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Italian Cheese Recipes

9 recipes using cheese — Pasta, pizza, risotto and more from la bella Italia.

These 9 italian cheese recipes are ready in about 50 minutes on average, with 310–680 kcal per serving, and 22% are rated easy enough for a weeknight. Every recipe includes exact ingredient quantities, step-by-step instructions and full nutrition per serving.

recipes

50 min

average time

501 kcal

avg per serving

22%

easy recipes

How Italian cuisine cooks with cheese

Italian cooking is built on restraint — a handful of excellent ingredients treated simply, letting each one taste of itself. When Italian cooks work with cheese, they reach for olive oil, garlic, basil, oregano, tomatoes, parmesan and a good splash of wine, and the techniques that come up most across these recipes are boiling, baking, frying and sautéing.

A concentrated hit of savoury, salty richness used to melt, gratinate, crumble or finish a dish. In this collection it's most often cooked with breadcrumbs, olive oil, spaghetti, fine sea salt, all-purpose flour and marinara sauce. The dishes here span italian classics ready in as little as 12 minutes to slower, more involved cooking that rewards a relaxed afternoon.

9 Italian Cheese Recipes

Dinner

Chicken Parmesan

Crispy breaded chicken cutlets topped with marinara and melted mozzarella.

⏱ 55 min🔥 620 kcalMedium

Dinner

Meatball Marinara

Tender Italian-American meatballs simmered in a rich, garlicky marinara sauce.

⏱ 70 min🔥 440 kcalMedium

Dinner

Spaghetti and Meatballs

Classic spaghetti tossed in marinara with tender homemade meatballs.

⏱ 80 min🔥 680 kcalMedium

✨ NewDinner

Aglio e Olio Pasta

Classic Roman pasta with garlic, olive oil, and chili flakes.

⏱ 12 min🔥 480 kcalEasy

✨ NewDessert

Tiramisù (Authentic Italian Recipe)

The real Italian tiramisù — espresso-soaked savoiardi, mascarpone-egg cream, cocoa dusting and nothing artificial. Rich, light and impossible to stop eating.

⏱ 30 min🔥 420 kcalMedium

Dessert

Sicilian Cannoli

Sicily's iconic fried pastry shells filled with sweetened ricotta cream, studded with chocolate chips and candied orange peel.

⏱ 90 min🔥 310 kcalHard

Dinner

Cacio e Pepe

Roman pasta with Pecorino Romano cheese and black pepper, nothing else

⏱ 20 min🔥 620 kcalMedium

✨ NewLunch

Piadina with Prosciutto, Arugula, and Stracchino

A soft Italian flatbread folded around creamy stracchino cheese, prosciutto, and peppery arugula.

⏱ 35 min🔥 420 kcalEasy

✨ NewDinner

Baked Ziti with Roasted Vegetables and Toasted Sesame Breadcrumbs

A hearty baked ziti loaded with roasted seasonal vegetables and finished with a crisp, sesame-flecked breadcrumb topping.

⏱ 62 min🔥 520 kcalMedium

Choosing & preparing cheese

How to choose

Buy in blocks and grate fresh — pre-shredded cheese is coated with anti-caking starch that hampers melting. Match the cheese to the job: good melters (mozzarella, gruyère) versus crumblers (feta, parmesan).

Prep & storage

Let cheese come to room temperature for the fullest flavour. Add delicate cheeses off the heat to stop them splitting; build a smooth sauce with a roux or a starch.

Nutrition

A calcium- and protein-rich food; it is also high in saturated fat and sodium, so a little sharp cheese goes a long way.

Classic flavour partners: tomatoes, bread, wine, pasta, black pepper, honey

Italian Cheese Recipes — FAQ

How long do Italian cheese recipes take to make?

Most of these 9 Italian cheese recipes are ready in around 50 minutes from start to finish. The quickest, Aglio e Olio Pasta, takes about 12 minutes, while the slower-cooked dishes run up to 90 minutes.

How many calories are in Italian cheese dishes?

Across this collection they range from about 310 to 680 kcal per serving, averaging 501 kcal — Sicilian Cannoli is the lightest option at 310 kcal.

What is the easiest Italian cheese recipe for beginners?

Aglio e Olio Pasta is a great place to start — it's rated easy and comes together in about 12 minutes. 22% of the recipes here are beginner-friendly.

What goes well with cheese in Italian cooking?

In these recipes, cheese is most often paired with breadcrumbs, olive oil, spaghetti, fine sea salt, all-purpose flour and marinara sauce. Italian kitchens also lean on olive oil, garlic, basil, oregano, tomatoes, parmesan and a good splash of wine.