oz / 198g bag — 80 cal / 8g protein / 5g fat per oz, blend of reduced-fat Monterey Jack + cheddar + queso quesadilla + asadero)
Walmart store brand. 1/3 less fat than regular fiesta blend. Melts cleanly + has the same Mexican-cheese melt-character as full-fat. The 7 oz bag = 8 oz post-mix = exactly enough for 8 toasts at ~2 tbsp filling each. Sub any reduced-fat shredded blend — Sargento, Kraft Reduced Fat — same effect, ~30% more cost.
Oroweat
Oroweat
Superior Keto Hamburger Buns (8-count / 12 oz bag — 100 cal / 8g protein / 6g net carbs per bun)
Soft + bread-like (not the cardboard texture some keto buns have). Splits cleanly into open-faced halves. 100 cal per whole bun = 50 cal per half — the carb anchor for the recipe. Sub Bettergoods Keto Buns (id 23 cross-recipe) or Mission Carb Balance flatbreads cut in half — both work.
Dan-O's
Dan-O's
Crunchy Seasoning (savory salt + onion + garlic + black pepper crunch blend)
The salt + texture finish. Sprinkled on top before the bake = the crispy-edge effect on every toast. Cross-recipe with id 5 air fryer chicken, id 31 Dan-O's thighs, id 39 pork chops, plus the existing 'Loaded Steak & Egg Skillet' cookbook entry.
#Powerup#Snack#Quick lunch#High protein#Keto-friendly#Adults