Cheeses for dinner
Gratins, pastas, curries and the evening meal.
At dinner, cheese is cooked into the main dish: melted into pasta, baked in gratins, simmered in curries and stews, and grated over soups. Palak paneer and matar paneer in India, macaroni cheese in Britain and North America, lasagne and risotto in Italy, Käsespätzle in southern Germany and Austria, ema datshi in Bhutan and aligot in France are dinners in which cheese does the heavy lifting.
Paneer at the evening table
Paneer holds its shape in sauce, which makes it the centre of many North Indian dinners: palak paneer with spinach, matar paneer with peas, shahi paneer in a cream and nut gravy, kadai paneer with peppers, and paneer butter masala. For many vegetarian households, paneer fills the place meat might take elsewhere. In Bengal, chhena is cooked into a curry called chhanar dalna, and in Odisha into chhena tarkari, both made with potatoes and warm spices.
Pasta, rice and dumplings
Italy cooks Parmigiano, pecorino and Fontina into risotto, lasagne, cacio e pepe and baked pasta. Macaroni cheese, baked with cheddar, is a family dinner in Britain and the United States. In southern Germany, Austria and Switzerland, Käsespätzle layers soft egg noodles with mountain cheese and fried onions. Polish pierogi ruskie fill dumplings with potato and twaróg, and Georgian khinkali have a cheese-filled version beside the classic meat.
Cheese stews of the mountains
Bhutan's ema datshi cooks green or dried chillies with datshi into a sauce eaten with red rice, and kewa datshi does the same with potatoes. In Nepal and Sikkim, churpi is cooked with greens and tomatoes. France's aligot, from the Aubrac, beats young tomme into mashed potato until it stretches in long ribbons, and Savoy's tartiflette bakes Reblochon over potatoes, onions and lardons. These are dishes made to feed people after a cold day outside.
Worth knowing
- Palak paneer: Paneer in spinach
- Matar paneer: Paneer with peas in tomato gravy
- Macaroni and cheese: Baked pasta in cheese sauce
- Käsespätzle: Egg noodles layered with mountain cheese
- Ema datshi: Bhutanese chillies with cheese
- Aligot: Stretchy cheese and potato of the Aubrac
- Tartiflette: Reblochon baked over potatoes
- Pierogi: Polish dumplings with potato and twaróg
Sources and further reading
About this page
Original text by the EveryCheese desk, written with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Customs are described as tradition, not as advice. If we have something wrong, tell us.
Dinner on EveryCheese
The cheeses written up so far, best known first.
🇲🇽 Mexico and 5 moreOaxaca cheesequeso Oaxaca
A semi-hard, stringy cow's milk cheese from southern Mexico, made using the pasta filata method.Cow · Semi-hard · Milky and fresh
🇩🇪 Germany and 2 moreWeisslackerWeißlacker
A pungent German cow's-milk cheese aged seven months with a whitewashed rind.Cow · Semi-soft · Pungent and funky
🇺🇸 United StatesColby
A semi-hard American cow's-milk cheese with a mild flavor and orange hue from annatto.Cow · Semi-hard · Milky and fresh
🇮🇹 ItalyCastelmagno
A semi-hard Italian cheese from Piedmont with blue veining and a sharp taste.Cow · Semi-hard · Sharp and tangy-aged
🇪🇸 SpainMahónformatge de Maó / queso de Mahón
A cow's-milk cheese from Menorca that ranges from soft and mild to hard and sharp.Cow · Semi-soft · Buttery and creamy
🇧🇯 Benin and 1 moreWagasi
A soft, mild cow's-milk cheese from West Africa, often cooked in stews.Cow
🇷🇺 Russia and 1 moreCircassian cheeseадыгейский сыр
A fresh, basket-molded cow's milk cheese from the North Caucasus that holds its shape when heated.Cow · Fresh
🇮🇹 ItalyValtellina CaseraCasera de la Valtolina
A semi-hard cow's milk cheese from the Sondrio province of Italy, aged for a complex flavour.Cow · Semi-hard · Tangy and lactic
🇫🇷 FranceChaumesPalhas
A soft, washed-rind cow's milk cheese from the Périgord with a tangerine-orange rind.Cow · Bloomy rind · Savoury and brothy
🇪🇸 SpainIboresQueso Ibores
