Our best recipes with cheese make everything from pan fried Greek feta drizzled in honey with herbs for feta saganaki and a Caprese salad of buffalo mozzarella, tomatoes and fragrant basil from Italy’s Capri, which we make with bocconcini and cherry tomatoes, to a Cypriot watermelon, tomato and halloumi salad from the Mediterranean island of Cyprus, birthplace of the chewy Middle Eastern cheese to recipes for cheesy ramen, nachos, and more.
This collection of our best recipes with cheese include starters and salads with white cheeses, such as a traditional Greek salad made with feta cheese, doused in a simple dressing of extra virgin olive oil and wine vinegar, and showered with dried oregano, and an Italian melon, buffalo mozzarella and prosciutto salad, for a fancier version of the traditional Italian appetiser, prosciutto e melone, to which we add balls of creamy buffalo mozzarella.
We’ve also got recipes for vegetable sides served Middle Eastern style, but instead of using a base of hummus or labneh (as we do with these carrots and pumpkin on a garlicky lemon yoghurt), we spread blistered cherry tomatoes on goat’s cheese and lay sautéed asparagus on a bed of goat’s cheese, and pile a cucumber salad and a pumpkin beetroot salad on whipped feta, sprinkling the salads with herbs and nuts for texture.
You’ll also find recipes for dishes with hard yellow cheese below, including a creamy potato soup with crispy bacon, sour cream and cheddar; cheesy Korean instant ramen noodles with Italian Parmigiano Reggiano and mozzarella; a quick and easy mac and cheese with crispy bacon, caramelised shallots and mature cheddar; and my ultimate nachos with melted cheese over tortilla chips and lashings of spicy chilli con carne, tomato salsa, guacamole, sour cream, jalapeños, spring onions and black olives.
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If you don’t find cooking inspiration in this round-up, do browse our recipe archives, which is brimming with 15 years of recipes we’ve cooked, created and collected around the world, from places we’ve lived, worked, travelled, and loved. Here are our best recipes with cheese.
Recipes with Cheese from White Cheese Salads to Cheesy Pastas
Our best recipes with cheese include everything from white cheese in salads, such as a classic Greek salad with feta cheese and an Italian Caprese salad with
Greek Pan Fried Feta Recipe with Honey and Herbs for Feta Saganaki
I adapted (ever so slightly) this pan fried Greek feta recipe for feta saganaki from Philoxenia, A Seat at My Table by Kon and Sia Karapanagiotidis. I’ve been cooking from this Greek-Australian mother-son’s beautiful cookbook of vegetarian and vegan Greek kitchen recipes a lot this year and their recipes are often super simple yet incredibly delicious. I highly recommend the book!
Fried until crispy and golden brown, the feta cheese is soft inside and gently flavoured and fragrant with Mediterranean herbs. It’s one of the best Greek recipes, fantastic with warm crusty bread or toasted sourdough. If you’re a fan of Greek feta cheese and looking for more things to make with feta than a Greek salad you’ll love this. It’s so quick and easy that you’ll be eating it in 20 minutes or less.
If you’re cooking up a Greek feast – always a good idea for a weekend lunch in the sun with loved-ones – you could serve this pan-fried feta as a meze (appetiser) with an array of mezedes (plural), such as taramosalata (fish roe dip), tzatziki (yoghurt cucumber dip) and this eggplant dip. Or just serve it with a Greek salad and a couple of mains, such as keftedes (meatballs) or chicken souvlaki, char-grilled Greek chicken skewers.
Greek Pan Fried Feta Recipe with Honey and Herbs for Feta Saganaki
Easy Cheese Straws Recipe for Your Cocktail Nibbles, Charcuterie Boards and Cheese Plates
Our easy cheese straws recipe makes grissini style cheese sticks that are perfect for your charcuterie boards and cheese plates. Although these cheesy snacks are also terrific for dipping into a homemade olive tapenade or creamy hummus. They’re also a perfect accompaniment to a crisp white wine, a day cocktail such as a spritz or a headier after-dark negroni with spices.
My cheese straws recipe makes a spicier version of the classic cheese straws recipe that originated in England, arrived in Australia in the 1800s, appeared on menus in the early 1900s as ‘parmesan cheese straws’, and became hugely popular in the 1970s. I regularly made them as a child with my mum and dad in the mid-1970s.
And the fact that I made cheese straws as a little kid is evidence of just how easy and quick they are to make, coming together in just 30 minutes – which is handy, as they’re completely addictive, so don’t be surprised if you eat them all before your guests arrive. My best tip: have enough ingredients on hand in case you do just that and need to stick another batch in the oven.
