Most people toss the pineapple core straight in the trash, which is honestly a shame because that's where a lot of the bromelain lives. We're keeping it here, chopping it up fine and folding it into the cottage cheese so nothing goes to waste. Grilling the outer rounds caramelizes the natural sugars into something that tastes like dessert, while the cottage cheese brings live cultures and a solid hit of protein to balance it all out. Ten minutes, one pan, minimal cleanup.
Ingredients
- 1/2 fresh pineapple, cored and sliced into rounds, core reserved and chopped
- 1 cup cottage cheese
- 1 tablespoon honey
- Fresh mint leaves, chopped
Instructions
- Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat.
- Grill pineapple rounds for 2-3 minutes per side until char marks appear.
- Finely chop the reserved core and mix into the cottage cheese.
- Serve grilled pineapple alongside the cottage cheese, drizzled with honey and topped with fresh mint.
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
| Calories | 210 |
| Total fat | 3g |
| Total carbohydrates | 30g |
| Dietary fiber | 2g |
| Protein | 15g |
| Sodium | 340mg |
Why This Is Good for Your Gut
Pineapple, especially its core, is rich in bromelain, an enzyme that helps break down protein and can ease bloating after protein-heavy meals. Cottage cheese is a cultured dairy product that supplies live bacteria along with casein protein your gut bacteria help ferment. Together they make digestion of the meal itself noticeably easier.
It tastes like a treat, but your gut is doing real work in the background.
This recipe is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional dietary advice.