A firm, salty goat cheese from Extremadura with a natural or paprika-rubbed rind.Goat · Semi-hard · Salty
🇨🇿 Czech RepublicHermelín
A soft Czech brie-style cheese with a white mold rind, often marinated or fried.Cow · Bloomy rind · Mushroomy
🇵🇾 ParaguayParaguay cheesekesú Paraguái
A soft, creamy cow's-milk cheese from the eastern wetlands of Paraguay.Cow · Fresh · Salty
🇮🇷 IranLighvan cheeseپنیر لیقوان
A sour brined sheep's milk curd cheese from the village of Liqvan in Iran.Sheep · Brined · Salty
🇬🇷 GreeceAnthotyrosΑνθότυρος
A traditional Greek whey cheese made from sheep or goat milk, available in fresh and dry forms.Sheep · Fresh · Sweet and caramel
🇺🇸 United States and 2 moreRomano cheese
A hard, salty American grating cheese made from cow, goat, or sheep milk.Cow · Hard · Salty
🇪🇸 SpainMajorero
A semi-hard goat milk cheese from Fuerteventura with a nutty, buttery taste.Goat · Semi-hard · Milky and fresh
🇮🇹 ItalySalvaSalva cremasco
A washed-rind cow's milk cheese from Lombardy, aged for several months.Cow · Washed rind · Savoury and brothy
🇬🇷 GreeceLadotyri MytilinisΛαδοτύρι Μυτιλήνης
A hard Greek cheese from Lesbos preserved in olive oil since ancient times.Sheep · Hard · Savoury and brothy
🇲🇽 MexicoCotija
A salty, aged cow's milk cheese from Michoacán that crumbles but does not melt.Cow · Semi-hard · Salty
🇮🇹 ItalyGrana
A family of hard, granular Italian cow's-milk cheeses known for grating.Cow · Hard · Nutty
🇺🇸 United StatesColby-Jack
A mild American semi-hard cheese made by blending Colby and Monterey Jack curds.Cow · Semi-hard
🇧🇹 BhutanDatshiདར་ཚི
A fresh Bhutanese cottage cheese made from cow milk, central to daily meals and curries.Cow · Fresh · Tangy and lactic
🇧🇷 BrazilColony cheesequeijo de colônia
A semi-hard cow's-milk cheese from southern Brazil with a yellow crust and creamy interior.Cow · Semi-hard · Tangy and lactic
🇮🇹 ItalyFormai de Mut dell'Alta Valle Brembana
A semi-hard cow's milk cheese from the high pastures of Lombardy, Italy.Cow · Semi-hard · Sweet and caramel
🇬🇷 GreeceFormaelaΦορμαέλα
A hard, pungent sheep or goat milk cheese from Arachova, Greece.Sheep · Hard · Pungent and funky
🇺🇸 United StatesMuenster
A semi-soft American cow's-milk cheese with a smooth texture and an orange rind dyed with annatto.Cow · Semi-soft · Nutty
🇮🇳 IndiaBandel cheese
A small, smoked cow's-milk cheese from West Bengal with a crumbly texture and tangy taste.Cow · Fresh · Salty
🇮🇹 ItalyPrescinsêua
A sour, semi-liquid cow's milk cheese from Liguria used in savory pies and focaccia.Cow · Fresh · Tangy and lactic
🇦🇷 ArgentinaReggianito
A small Argentine hard cow's milk cheese made by Italian immigrants as a Parmesan alternative.Cow · Hard · Savoury and brothy
🇨🇳 ChinaRubing乳饼
A firm, acid-set fresh goat cheese from Yunnan that holds its shape when cooked.Goat · Fresh · Salty
🇬🇧 United KingdomStichelton
A raw-milk blue cheese made in Nottinghamshire using traditional unpasteurised methods.Cow · Blue · Buttery and creamy
🇽🇰 Kosovo and 2 moreSharr cheeseDjathë i Sharrit / Шарски сир
A hard, salty cow and sheep milk cheese from the Šar Mountains of Kosovo.Cow · Hard · Salty
🇲🇽 MexicoQueso Chihuahua
A soft, melting cow's-milk cheese from the Mexican state of Chihuahua.Cow · Semi-soft
🇫🇷 FranceChavroux
A soft goat's milk cheese sold in small pyramid or cylinder containers.Goat · Bloomy rind · Tangy and lactic
🇪🇸 SpainMallorcaformatge mallorquí
A semi-hard cow, goat or sheep milk cheese from the Balearic Islands with an olive-oiled rind.Cow · Semi-hard · Milky and fresh
🇹🇷 TurkeyMihaliç Peyniri
A hard, brined sheep’s milk cheese shaped into rounds or slices for Turkish cookingSheep · Hard
🇫🇷 FranceTome fraîcheToma fresca
A hard-pressed, unsalted cow's milk cheese from the Aubrac region of France.Cow · Hard · Milky and fresh
🇮🇹 ItalyProvola silana
A semi-hard stretched-curd cheese from the Sila mountains of southern Italy.Cow · Semi-hard
🇪🇸 SpainMurcian wine cheesequeso de Murcia al vino
A fatty goat cheese from Spain with a red-wine-stained rind and Protected Designation of Origin status.Goat · Semi-hard · Salty