Easy Cheese Straws Recipe for Your Cocktail Nibbles, Charcuterie Boards and Cheese Plates
Savoury French Toast Recipe With Pan-Fried Cherry Tomatoes, Feta and Fresh Herbs
If you’ve made and enjoyed my Russian French toast recipe for grenki, which my baboushka used to make me for school holiday breakfasts as a child, you’ll love this savoury French toast recipe. If you haven’t had savoury French toast before – which our British friends call ‘eggy bread’ – don’t be surprised if you become addicted.
My dad cooked savoury French toast on camping trips, which he served with fried eggs and sausages barbecued over an open fire. My Russian side of the family topped French toast with bacon and fried mushrooms cooked like these. You could also try Terence’s sauteed mushrooms on savoury French toast. But this round-up is all about cheese…
This savoury French toast recipe makes classic French toast – fried bread that’s been soaked in a beaten egg and milk mixture – flavoured with garlic, onion, sea salt, pepper, and a little chilli, piled with pan-fried cherry tomatoes, feta cheese and fragrant dill. It’s a fabulous weekend eggs breakfast, brunch or lunch dish.
Savoury French Toast With Pan-Fried Cherry Tomatoes, Feta and Fresh Herbs
Italian Caprese Salad Recipe for a Tomato, Buffalo Mozzarella and Basil Salad
Our Caprese salad recipe makes the buffalo mozzarella, tomatoes and basil salad from Italy’s island of Capri and Campania region – with two tweaks: we use vine-ripened cherry tomatoes, which are sweeter, and bocconcini, which are smaller balls of buffalo mozzarella. Better for feeding a crowd and a better side if serving with a main – although traditionally insalata Caprese is an appetiser, so don’t tell your Italian friends!
If you love Italian food and the classic Italian Caprese salad made with the big juicy beefsteak tomato (pomodoro) and buffalo mozzarella (mozzarella di bufala), which traditionally come as larger balls of rich creamy fresh mozzarella, you’ll love our Caprese salad recipe. It’s one of my favourite recipes with tomatoes.
A Caprese salad is one of the easiest salads to make. Make it once and you’ll never look at a recipe again. An authentic insalata Caprese is made with just 5-6 ingredients: tomatoes, buffalo mozzarella (fresh mozzarella), fresh Italian basil leaves, extra virgin olive oil, and flaky sea salt. Cracked black pepper is optional and the use of balsamic vinegar, while in a lot of recipes, is not traditional.
Caprese Salad Recipe for an Italian Tomato, Buffalo Mozzarella and Basil Salad
Greek Salad Recipe for Horiatiki Traditional Greek Village Salad with Feta
This classic Greek salad recipe makes horiatiki, a traditional Greek village salad made with Greek feta, tomatoes, cucumbers, capsicums, onions, and Kalamata olives, doused in a simple dressing of Greek extra virgin olive oil and wine vinegar, and a shower of dried oregano.
If you’re a fan of Mediterranean food, and especially Greek food, make this easy Greek salad recipe for a side salad or a light yet filling lunch. It’s one of our best Greek recipes and it’s fantastic served with an array of Greek mezedes (dips, snacks or appetisers) and souvlaki (meat skewers).
Or if you’re looking for ideas for a simple but really delicious weekend meal for a casual gathering, make this salad, some Greek meatballs, and serve them with tzatziki (Greek yoghurt cucumber dip) and taramosalata (cod roe dip), and a stack of warm pita bread. Perfect.
Greek Salad Recipe for Horiatiki – Traditional Greek Village Salad with Feta
Greek Salad Bruschetta Recipe Made with Olive Sourdough Bread
This Greek salad bruschetta made with olive sourdough bread takes us back to languid lunches eaten barefoot at a beachside taverna where a Greek salad was always the first dish ordered. Pile the classic salad ingredients atop toasted slices of homemade olive sourdough, heady with the aromas of olive oil, Kalamata olives and herbs, and you’ve got a snack you’ll want to eat in the sun after a swim.
Terence writes: “As soon as I pulled my first loaf of olive sourdough bread with rosemary, thyme and sweet red capsicum out of the oven, I wanted to take a slice and throw some feta cheese on it. It already had the aromas of what we call a Greek salad or what the Greeks call a horiátiki or village salad, a salad served from spring through to the end of summer when the ingredients are at their best.”
The feta cheese is very important and while there are some decent Greek-style feta cheeses out there, the best Greek feta really does come from Greece (naturally) as it generally crumbles better and has a delightful tang and saltiness to it. Kalamata olives in a jar are fine, as long as they’re whole, although we’ve always found that a good delicatessen run by Greeks – of course – have the best olives and they’ll let you try some before you buy.
Greek Salad Bruschetta on Olive Sourdough Bread for a Slice of the Mediterranean
Creamy Whipped Feta and Cucumber Salad Recipe with Crunchy Dukkah
If you’re looking for a super quick snack or starter to make this weekend, whether you’re having friends over for a casual gathering or just looking for something to nibble on, try this whipped feta and cucumber salad with dukkah, the Middle Eastern nut, seed and spice condiment.
