What can I make with parmesan?
Parmesan carries a dish on its own. Recipes using parmesan are below, plus notes on melting it without turning it stringy or greasy.
12 recipes with parmesan
Zucchini Noodles
Spiralized zucchini tossed with pesto and cherry tomatoes.
American15m4Kale Caesar Salad
Hearty kale tossed in creamy Caesar dressing.
American15m4
Classic Caesar Salad
Crisp romaine with garlicky anchovy dressing and parmesan.
American15m4
Mushroom Risotto
Creamy arborio rice with mushrooms, white wine, and parmesan.
Italian45m4Chicken Alfredo
A rich and creamy pasta dish made with chicken, fettuccine noodles, and parmesan cheese.
Italian American60m4
Pilchard puttanesca
Cook the pasta following pack instructions.
Italian4
Spaghetti with Spanish flavours
step 1 Put a pan of water on over a high heat to boil.
Spanish4
Three-cheese souffles
Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/ gas 6 and butter 4 small (about 200ml) ramekins.
France4
Grilled corn with garlic mayo & grated cheese
step 1 Boil the corn cobs for 5 mins.
4
Brazilian cheese bread (pão de queijo)
step 1 Heat the oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7.
4
Fettucine alfredo
In a medium saucepan, stir the clotted cream, butter and cornflour over a low-ish heat and bring to a low simmer.
Italian4
Summer Pistou
Heat the oil in a large pan and fry the leeks and courgette for 5 mins to soften.
France4
Cooking with parmesan without splitting or clumping
- 1Bring parmesan closer to room temperature before it meets heat; cold dairy in a hot pan is what curdles.
- 2Add it off the heat or on the lowest setting, stirring constantly.
- 3A teaspoon of flour or cornstarch stabilises a sauce and keeps it glossy.
- 4Salt and acid go in at the end - both encourage splitting when added early.
What goes well with parmesan
Parmesan is at its best with bread, tomato, basil, black pepper, honey and pasta. Any two or three of those, plus parmesan, is already a dinner rather than an ingredient list.
Storing parmesan
Keep parmesan in the main body of the fridge, not the door, where the temperature swings most. Wrap cheese in paper rather than plastic so it can breathe. Hard cheeses freeze acceptably for cooking; fresh dairy does not freeze well.
Substituting parmesan
If you are out of parmesan, look for something that behaves the same way in the pan rather than something that tastes the same. Match the moisture level, the cooking time, and the richness, and adjust the liquid slightly if your substitute releases more water. When in doubt, describe what you actually have in the chat and Mr. Chef will rewrite the recipe around it.
Parmesan recipes: common questions
- What can I make with parmesan and not much else?
- Plenty. With parmesan plus an onion, garlic, oil, and salt you already have the base of a skillet dinner, a soup, or a simple sauce. Add a starch - rice, pasta, bread, or potatoes - and it becomes a full meal. The recipes above are ordered so the ones needing the fewest extra items come first.
- What is the quickest parmesan recipe?
- Look for the entries above marked 20 minutes or less. As a rule, anything cut small and cooked in a hot pan beats anything roasted whole, and one-pan recipes save more time in cleanup than in cooking.
- Can I substitute parmesan?
- In most recipes yes, as long as the replacement plays a similar role - similar moisture, similar cooking time, similar richness. Swapping across roles (a watery vegetable for a starchy one, for instance) usually needs a change in liquid or cooking time too.
- How do I use up leftover parmesan?
- Fried rice, a frittata, a grain bowl, a soup, or a quesadilla will absorb almost any leftover parmesan without a recipe. If you want something specific, tell Mr. Chef exactly what is in the fridge and it will build a recipe around it.