🇳🇱 NetherlandsParrano
A semi-firm Dutch cow's milk cheese aged five months with a nutty, salty-sweet profile.Cow · Semi-hard · Nutty
🇺🇸 United StatesProvel cheese
A white processed cheese blend of cheddar, Swiss and provolone with liquid smoke, made in St. Louis.Cow · Processed · Buttery and creamy
🇷🇴 Romania and 1 moreBrânză de vaci
A fresh, crumbly cow's-milk cheese from Romania and Moldova, similar to quark.Cow · Fresh · Milky and fresh
🇨🇿 Czech Republic and 1 moreGran Moravia
A hard, long-aged cow's-milk grana-style cheese from the Czech Republic.Cow · Hard · Nutty
🇮🇹 ItalyProvatura
A fresh pasta filata cheese from Lazio, shaped like an egg and made from cow or buffalo milk.Cow · Fresh · Milky and fresh
🇺🇸 United StatesPinconning cheese
A semi-hard American Colby-style cow's milk cheese aged to various sharpness levels.Cow · Semi-hard · Sharp and tangy-aged
🇧🇦 Bosnia and HerzegovinaBosnian smoked cheeseSuhi dimljeni sir
A very dry, piquant low-fat smoked cheese from Bosnia and Herzegovina.Mixed · Smoked · Piquant and spicy
🇮🇹 ItalyStracciata
A fresh, tattered cow's-milk pasta filata cheese from the Molise region of Italy.Cow · Stretched curd · Milky and fresh
🇩🇪 GermanyHirtenkäse
A German hard cheese aged for eight months, known for its golden color and savory flavor.Cow · Hard · Nutty
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Valtellina Casera: Distretto Agroalimentare di Qualità della Valtellina, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Mahón: Slastic, Public domain, source
- Ibores: No machine-readable author provided. Ardo Beltz assumed (based on copy, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Lighvan cheese: farsnews.ir, CC BY 4.0, source
- Anthotyros: Giorgos ab1234, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Castelmagno: Marco Plassio, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Circassian cheese: Tetk200, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Chaumes: Robin dubois, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Romano cheese: Brian Boucheron, CC BY 2.0, source
- Sharr cheese: ThinkTank123, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Hermelín: Original uploader was Aida at cs.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Colby-Jack: Stephen Shep, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Majorero: Mumumío ( www.mumumío.com ), CC BY 2.0, source
- Grana: MOs810, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Murcian wine cheese: Shalbat, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Weisslacker: Langinger, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Oaxaca cheese: Javier Lastras, CC BY 2.0, source
- Wagasi: Noahalorwu, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Colby: Jeff the quiet, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Ladotyri Mytilinis: C messier, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Cotija: Leslie Seaton, CC BY 2.0, source
- Tome fraîche: Flblbl, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Formai de Mut dell'Alta Valle Brembana: MOs810, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Datshi: Nair A, Choden D, Pradhan M., CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Bandel cheese: Rangan Datta Wiki, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Prescinsêua: Own work, CC0, source
- Muenster: No machine-readable author provided. Brion VIBBER assumed (based on co, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Rubing: Pratyeka, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Stichelton: Jeremy Keith, CC BY 2.0, source
- Queso Chihuahua: ProtoplasmaKid, CC BY 4.0, source
- Chavroux: Tangopaso, Public domain, source
- Mallorca: Tamorlan, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Bosnian smoked cheese: Security.cyber, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Stracciata: Desipere, Public domain, source
- Provel cheese: J. Vivano & Sons, Inc., Public domain, source
- Hirtenkäse: Heinrich von Zügel, Public domain, source