You can make our whipped feta and cucumber salad in ten minutes or less. After whipping the feta with finely chopped fresh dill and seasoning, you generously spread it onto a serving plate, sprinkle it with herbs, arrange the cucumber slices on top, drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, shower with dukkah and herbs, and you’re done. It’s so delish.
You could treat it as a mezze, serving it alongside a few other mezze dips, such as this Greek eggplant dip, artichoke dip, tzatziki, and taramosalata. And it would be a brilliant side to souvlaki (skewers) and keftedes (meatballs). Or just serve it alongside a few homemade dips if you’re feeding a crowd.
Creamy Whipped Feta and Cucumber Salad Recipe with Crunchy Dukkah
Greek Style Blistered Cherry Tomatoes on Goat Cheese Recipe
One of our best Greek recipes and one of my favourite tomato recipes, this recipe for blistered cherry tomatoes on goat’s cheese makes a classic Greek mezze – a snack, starter or side dish that’s served as one of an array of appetisers. You’ll love this if you’re a fan of Mediterranean food.
The cherry tomatoes are extra sweet thanks to pan-roasting in olive oil, garlic and salt, they’re imbued with the fragrance and flavour of pan-fried dried herbs, and the delicious juices bursting in the mouth are an explosion of Mediterranean summer flavours. You can fry the cherry tomatoes in a pan or roast the cherry tomatoes in an oven, then slide them onto the goat’s cheese.
This dish is a great addition to a spread of starters, such as this Greek eggplant salad, artichoke dip, tzatziki, taramosalata, and pan fried feta cheese, and are a brilliant side to Greek souvlaki (skewers) and keftedes (meatballs). They also make a very satisfying snack piled onto toasted sourdough.
Watermelon Feta Salad Recipe with Red Onion, Mint, Dill and Balsamic
Our easy watermelon feta salad recipe makes a refreshing watermelon salad with salty feta cheese, zingy red onion and fresh fragrant mint and dill. This classic Greek watermelon and feta salad has a little Italian twist, a generous drizzle of Modena balsamic vinegar glaze. It makes a fantastic light lunch or a side to grilled seafood or fish or barbecued meats.
You’ll love this watermelon and feta salad if you made and enjoyed our Cypriot watermelon, tomato and halloumi salad from the Mediterranean island of Cyprus, and if you adore that combo of fruit and cheese in salads and starters as much as we do.
I love serving this with Greek meze, the Mediterranean style small plates and dips, such as taramosalata and tzatziki, a village salad, and barbecued or grilled meats such as these Greek souvlaki, smoky char-grilled chicken skewers or Cypriot keftedes, gently spiced meatballs.
We shared this recipe as part of a series of recipes for summer salads, which included everything from prosciutto e melone, the classic aperitivo snack and appetiser from Italy, to this Mediterranean style chicken salad with spring vegetables and a garlicky lemony Middle Eastern dressing.
Watermelon Feta Salad Recipe with Red Onion, Mint, Dill and Balsamic
Refreshing Watermelon Tomato Halloumi Salad Recipe from Cyprus
This watermelon, tomato and halloumi salad recipe makes a refreshing summer salad from Cyprus, which you’ll come across in many iterations across the Mediterranean. Aside from being incredibly delicious and cooling, this light yet filling salad comes together quickly and is super versatile.
You’ll love this salad if you’re a fan of the fruit and cheese combination in salads and starters – the best representation of that match being the Caprese salad of buffalo mozzarella, tomatoes and basil, from another Mediterranean island, that of Capri, off the coast of Southern Italy.
Serve this with gently spiced Cypriot meatballs, Cyprus-style keftedes – or any barbecued or grilled meats, such as these Greek souvlaki, smoky char-grilled chicken skewers and a Greek cucumber and yoghurt dip, tzatziki. For a proper Mediterranean feast, start with meze such as homemade taramosalata and a Greek red pepper feta dip, and a couple more salads, such as this Cypriot village salad.
Refreshing Watermelon Tomato Halloumi Salad Recipe from Cyprus
Melon Mozzarella Prosciutto Salad Recipe for a Taste of Italy on a Plate
This Italian melon, buffalo mozzarella and prosciutto salad recipe makes a salad for lovers of the classic Italian appetiser of prosciutto and melon and quintessential Italian ingredients such as buffalo mozzarella and fresh fragrant basil. Pickled red onions add zing, while pine nuts give crunch.
If the traditional Italian appetiser, prosciutto e melone – thin slices of Italy‘s melt-in-the-mouth cured ham wrapped around melon wedges – is too simple for you, or you’re looking for a more impressive or more substantial version of that classic antipasto or aperitivo snack, try this melon mozzarella prosciutto salad recipe.
