Recipes with cheese
One cheese is not interchangeable with another, and that is what makes these twenty-nine recipes interesting rather than repetitive. The first group gathers the cheeses that do not melt: the Indian paneer of palak paneer, the feta of horiatiki and spanakopita, the queso fresco of Colombian arepas. They hold their shape, soak up sauce and bring salt without stringing.
The second group exists for the exact opposite. The mozzarella of pizza Margherita and Roman supplì, the gruyère of French onion soup and quiche, the cheddar of macaroni and cheese: they are chosen for the way they melt, which owes as much to their moisture as to their age.
The third is a sharp fresh cheese treated as a baking ingredient: Russian syrniki, Levantine knafeh, Ukrainian nalysnyky.
Two useful notes: many shop-bought hard cheeses are made with animal rennet, and each recipe names the vegetarian version where one exists. And pre-grated cheese carries an anti-caking starch that turns any sauce grainy.
- Recipes on the site
- 36
- Countries represented
- 18
- Ready in 30 minutes or less
- 4
- Gluten-free
- 14
The best represented countries: Italy (7) · France (4) · Greece (3) · Ukraine (3) · Argentina (2) · Colombia (2)
These recipes also use: tomato (7) · corn (5) · cream (4) · potato (4) · basil (3)
The recipes
Argentina⏱ 50 minHumita
A creamy stew of fresh sweetcorn simmered with onion, sweet pepper and basil, enriched with milk and melting cheese.
Argentina⏱ 55 minSpinach empanadas
Golden Argentine baked pastries filled with silky spinach, sweet onion and ricotta, finished with a grating of nutmeg.
Colombia⏱ 35 minArepas
Griddled corn cakes with a crackly crust and a soft centre, split open and stuffed with melting cheese.
Colombia⏱ 35 minColombian Buñuelos
Balls of fresh cheese and cassava starch fried to deep brown, a fixture of Colombian December celebrations.
Costa Rica⏱ 50 minEnyucados
Cassava croquettes stuffed with cheese and fried until crisp, a fixture of Costa Rican roadside sodas.
Costa Rica⏱ 55 minHeart of Palm Rice
Creamy rice baked with hearts of palm under a cheese crust, a Costa Rican party dish born of Pacific palm groves.
France⏱ 90 minFrench Onion Soup
Onions caramelised for a patient fifty minutes, a white wine broth, and a lid of baguette under bubbling gruyère.
France⏱ 65 minSwiss chard gratin with béchamel
A French Swiss chard gratin: stalks and leaves cooked separately, covered in béchamel and grated cheese, then baked until golden.
France⏱ 70 minVegetarian Quiche
A crisp shortcrust shell filled with softened leeks, mushrooms, a creamy egg custard and melting gruyère.
France⏱ 80 minVegetarian savoury cake with courgette, pepper and feta
A French vegetarian savoury cake made to the classic proportions, filled with pan-fried courgette and red pepper, black olives, feta and Emmental.
French Caribbean⏱ 65 minChayote gratin
French Caribbean chayote cooked then bound in a thyme béchamel, browned under gruyère and breadcrumbs.
Greece⏱ 15 minHoriatiki
Ripe tomatoes, cucumber, green pepper and Kalamata olives under a whole slab of feta and crushed oregano.
Greece⏱ 75 minSpanakopita
This spanakopita is the Greek spinach and feta pie, layered between golden, shattering sheets of filo pastry.
Greece⏱ 70 minTiropita
A Greek pie of shatteringly crisp filo wrapped around a soft filling of feta, ricotta and dill.
India⏱ 70 minMalai kofta
Golden paneer and potato dumplings served in a velvety tomato, cashew and cream sauce scented with garam masala.
India⏱ 40 minPalak paneer
This palak paneer recipe is a deep green spinach purée scented with ginger and garam masala, holding cubes of softly browned paneer.
Italy⏱ 20 minCacio e Pepe
Three ingredients and a glossy pecorino cream bound with starchy pasta water, peppered right to the edge.
Italy⏱ 90 minGnocchi with sage butter
Homemade potato gnocchi, light as clouds, simply tossed in a nutty brown butter scented with sage and finished with Parmesan.
Italy⏱ 10 minInsalata Caprese
The pride of the island of Capri, celebrating peak summer ripeness with juicy garden tomatoes, creamy buffalo mozzarella, sweet basil, and olive oil.
Italy⏱ 50 minMushroom and chickpea risotto
A creamy risotto with button mushrooms and dried porcini, with chickpeas added to make it a full meal.
Italy⏱ 40 minPizza Margherita
A slow-risen dough topped with raw San Marzano tomato, torn fior di latte and a few leaves of basil.
Italy⏱ 70 minSupplì
Tomato risotto balls hiding a core of mozzarella, crumbed and fried, sold in every friggitoria across Rome.
Italy⏱ 60 minVegetarian pizza with grilled vegetables and homemade dough
Homemade vegetarian pizza: risen dough, tomato sauce, mozzarella and grilled courgette, aubergine, peppers and red onion. Vegan option included.
Lebanon⏱ 60 minKnafeh
A molten cheese centre between two layers of golden shredded pastry, drenched in orange blossom syrup.
Mexico⏱ 70 minChiles rellenos
Poblano peppers charred and peeled, stuffed with queso fresco, coated in whipped egg batter and fried, then served in a tomato broth.
Peru⏱ 40 minPapa a la huancaína
Warm yellow potatoes under a cold Peruvian sauce of ají amarillo, fresh cheese and evaporated milk.
Romania⏱ 35 minMămăligă
Romania's golden cornmeal porridge, stiff enough to slice, enriched with butter and served with soured cream and salty cheese.
Russia⏱ 35 minSyrniki
Little pan-fried quark cakes with a golden crust and a soft, tangy centre, eaten with soured cream and cherry jam.
Sweden⏱ 75 minVästerbotten Pie
A Swedish shortcrust tart filled with aged northern cheese and cream, baked until just set and served with cherry tomatoes.
Syria⏱ 15 minShanklish Salad
Syrian thyme-aged cheese crushed with tomato, onion and olive oil, scooped up with bread at mezze time.
Turkey⏱ 45 minSigara Böreği
Slim filo cigars filled with feta and parsley, fried until golden and noisily crisp from end to end.
Ukraine⏱ 45 minBanosh
Cornmeal cooked in soured cream the Hutsul way of the Carpathians, topped with fried mushrooms and crumbled brynza.
Ukraine⏱ 55 minNalysnyky
Thin Ukrainian crêpes rolled around a sweet curd cheese filling, then browned in butter until the edges crisp.
Ukraine⏱ 80 minVarenyky
Ukrainian dumplings stuffed with cheesy mashed potato, boiled until tender and tumbled through butter-fried onions.
United States⏱ 50 minCheese Grits
White corn grits cooked into a creamy porridge and enriched with cheddar, breakfast across the American South.
United States⏱ 50 minMacaroni and Cheese
Elbow pasta folded into a cheddar béchamel and baked under a crumb crust, the comfort dish of American kitchens.