Quark has become quite a staple in my diet and helped me lose so much weight. So here are a variety of sweet and savoury quark recipes from Pasta dishes to desserts and cheesecakes including unofficial Slimming World quark recipes you need to try.
Just Average Jen is an independent blog and in no way connected with any weight loss plan and no contributors have been trained by them or worked for them. It is the reader’s responsibility to check Slimming World syn values, WW points and any other allowances themselves as any given are approximate.
What is Quark?
Quark is a soft cheese made with skimmed milk. It has a thick consistency similar to Greek yoghurt or sour cream.
Whilst it has been around since the 14th century, especially in Germany and Eastern Europe it has become more popular over recent years with people following low-fat diets.
It is high in protein and very low in fat. It is very versatile and can be used in a variety of recipes from dips to main meals and even in desserts!
Flavoured options are also now available but they are not all quite as low in calories.
Here I have compiled a selection of some recipes using this low-fat cream cheese which I am sure you will love, some are in blog posts with other recipes you will love too.
What can you make with quark?
As you will see as you read this guide, there are so many things that you can make using Quark.
There are many healthy quark recipes because it is a fat-free soft cheese. That isn’t to say you can not use it in more indulgent meals if you wish.
Just Average Jen is an independent blog and in no way connected with any weight loss plan and no contributors have been trained by them or worked for them. It is the reader’s responsibility to check Slimming World syn values, WW points and any other allowances themselves as any given are approximate.
Quark on Slimming World and other diets, Is quark healthy?
Quark is generally syn-free on Slimming World unless it is flavoured in any way before purchase as these sometimes have sugar added. The simple way around this is to flavour it yourself!
Many other diets also encourage you to use quark as it is a soft cheese made with skimmed milk so it is virtually fat-free.
How to make quark taste better?
Quark does not taste great, it is rather bland and has very little flavour however you can make it taste better by adding any flavourings you like or cooking with it in the recipes I share below.
So if you are wondering, can I cook with quark or what can I do with quark, then panic no longer here are lots of quark ideas for you!
Savoury Quark recipes – Snacks or starters
If you are looking for savoury recipes using quark for snacks or starters then these should really help you. They are all easy to make and well-tested to ensure you have tasty food every time.
Courgette Bakes – these are like mini quiches and are delicious with vegetables or as a starter.
Mushroom Pate – quick and easy to make with lots of mushrooms.
Garlic Quark Dip – an alternative to garlic mayonnaise.
“Sour Cream” – not quite sour cream but much healthier.
Mini pepper quiches – quiches with a crust that almost feel as good as pastry quiches.
Savoury Quark recipes – main meals
If you are looking for savoury recipes with quark for main meals then I am sure you will love this selection.
Garlic Mushroom and Spinach Pasta Bake – tasty and full of flavour with the spinach good for your iron levels.
Creamy Cheese and Ham fusilli pasta bake – popular with kids this is creamy and healthy too.
Mediterranean Vegetable Lasagne – a great veggie lasagne for all the family.
Spaghetti Primavera – an easy and tasty spaghetti dish with a difference from the usual spaghetti bolognese.
Lentil and Vegetable Moussaka – if you like moussaka you will love this one.
Leek Macaroni Cheese – Mac and cheese for Slimming World, definitely not one to miss.
Sweet Quark recipes – including quark cheesecake
Blueberry and vanilla semifreddo – easy to make and stores well in the freezer for those days you need something sweet.
Vanilla Baked Cheesecake – Tasty and naughty but still quite low in calories.
Strawberries and Cream (sweetened Quark) – simply sweeten the quark and enjoy as you would strawberries and clotted cream.
Carrot Cake – This is low syn but tastes as good as the shop ones! Honestly, I promise you will love this one so do give it a try.
Deconstructed Frozen Berry Cheesecake – Easy and low syn especially if using your healthy extra b choice for the cereal bar.
Coffee and chocolate cheesecake – A low syn cheesecake with no base but still tasty.
Bailey’s Cheesecake – Amazing, nothing more needs to be said!
Tips using quark
Using it for a cheese sauce
If you want to use it to make a creamy topping for lasagne or moussaka mix 250g quark with 3 tbsp fat-free fromage frais and a pinch of nutmeg.
This could also be used to make a cheese sauce for pasta but I prefer missing it with a small amount of stock to make a sauce. Which do you prefer?
How to stop quark splitting when making quark recipes
Why does quark split when heated? It is because of the low-fat content so whilst that is good if you are trying to diet, it can make it a bit more difficult to cook with.
Don’t heat quark on its own (it’s fine when mixed with other things usually like stock, fromage frais etc) or it will curdle/split!
I recommend making a small amount of stock in a jug and then carefully stirring in the quark to make a sauce.
Alternatives to quark
An alternative to quark is low-fat soft cheese as they often do not split. Consider quark as skimmed milk, low-fat soft cheese as like semi-skimmed milk and full-fat soft cheese as whole milk.
This is how they are made but otherwise, they are essentially the same.
It can be used instead of cottage cheese in many recipes. I sometimes blend cottage cheese if it is substituted in my shopping and I had planned for quark!
Using it in a sandwich
It can be bland in sandwiches, wraps or similar but adding a few fresh herbs or tomatoes can help. This is well worth trying if you don’t want to use syns in Philadelphia!
Using it to make a spicy meal milder
If a curry or chilli is too spicy stirring in some quark can help! Remember to do this off the heat and when it has cooled slightly to prevent it from splitting.
It is an easy solution when you get to the table and realise you got a bit carried away with the chilli powder!
How to make mashed potato creamy
To make mashed potato creamier without adding milk or butter add a spoonful of quark!
It doesn’t sound like it would work but it really does, especially if you also add an egg yolk!
Alternatives to flavoured varieties
To avoid the syns or extra calories of flavoured versions when making quark recipes, use some flavourings or essences to flavour it!
Have a look around different supermarkets, some have salted caramel flavouring, for example, you could try coffee syrups as an alternative but be sure to buy a low-calorie syn free version.
Is quark allowed on an SP day on Slimming World?
Quark can be eaten on a Slimming World SP day! It is a great alternative to yoghurt.
If you want to have overnight oats on a Slimming World SP day you could use quark instead of yoghurt with your porridge oats!
More healthy recipes you may enjoy
Do you fancy looking at the other healthier dessert ideas I share? Check out my desserts article.
We was just on about quark last night on sales table in group lol. Ty hun I've shared this to my sw group page. Brilliant as always xxxx