Unlike those prosciutto-wrapped melon wedges, which we usually serve as a starter before pasta dishes or main courses – such as this succulent Italian roast chicken with peppers, olives and capers, this luscious Italian-Australian chicken cacciatore of Terence’s Brisbane childhood, or this crunchy chicken parmigiana, an Aussie pub favourite – this is a meal in itself. It’s also a fantastic side to fish, roast chicken or grilled meats.
Melon Mozzarella Prosciutto Salad Recipe for a Taste of Italy on a Plate
Cherry Tomato Burrata Salad Recipe with Asparagus, Basil Pesto and Dukkah
Our recipe for a tomato burrata salad with asparagus, basil pesto and dukkah makes a quick and easy salad of creamy burrata nestled on a bed of crunchy asparagus spears, sweet juicy cherry tomatoes, and mixed salad leaves. Dollops of basil pesto bring more flavour and crunchy dukkah adds texture.
The asparagus spears, which, like the cherry tomatoes, are quickly pan fried in olive oil, or extra virgin olive oil for even more flavour, to add crunch and fresh flavour. I spoon on dollops of basil pesto (homemade or store-bought), drizzle on good extra virgin olive oil (or this classic vinaigrette), and sprinkle on some dukkah, that Middle Eastern nut, seed and spice condiment, for more crunch and flavour.
Serve your tomato burrata salad with homemade croutons, toasted baguette or sourdough slices, and encourage guests to pile the salad on top and customise as they like with more dukkah, salt and pepper, and fresh basil leaves.
Cherry Tomato Burrata Salad with Asparagus, Basil Pesto and Dukkah
Fig Salad with Prosciutto, Buffalo Mozzarella, Chicken and Balsamic Glaze
The best figs I’ve ever tasted were plucked from a tree in the front yard of our hospitable driver in Southern Lebanon’s beautiful, ancient Phoenician city of Tyre. I’ll never forget biting into the plump, warm, sun-kissed fig he handed to me, the sticky juices of the sweet, luscious fruit dripping down my chin and wrist. It was a revelation.
It’s hard to beat a plate of fresh sweet figs served with a soft white cheese and slices of salty cured ham, and this easy fig salad with prosciutto, buffalo mozzarella and chicken, dressed with a balsamic glaze, is essentially a more elaborate and more filling version of that fantastic snack that screams summer in the Mediterranean.
Fresh seasonal figs are the star of this fig salad with prosciutto, buffalo mozzarella and chicken with a balsamic glaze dressing. While you’ll see this Mediterranean salad made with spiced stewed figs, if you’ve got juicy fresh figs the last thing you want to do is cook them. Serve this versatile fig salad on its own as a light meal or as an appetiser or side salad as part of a Mediterranean feast.
Fig Salad with Prosciutto, Buffalo Mozzarella, Chicken and Balsamic Glaze
Radish Cucumber Salad Recipe with Salty Feta, Peppery Rucola and Fresh Herbs
My radish cucumber salad recipe with salty feta, peppery rucola and fresh herbs makes a healthy salad that’s packed with so much flavour and texture, it only needs a simple dressing. The radish, cucumber and green beans provide plenty of crunch, the green peas give sweetness, the crumbly feta lends saltiness and creaminess, while the rucola adds peppery notes, and the herbs fragrance and fresh flavours.
I’d been dreaming up this radish cucumber salad recipe for weeks before I finally tested it. The salad is inspired by my Russian grandfather and his typical breakfast of crunchy cucumber and radishes, fresh from his backyard veggie garden. It was usually eaten with a boiled egg, dill pickles, maybe some salty farmer’s cheese, and always washed down with black tea and a shot of vodka.
It makes for a satisfying meal on its own, but it’s also the kind of salad that can serve as a substantial accompaniment to braised chicken or roast chicken for a comfort food meal or in smaller portions alongside, say, a piece of crispy grilled salmon or even a great hunk of steak to add freshness as much as colour.
Radish Cucumber Salad Recipe with Salty Feta, Peppery Rucola and Fresh Herbs
Pumpkin Beetroot Salad on Creamy Whipped Feta with Pistachios and Mint
This pumpkin beetroot salad on whipped feta with pistachios and fresh mint is not only one of our best recipes with cheese, in this case whipped feta cheese, it’s one of our best beetroot recipes and one of our best recipes with nuts. It’s loaded with flavour and comes together quickly.
A bed of whipped feta is topped with cumin-spiced pan-roasted butternut pumpkin pieces and baby beetroots, sprinkled with crunchy pistachios and fresh mint leaves, and drizzled with extra virgin olive oil. Make sure to serve it with toasted sourdough, homemade crackers or pita crisps for scooping.
Pumpkin and beetroot and are one of those great ingredient combinations – like tomato and buffalo mozzarella, prosciutto and melon, cucumber and yoghurt, and asparagus and mushrooms – so you can’t go wrong with those classic ingredient pairings.
