12 Easy Cheese Recipes for Ultimate Comfort

Man can live by cheese alone.

I’VE NEVER MET A BAD DAY that couldn’t be partially fixed with cheese. Flat tire? Cheese. Missed deadline? Cheese. Existential dread because it’s January and you’ve already broken your New Year’s resolution to get in shape? Double cheese.
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The One likes to remind me that cheese “isn’t a food group.” Which is adorable. Because in this house, it totally is. There’s a reason refrigerators have an entire drawer dedicated to it, people! I call it the Cheese Annex.

Manchego, mozzarella, chèvre, a wedge of something uber-stinky that I can’t pronounce but refuse to throw out. They’re my emotional support dairy. And nothing supports me more than a big bowl of pasta with cheese and a grilled-cheese anything sandwich.

There’s something deeply reassuring about melting cheese over… well, anything. It’s alchemy. An attitude reset. One minute you’ve got a sad tortilla and a questionable mood, the next—boom—quesadilla therapy, and all is good in the world.
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So yes, cheese wins. It always does. And frankly, I’m fine with that.

​Chow,

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Rules for the Cult of Cheese

• Temperature is everything. Cheese wants a slow melt, not a cremation. Treat it gently, and it’ll reward you.

• Mix your melts. Blend mild for stretch (mozzarella) with sharp for flavor (cheddar or blue cheese). It’s a love story in a skillet.

• Don’t skip the crisp. Let the edges brown just enough to form that irresistible golden crust. That’s where redemption lives.

• Pair it like a pro. Wine, bread, pickles, honey, jam—anything that cuts through the richness and keeps you from slipping into a dairy coma.

• End with joy, not guilt. You’re not cheating. You’re surviving winter with style.

The Recipes​

​Gnocchi With Gorgonzola Cream Sauce​

Tender, pillowy gnocchi is bathed in creamy blue cheese sauce for an easy but elegant meal. Serve it as a hearty main dish or an indulgent side.

​Cheddar-Parmesan Crackers

These Cheddar-Parmesan crackers are hard to believe they're homemade, given how they're filled with all kinds of cheesy goodness along with some cayenne for a little pop of heat. They're completely irresistible. Consider yourself warned.

Hot Artichoke Dip

This one of our favorite appetizers, especially in the cooler months. This one is so simple, you'll be tempted to make it often, especially considering it comes together in just 20 minutes. Serve with slices of warm, crusty bread, and get ready to watch it disappear.

Brie Mac & Cheese​

Made with three types of cheese and topped with a buttery cracker crust, this is the creamiest, cheesiest mac and cheese you’re ever going to try.

French Onion-Skillet Chicken

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5 from 10 votes

This skillet chicken is a mash-up of French onion soup—beef broth, bread, tons of caramelized onions, and a wicked lot of cheese—with skillet-seared chicken thighs. Simple and amazingly good.

Baked Ricotta

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4.77 from 34 votes

Between us, this is essentially a creamy, indulgent, crowd-pleasing cheese dip made from three ingredients—ricotta, eggs, and Parmigiano-Reggiano—that's baked until it's puffed like a souffle. Serve it with crostini, a drizzle of honey, dried fruits, blanched vegetables, anything, really.

​Ina Garten’s Grilled Cheese Croutons​

These are very easy to make if you have an electric panini grill but, of course, you can always make them the traditional way in a frying pan. YOU HAVE TO TRY THEM ON HER TOMATO SOUP!!

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​Macaroni Au Gratin​

This macaroni au gratin is no ordinary macaroni and cheese. Not at all. It’s still pasta in cheese sauce but blanketed with a layer of ooey, gooey blend of three cheeses. Easy and on the table in less than an hour.

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​Classic Tuna Melt​

This classic tuna melt, with its toasted bread, melted cheese, and creamy tuna filling, is proof that good food need not be fancy.

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​Fromage Fort​

Fromage fort is a beautifully transformative way to use up the scraps of all those expensive cheeses that are crammed in the fridge. It’s a classic, frugal, and flavorful French technique shared here by Jacques Pepin.

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​Pasta With Butter & Parmesan​

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4.81 from 21 votes

Pasta with butter and Parmesan appeals to nearly everyone. This pasta’s brilliance lies in it’s simplicity, universal appeal, and endless add-in options.

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​Cheddar Cheese Sauce​

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4.85 from 66 votes

This quick and easy cheese sauce recipe is a versatile homemade go-to to stash in your recipe repertoire. Use it to top veggies, burgers, pasta or as a stand-in for nacho cheese sauce. Here’s how to make it.

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