Kelly Homesley is a registered dietitian at Novant Health Bariatric Solutions - Elizabeth in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Traditional pumpkin cheesecake made with cream cheese can add over 700 calories to your Thanksgiving meal. But with a few simple swaps, you can cut those calories in half, lower the sugar and increase the protein — helping stabilize your blood sugar and decrease your chance of post-meal crash and sweet cravings later in the day. The swap that makes the most nutritional impact is trading the usual higher-fat cream cheese for high-protein cottage cheese.

This recipe isn’t something you can whip up in a jiffy, but you’ll find it’s worth the wait!

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A few notes: This is one of those recipes that’s probably best-suited to kitchen warriors. You’ll need a food processor, a stand mixer, and a springform pan for this recipe. While we recommend making the graham-cracker crust from scratch (it just tastes better!), feel free to use a pre-made graham cracker crust if you’re running short on time.

For planning purposes: you’ll need to make the cheesecake at least six hours before serving and the homemade brown sugar meringue just before serving. To save a step, you can also swap the meringue for a store-bought light whipped cream, though it won't taste quite as delicious!

High-protein pumpkin cheesecake

Ingredients:

Crust:

• 9 graham cracker sheets

• 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom

• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted

• 1 tablespoon brown sugar

Pumpkin cheesecake filling:

• 22 ounces 2% cottage cheese

• 15 ounces unsweetened pumpkin puree

• 1/2 cup maple syrup

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

• 2 large eggs

Brown sugar Swiss meringue (made right before serving):

• 3 large egg whites

• 2/3 cup light brown sugar, packed

• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

• 1/8 teaspoon sea salt

Also needed: Cooking spray

Preparation:

Heat oven to 350 degrees, and spray a 9-inch springform pan with cooking spray.

Prepare the crust: Place all of the ingredients for the crust into the food processor, and process into crumbs. Pour the crumbs into the pie crust and press them firmly into the bottom and sides of your pan. Bake for seven minutes, remove and cool.

Prepare the filling:

  • After cleaning the graham cracker crumbs out of the food processor, pour the cottage cheese into it and process the cottage cheese on a high speed for 4 to 5 minutes until it’s completely smooth and frothy.
  • Then add the pumpkin, maple syrup, pumpkin pie spice, and flour and process until combined. Add the eggs and mix again until the eggs are incorporated, being careful not to overmix.

    • Combine them: Place the crust on a baking sheet with edges and pour the pumpkin filling into the cooled crust. Put the baking sheet into the oven and then pour water onto the baking sheet so the pie dish is about 3/4 of the way in the water (this is called a “water bath”).

    Bake for 60 minutes or until the pumpkin filling is jiggly. Then open the oven and turn off the heat. Let the cheesecake cool in the oven for 20 minutes. Then remove it from the oven and let it cool completely before storing it in the refrigerator to set for at least six hours or overnight.

    Right before serving the cheesecake, prepare the Swiss meringue:

  • Place the egg whites and brown sugar into a large glass bowl, stirring to combine.
  • Bring a saucepan with 2 to 3 inches of water to a simmer, and place the bowl with the eggs and sugar on top of the saucepan, making sure that your bowl fits snugly without actually touching the water (you’re making a DIY “double boiler”).
  • Stir carefully and often to dissolve the brown sugar into the egg whites. To test whether the brown sugar is dissolved, dip a clean finger into the egg whites and rub it between two fingers — if you don’t feel any sugar, you’re done.
  • Remove the bowl from the saucepan and transfer the egg whites into the bowl of your stand mixer. Add the vanilla, cinnamon, and salt and mix on low for one minute, increasing the speed to medium until stiff peaks form, for about 3 to four minutes total.

    • Transfer the meringue to the top of the cheesecake, leaving a 1/2-inch border on the outside for a “crust” effect. Overachievers, feel free to grab your crème brulee torch to toast for that dazzling final effect.

    Remove it from the springform pan and serve immediately.

    Recipe adapted from fitfoodiefinds.com.

    Yields: 9 servings. Per serving: 305 calories; 9.8 g fat; 64.2 mg cholesterol; 380 mg sodium; 43.9 g carbohydrate; 30.8 g sugar; 11.4 g protein

    Let us know what you thought of this recipe: Too complex, or want more like it? Email us at HealthyHeadlines@NovantHealth.org.