Need further evidence of the fabulousness of these flavour combos? Try our recipes for a roast beetroot salad with feta, rucola, pistachios on cumin-spiced carrot hummus, a beetroot feta arugula salad with walnuts on butter bean puree, a pumpkin lentil salad with beetroot, goat cheese and poppy seeds, or this beet and carrot salad with goat cheese, arugula and radish.
Pumpkin Beetroot Salad on Creamy Whipped Feta with Pistachios and Mint
Roast Beetroot Salad Recipe with Feta, Rucola and Pistachios on Cumin Spiced Carrot Hummus
This roast beetroot salad with feta, rucola, pistachios on cumin-spiced carrot hummus, makes my twist on a classic salad that takes inspiration from the Middle East. The bed of carrot hummus adds another dimension of flavour and texture, while pistachios add crunch and are better suited to this version than walnuts.
It’s one of our best beetroot recipes and one of our best Middle Eastern style dishes. I spread the salad on a layer of carrot hummus and replace the walnuts with crunchier pistachios for added texture, making it one of our best nut recipes.
My inspiration is the Middle Eastern balela salad spread on soupy chickpeas, and the Antalya-style Turkish white bean salad, in which the salad is piled onto creamy white beans. My roasted cauliflower on hummus, and baby corn on creamy white beans are in the same style. I can’t get enough of these dishes that are part dip, part salad, and can be served as a snack, starter or side.
Roast Beetroot Salad with Feta, Rucola and Pistachios on Cumin Spiced Carrot Hummus
Pumpkin Lentil Salad Recipe with Beetroot, Goat Cheese, Pistachios and Poppy Seeds
If you’re a fan of Middle Eastern food, you’ll love our pumpkin lentil salad with beetroot, goat cheese and pistachios. It’s packed with texture and flavour. Butternut pumpkin and lentils are pan-fried in cumin, arranged on mixed salad leaves, topped with baby beetroots and goat’s cheese pearls, sprinkled with crunchy pistachios, pumpkin seeds, cranberries, and fresh mint, and dressed with a fig balsamic vinegar dressing.
My inspiration for this recipe was the salads of the Mediterranean and Middle East, where we lived, worked, travelled and wrote about for a decade – salads such as our Antalya style Turkish white bean salad, Arabic balela salad on soupy chickpeas, baby corn on creamy white beans, my roasted cauliflower on hummus, this eggplant salad with pomegranate, sesame and parsley on hummus, and this pearl couscous salad with pomegranate, pistachios and herbs.
While you could easily eat this salad as a light meal on its own, it makes a fantastic side salad to Mediterranean and Middle Eastern mains, such as Lebanese shish tawook (garlicky chicken), beef kofta kebabs, spicy potatoes, kofta meatballs, or Greek chicken souvlaki.
Pumpkin Lentil Salad Recipe with Beetroot, Goat Cheese, Pistachios and Poppy Seeds
Beet and Carrot Salad Recipe with Goat Cheese, Radish and Arugula
Our beet and carrot salad with goat cheese, arugula and radish is a great beetroot salad for casual weekend entertaining, as it comes together quickly, it’s stunning to look at, and it won’t wilt if you drizzle on the vinaigrette at the last minute. We love oven roasted beetroots but use canned beetroots if you can’t find fresh beets.
One of our best beetroot recipes, this beet carrot salad recipe makes another fabulous beetroot salad, a roasted beet salad with goat cheese, carrot, radish and arugula – or rucola, roca or rocket, depending where you are. While we can happily share a big plate of this for lunch, it’s fantastic for feeding a crowd for a relaxed gathering or laidback lunch or dinner.
It’s a great year-round salad that works with warming dishes in the cooler months (braised chicken, spiced meatballs, brined pork chops, and so on) and cold dishes in the hot months (cold chicken, salmon, fresh seafood, etc).
Beet and Carrot Salad Recipe with Goat Cheese, Radish and Arugula
Sautéed Asparagus on Goat Cheese with Dukkah and Spinach Pesto Oil
Our recipe for sautéed asparagus on goat’s cheese with dukkah and spinach pesto oil makes a filling snack that’s wonderful eaten with warmed sourdough, a fantastic light starter served on its own or mezze style as one of an array of appetisers, or a lovely side dish to grilled fish, skewers or chicken.
The recipe is super versatile. Skip the spinach pesto if it sounds like hard work after a busy week – I spotted baby spinach leaves on special so grabbed a bag; I’ll toss potato gnocchi in the spinach pesto with cream this weekend – you can use that opened jar of basil pesto you’ve got in the fridge instead.
We have a recipe here for dukkah, the Middle Eastern nut, seed and spice condiment, which is also very versatile; it’s easily adaptable to whatever nuts, seeds and spices you have in your pantry. I use a mortar and pestle to pound the nuts and seeds. I love this handcrafted KROK mortar and pestle made by artisans in a village in Thailand.
