While you can certainly use bottled parmesan, we definitely recommend purchasing a fresh block and grating it yourself-you won’t regret it!īest used for: mixing into the filling, topping, and sprinkling Does lasagna taste better with ricotta or cottage cheese? It’s got a sharpness that lends itself well to the dish, especially when combined with the mildness of some of the other cheeses. Part of the family of hard, aged cheeses, fresh parmesan is a must if you want your lasagna to have that distinct Italian taste we all know and love. No lasagna dish would be complete without parmesan! While you can typically purchase it as part of a pre-grated Italian five cheese blend, for the freshest taste possible, it’s best to purchase a block of it and grate it at home!īest used for: sprinkling on top Parmesan Romano is best sprinkled on top of the lasagna after it’s cooked. Romano is not a cheese you typically want to use in the layering process due to its extremely high melting point (meaning, it takes extremely high heat for it to melt-higher than the temperature you would typically use for lasagna). Similar to parmesan, it has a sharp, salty taste that adds flavor to any lasagna dish. Romano is a sharp, thick, and crumbly hard cheese. Layering this together with a thicker cheese mixture (such as cottage and ricotta) can produce a perfectly melted and flavorful dish.īest used for: layering and topping Romano Provolone melts well and has a pleasant flavor. While provolone is certainly not a commonly used cheese for lasagna, its mild, nutty taste and beautiful melting properties combine well with other ingredients for an overall delicious meal. It doesn’t melt like mozzarella, and its curds often make it challenging to use without another binding cheese (such as ricotta), but it’s a good choice if you want a truly thick and filling lasagna.
While many people don’t prefer cottage cheese by itself, it’s very commonly combined with other ingredients to function as a filling in traditional lasagna recipes. Unless you’re going for a lower-fat version of lasagna, you’ll want to make sure you’re using a whole-milk mozzarella (instead of part-skim).īest used for: filling and topping Cottage cheese While you can certainly use pre-shredded mozzarella, purchasing a block of it and shredding it yourself is your best option if you’re looking to make a really fresh dish. Its soft, creamy texture and melting consistency make it a clear lasagna choice. One of the stringiest cheeses out there, mozzarella is also a traditionally used cheese in lasagna recipes and functions beautifully to help melt all the flavors together. In the lasagna-making process, it’s usually mixed with other ingredients and cheeses and used as a filler in the layering process, working to bind layers of pasta and meat together. It’s got a mild, slightly sweet flavor, is silky smooth, and easy to blend with other ingredients. Its melting quality is not that of a stringy cheese like mozzarella or cheddar, so it’s not a cheese you’ll use for the top layer. The best cheeses for lasagna RicottaĪlmost every traditional lasagna recipe includes ricotta, making this thick white cheese a lasagna staple. So what’s the best cheese to use? In this post, we’ll discuss the best cheese for lasagna and each of them make your lasagna unique, as well as some alternative cheese options. Part of what makes lasagna delicious is the cheese-melted to perfection and bursting with flavor.īut not just any cheese will do-you want the right cheese for the best result (especially for all the effort you’ll be putting into it!). If you’re making lasagna, you want it to be delicious.