What can I make with pasta and cheese?
Pasta and Cheese is the weeknight default for good reason, and the gap between fine and excellent comes down to two things: salted water and finishing in the sauce. Recipes using pasta and cheese are below.
12 recipes with pasta and cheese
Greek Village Salad (Horiatiki)
Tomatoes, cucumber, peppers, olives and a slab of feta with olive oil.
Mediterranean10m4
Wedge Salad
Chilled iceberg wedge with creamy blue cheese and bacon.
American10m4
Smash Burger
Thin, ultra-crispy burger smashed on a hot griddle.
American10m4
Street Corn (Elote)
Grilled corn slathered in creamy chile-lime sauce and cotija.
Mexican15m4
Monte Cristo Sandwich
Ham, turkey, and Swiss battered and griddled French-toast style.
American20m4Smashed Cheeseburger
Thin, crispy-edged beef patties with American cheese on a toasted bun.
American20m4
Loaded Nachos
Tortilla chips baked with cheese, beans, and every topping.
Tex-Mex20m4
Cobb Salad
Chopped salad with chicken, egg, avocado, bacon, and blue cheese.
American20m4Stovetop Mac & Cheese
Ultra-creamy macaroni with sharp cheddar and gruyère.
American25m6Arepas
Griddled corn cakes stuffed with cheese or meat.
Venezuelan25m6Reuben Sandwich
A classic sandwich filled with corned beef, sauerkraut, and melted Swiss cheese, grilled to perfection.
American25m4
Patty Melt
Griddled rye sandwich with beef patty, caramelized onions, and Swiss.
American35m4
Restaurant-quality pasta and cheese at home
- 1Salt the water until it tastes like a seasoned soup; this is the only chance to season the pasta and cheese itself.
- 2Cook 1-2 minutes short of the box time and reserve a mug of the starchy water before draining.
- 3Finish the pasta and cheese in the sauce over heat, adding the reserved water a splash at a time until the sauce clings.
- 4Add cheese off the heat so it emulsifies instead of turning stringy.
What goes well with pasta and cheese
Pasta and Cheese is at its best with garlic, olive oil, parmesan, tomato, basil and chili flakes. Any two or three of those, plus pasta and cheese, is already a dinner rather than an ingredient list.
Storing pasta and cheese
Dry pasta and cheese keeps for months in a sealed container away from light and heat. Once cooked, cool it quickly, refrigerate within two hours, and use within 3-4 days; cooked grains and legumes freeze extremely well in single-portion bags.
Substituting pasta and cheese
If you are out of pasta and cheese, 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.
Pasta and Cheese recipes: common questions
- What can I make with pasta and cheese and not much else?
- Plenty. With pasta and cheese 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 pasta and cheese 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 pasta and cheese?
- 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 pasta and cheese?
- Fried rice, a frittata, a grain bowl, a soup, or a quesadilla will absorb almost any leftover pasta and cheese 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.