Sautéed Asparagus on Goat Cheese with Dukkah and Spinach Pesto Oil
Grilled Eggplant Sandwich Recipe with Goats Cheese, Nduja and Red Capsicum
This grilled eggplant ‘sandwich’ recipe with goats cheese, ’nduja and sweet red capsicum is our take on iconic Australian chef Christine Manfield’s iconic eggplant sandwich with goats cheese, pesto and red capsicum. In this version, we swap out Northern Italian basil pesto for Southern Italy’s ‘nduja, the spicy spreadable sausage paste from Calabria.
As young foodies living in the inner-city suburb of Potts Point in the 1990s we regularly ate out, dining at Sydney’s best restaurants of the time: Tetsuya Wakuda’s Tetsuya, David Thompson’s Darley Street Thai, Peter Doyle’s Cicada, Stefano Manfredi’s Restaurant Manfredi and Bel Mondo, Neil Perry’s Rockpool, and Christine Manfield’s Paramount and Paragon restaurants.
Christine’s now-legendary eggplant sandwich with goats cheese, basil pesto and red capsicum was always on the menu and we loved it so much that for many years it was Terence’s go-to starter for dinner parties we’d often have in Sydney and, after we moved to the UAE, in Abu Dhabi then Dubai. If you’re not familiar with Christine’s food, or Australian cuisine, get hold of Christine’s Paramount Cooking (2000).
Grilled Eggplant Sandwich with Goats Cheese, Nduja and Red Capsicum
Spinach Ricotta Gnocchi Recipe with Creamy Pesto, Asparagus, Broccolini
This spinach ricotta gnocchi recipe with creamy pesto, asparagus, broccolini and dukkah makes a delicious pasta with store-bought gnocchi that comes together in no time. Pan frying the gnocchi gives the pillowy pasta a crispy exterior, while the creamy pesto sauce is loaded with flavour and texture thanks to the fresh just-cooked green vegetables, crispy bacon and crunchy dukkah.
According to my mum, this is one of my best pasta recipes. If you’re like mum and love a comforting creamy, cheesy pasta sauce, you’ll love this. If you’re like me and prefer a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and more texture, you can do that too and add dukkah or pounded nuts, as I’ve done. Or shower it with basil for more fresh flavour and fragrance.
Pesto lover? Try our recipes for pesto gnocchi with homemade pesto alla Genovese, my basil pesto pasta with potatoes and beans, this pesto spaghetti and meatballs with peas and broccoli, my broccoli pesto pasta recipe, a pesto potato salad, this pan-fried asparagus with pesto hummus, our pesto scrambled eggs, and my Southeast Asian pesto.
Spinach Ricotta Gnocchi Recipe with Creamy Pesto, Asparagus, Broccolini
Baked Potato Soup Recipe with Crispy Bacon, Cheddar Cheese, Sour Cream and Spring Onions
One of our best potato soup recipes, our baked potato soup recipe makes a creamy potato soup topped with crispy bacon, sour cream, cheddar cheese, and spring onions.
The delicious potato soup is not made with baked potatoes, rather it’s inspired by the traditional British baked potato or jacket potato with toppings first sold by hawkers on the streets of London back in the mid-1800s. I grew up in Australia tucking into jacket potatoes, as we also called them, as they were baked in their skins or ‘jackets’ at backyard barbecues and camping trips.
Yet I always thought of this soup as British comfort food until I learnt it’s a modern American potato soup. That’s because the dish that inspired it is has provenance in London, in a centuries-old potato snack sold by street food vendors in the 19th century. Wherever it comes from, it’s delish.
Baked Potato Soup Recipe with Crispy Bacon, Cheddar Cheese, Sour Cream and Spring Onions
Caprese Pasta Salad Recipe Inspired by the Classic Italian Salad from Capri
Our easy Caprese pasta salad recipe is inspired by the classic Italian Caprese salad from the idyllic island of Capri of sweet juicy tomatoes, creamy buffalo mozzarella and fragrant basil, drizzled with extra virgin olive oil. Just as deliciously simple, this pasta salad is made with cherry tomatoes, bocconcini, and cooled, cooked, dried orecchiette, doused in extra virgin olive oil, drizzled with balsamic glaze, and showered with fresh basil.
The recipe essentially makes the sublime starter in the form of a pasta salad. You can follow my recipe and make this quick and easy pasta salad from scratch. Or combine leftover Caprese salad you might have with cooled, cooked dried orecchiette or another favourite pasta.
Because while it’s pretty hard to beat a great Caprese salad, it’s one of those recipes that make even better leftovers. Tomato and buffalo mozzarella are one of those great flavour combinations, like prosciutto and melon. But this is a fantastic use of Caprese salad leftovers to make a speedy pasta salad that’s as deliciously simple as the original classic Italian salad.
