*I only used 1 pound and thought it was enough with all the other stuff in the soup, but if you're serving major meat eaters, use 2 pounds.
I didn't blend the cottage cheese because I wanted a little texture reminiscent of the ricotta layer in a lasagna. Most of the cottage cheese curds break down anyway once they simmer in the soup for 15-20 minutes and get stirred around. If you don't want to risk it, blend the cottage cheese with a bit of the soup broth to get rid of any chunks.