Caprese Pasta Salad Recipe Inspired by the Classic Italian Salad from Capri
Cherry Tomato Feta Pasta Recipe for a Caprese Inspired Fusilli Pasta
One of our best Italian pasta recipes, this speedy cherry tomato feta pasta recipe makes a fast pasta dish of fusilli with a light sauce of sweet vine-ripened cherry tomatoes, melt-in-the-mouth Persian feta cheese, and fresh fragrant basil leaves. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, shower with more fresh basil, grind on some black pepper, and sprinkle on some chilli flakes. Pasta perfection.
You’re going to love this quick and easy cherry tomato feta pasta recipe inspired by the Caprese salad. Yes, I’m dreaming of Italy again. A classic Caprese is made with big tomatoes, buffalo mozzarella and fresh basil, but I recently shared my tweaked recipe with cherry tomatoes and fresh mozzarella. It’s one of my favourite recipes with tomatoes.
While that Caprese salad was the inspiration for this cherry tomato feta pasta recipe, I swapped out the bocconcini for Persian feta during recipe testing. While the bocconcini was delish, I loved the additional saltiness that the feta cheese brought to the dish, and I found that Persian feta in oil is softer and melts faster.
Cherry Tomato Feta Pasta Recipe for a Caprese Inspired Fusilli Pasta
Cheese Ramen Recipe for Cheesy Instant Ramen Noodles
Noodles and dumplings are my ultimate comfort foods – curry laksa, khao soi, cao lau, ohn no khao swe, nom banhchok, kuy teav, yaki udon, japchae, rad na, vareniki, pelmeni, pierogi, potstickers, wontons, you name it, I adore them all. But when I’m on deadline, with little time to cook, let alone make dumplings or noodles, I reach for the instant ramen.
In our Siem Reap kitchen, Terence and I jazz up instant ramen with Asian ingredients we can easily buy from local markets and supermarkets. Terence makes the best Korean instant ramen noodles with Nongshim’s Shin Black Noodle Soup and slices of char siu pork, blanched bean sprouts, Chinese greens, boiled eggs, fried shallots, and his homemade chilli oil. I have my own secret formula for upgrading instant ramen noodles.
This cheese ramen recipe makes cheesy instant ramen noodles, my guilty pleasure when I’m over-worked, over-tired, racing to meet a deadline, and can’t summon the energy to cook. An American-influenced Korean comfort food, these noodles are a favourite of Korean students and I complet understand why. Instead of American burger cheese I use Italian Parmigiano Reggiano (or Grana Padano or Pecorino Romano) and mozzarella, but use what you like.
Classic Mac and Cheese Recipe with Crispy Bacon and Caramelised Shallots
This quick and easy mac and cheese recipe makes a classic macaroni and cheese with crispy bacon and caramelised shallots for texture, umami and sweetness. This mac and cheese is nothing if not versatile. Ground paprika adds gentle spice, but add a kick of heat with chilli flakes, use mature cheddar or whatever combination of cheeses you have on hand.
There are few pasta dishes as comforting as mac and cheese. The dish of pasta and cheese originated in Ancient Rome, was first documented in 14th century Latin and English cookbooks, taken to the Americas and Australia with European settlers, and evolved as it travelled the globe. Macaroni cheese recipes appeared in Australia’s oldest cookbooks.
Another of our best Italian pasta recipes, our mac and cheese recipe makes a classic stovetop macaroni cheese that’s addictively delicious and super versatile. You can use mature cheddar cheese or whatever combination of cheeses you have in the fridge, add even more crunch with pangrattato or some fragrance and zing with gremolata.
Classic Mac and Cheese Recipe with Crispy Bacon and Caramelised Shallots
Classic Lasagne alla Bolognese Recipe from Emilia Romagna
Our classic lasagne alla Bolognese recipe from Bologna in the Emilia Romagna region of Northern Italy makes the best lasagne recipe ever. Rich and comforting, this traditional lasagne Bolognese begins with a great Bolognese ragù that’s layered between flat pasta sheets and besciamella, Italy’s béchamel sauce, and Parmigiano Reggiano.
This lasagne alla Bolognese recipe makes one of our best pasta recipes, a very traditional lasagne in the style that you’ll find in Bologna in Emilia Romagna in Northern Italy, one of our favourite regions in Italy. Home to Italian specialties such as Parmigiano Reggiano (parmesan cheese), Prosciutto di Parma (Parma ham) and balsamic vinegar from Modena, along with wonderful Northern Italian wine varietals, the region is Italy’s gastronomic heart.
An authentic lasagne alla Bolognese froim Emilia Romagna calls for thinner sheets of pasta, a sparing use of besciamella, Italy’s version of France’s béchamel sauce, no mozzarella, only and Parmigiano Reggiano, and a flavour profile that’s more savoury than sweet.
Classic Lasagne alla Bolognese Recipe from Emilia Romagna – Best Lasagne Recipe Ever
Chicken Parmigiana Recipe for a Classic Chicken Parma in the Italian Australian Style
This chicken parmigiana recipe makes a delicious chicken parma in the Italian Australian style that appeared in the 1950s and became a popular mid-week pub counter meal special in the 1980s. Our homemade chicken parmy recipe makes succulent chicken breast fillets with a crunchy breadcrumb coating, topped with a rich tomato sauce and melted parmesan cheese and mozzarella.
If you’ve made our chicken schnitzel recipe and my rich Italian tomato sauce recipe and enjoyed those then you’re going to love this endearingly old-fashioned chicken parmigiana recipe. One of our best chicken cutlet recipes, it makes a home-cooked chicken parma in the Italian Australian style of the parmies popularised in pub bistros in Australia in the 1980s.
My chicken parmigiana recipe will make you an extra delicious home-cooked take on the Australian chicken parma served as a mid-week pub counter meal special – that often left a lot to be desired, frankly. While we fondly recall some fantastic pub chicken parmas with crunchy coatings, moist chicken and melted cheese, there were also plenty of soggy parmas with insipid sauces and mounds of grated vegetables masquerading as ‘salad’.
Chicken Parmigiana Recipe for a Classic Chicken Parma in the Italian Australian Style
Ultimate Nachos Recipe for the Most Delicious Nachos You’ll Ever Eat
My ultimate nachos recipe makes the most delicious nachos you’ll ever eat while making use of leftover chili con carne – or my vegetarian bean chilli, which makes this one of our best canned beans recipes if you’re looking for wallet-friendly meals during these fiscally challenging times.
I appreciate that the first nachos created in Northern Mexico was a simple dish. But this is so much better than the melted cheese over tortilla chips that so many pass off as nachos these days. This is our super nachos with the works which is how we like to eat our nachos.
It’s topped with lashings of spicy, hearty, smoky chilli con carne, a rustic red tomato salsa, plenty of freshly-made authentic Mexican guacamole, sour cream, and slices of jalapeños, spring onions and black olives.
If you want to serve it as part of a full Mexican food feast, see our recipes for tortilla soup, tacos al pastor, char-grilled corn on the cob street food snack elotes, grilled corn salad, and quesadillas. Just make sure to wash it all down with some micheladas (spicy Mexican beer cocktails) and classic margaritas.
Ultimate Nachos Recipe for the Most Delicious Nachos You’ll Ever Eat
Russian Ricotta Cheese Pancakes Recipe for Syrniki or Farmer’s Cheese Pancakes
My Russian ricotta cheese pancakes recipe makes syrniki or farmer’s cheese pancakes. Crunchy outside and fluffy within, these scrummy Russian pancakes are traditionally made with tvorog, a white farmer’s cheese. Hard to find outside Europe or Russian diaspora communities, I’ve long made syrniki with ricotta and they’re just as delicious. Serve piping hot with sour cream, jams or stewed or fresh fruit.
This is one of our best pancakes recipes and one of our best pancake recipes from around the world. But while they’re typically called ‘pancakes’, these scrummy morsels, which are usually eaten as a breakfast treat, are more like a hybrid of American pancakes, fritters, pikelets, and baked cheesecake.
These cheesy little pancakes weren’t eaten every day at my grandparents’ home – my baboushka would typically make me an omelette or porridge for breakfast – but when she wanted to spoil me, she’d make any one of the many types of Russian pancakes and fritters that Russians love so much.
Russian Ricotta Cheese Pancakes Recipe for Syrniki or Farmer’s Cheese Pancakes
Ukrainian Sweet Varenyky Recipe for Dumplings with Summer Berries and Sour Cream
This Ukrainian sweet varenyky recipe with summer berries and sour cream makes delicious boiled dumplings filled with farmers cheese and berries served with a sweet, syrupy fruit jam-like sauce of raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, and red currants, called pyatiminutka (five-minute jam) to drizzle on the dumplings, and dollops of sour cream.
Look for tvorog or farmer’s cheese at your nearest deli that specialises in Russian, Ukrainian or Eastern European products or a farmer’s market. If you can’t find farmer’s cheese, you could try combining two or three fresh white cheeses, such as a firm ricotta cheese, quark, cottage cheese and cream cheese. You can also try adding paneer, Mexican queso blanco, the French cheese Neufchâtel, goat’s cheese, and havarti.
Ukrainian Sweet Varenyky Recipe for Dumplings with Summer Berries and Sour Cream
Please do let us know if you make any of our best recipes with cheese as we love to know how our recipes turn out for our readers and love to get your feedback, tips and tweaks.
