Cheese And Pesto: Perfect Pairing For A Delicious Dish

Pesto is a versatile Italian sauce that can be used for pasta, as a marinade, or as a topping or dip. While there are many variations, traditional pesto is made with basil, pine nuts, garlic, salt, cheese, and olive oil. The type of cheese used in pesto can vary, and different cheeses can also be paired with pesto as a topping or side. Some popular cheeses that go well with pesto include Parmigiano Reggiano, Pecorino Romano, mozzarella, ricotta, and feta. These cheeses offer different flavours and textures that complement the pesto, adding a burst of flavour or helping to bind the dish together.

Mozzarella, Parmesan, and ricotta are cheeses that go well with pesto chicken

Baked Pesto Mozzarella Chicken

This mouth-watering dish combines the freshness of basil pesto with thick slices of fresh mozzarella, all baked to perfection. To elevate this dish, you can add sweet cherry tomatoes, steamed broccoli, or cooked pasta on the side. Here's a simple recipe to guide you:

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit and prepare a large baking dish by spraying it with non-stick cooking spray. Place your chicken breasts in the dish and drizzle them with olive oil. Sprinkle the chicken with seasonings like salt, pepper, paprika, and garlic powder. Slather on a generous amount of pesto sauce. Top it all off with fresh mozzarella slices and add those cherry tomatoes. Cover the dish with foil and bake for about 20 minutes. Remove the foil and continue baking until the chicken is cooked through and juicy.

Chicken Pesto Tortellini Bake

This hearty recipe combines tortellini, pesto chicken, and two types of cheese for a true comfort food experience. The key cheeses in this recipe are Parmesan and Fontina, which melt beautifully and add a decadent touch. Here's how to make it:

Start by preheating your oven and sautéing onions and red bell peppers in a skillet. In a large baking dish, combine cheese tortellini, raw chicken cubes, fresh spinach, and the sautéed veggies. In a separate bowl, whisk together basil pesto, chicken broth, heavy cream, salt, and pepper to create a creamy sauce. Pour this sauce over the tortellini mixture. Cover and bake for 20 minutes, then sprinkle with Parmesan and Fontina cheeses. Bake, uncovered, for an additional 15-20 minutes, and you'll have a bubbly, golden masterpiece.

Pesto Grilled Cheese

While this isn't a chicken dish, it showcases the perfect pairing of mozzarella and pesto. The subtle flavour of mozzarella lets the pesto shine, and the result is a gooey, crispy delight. You can also add sun-dried tomatoes and crispy bacon for extra texture and flavour. Here's the method:

Butter some slices of sourdough bread and place them in a frying pan with the heat off, butter-side down. Layer on mozzarella slices, followed by heaped spoonfuls of pesto. Add those sun-dried tomatoes and bacon, then more mozzarella. Top it off with another slice of buttered bread. Squish it all together and fry both sides until golden and the cheese is melted.

Low-Carb Chicken Pesto Bake

This recipe is a delicious and healthy option, combining pesto chicken with mozzarella, Parmesan, and ricotta. It's a simple dish that's perfect for those following a low-carb or keto diet. Here's the lowdown:

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Spread some pesto on the bottom of a baking pan. Place your seasoned chicken breast pieces on top of the pesto. In a separate bowl, mix ricotta, Parmesan, and Italian seasoning. Cover the chicken with this ricotta mixture and add more pesto on top. Sprinkle mozzarella over everything and bake for about 30 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through and bubbly.

Parmigiano Reggiano is the classic choice for pesto

Parmigiano Reggiano is often used to finish the pesto sauce, and it is so special that only a limited amount is produced per year. It is also a great binder for pasta when making a pesto dish. You could also melt Parmigiano Reggiano with some mozzarella to make a pesto dip.

When selecting Parmigiano Reggiano at the grocery store, read the label to ensure it is genuine. Parmigiano Reggiano is a protected term in Europe, meaning that only hard cheese produced in certain regions of Italy can be labelled as such.

Parmigiano Reggiano is a versatile cheese that can be grated and used as a topping, or melted and used as a dip. It is a great choice for pesto because it adds a rich flavour without overpowering the other ingredients.

Aged cheeses offer more depth of flavour

Parmigiano Reggiano, also known as Parmesan, is the classic choice for pesto. It has a slightly granular texture that helps balance the creaminess of the pesto. The aging process gives it a sharp, salty flavour that can provide a nice contrast to the freshness of the pesto.

Pecorino Romano, a sheep's milk cheese, is another excellent option. With its salty and tangy flavour, along with a hint of nuttiness, it can add complexity to the dish. Like Parmigiano Reggiano, it has a granular texture that can provide a nice contrast to the creaminess of the pesto.

Asiago, the younger sibling of Parmigiano Reggiano, offers a lighter and less salty option. It has a complex flavour profile that ranges from crumbly to firm, depending on its age. Asiago can be a great substitute for Parmigiano Reggiano if you're looking for something a little less intense.

When choosing an aged cheese, it's important to consider the intensity of flavour you desire. Younger versions of these cheeses will have a milder flavour, while extra-aged varieties will be sharper and more pungent. The aging process develops the depth of flavour, so always check how long the cheese has been aged to ensure it aligns with your desired taste profile.

In addition to enhancing the flavour of pesto, aged cheeses also act as a binder, helping to bring the dish together. The fat content in the cheese not only adds flavour but also aids in combining different ingredients, creating a harmonious culinary experience.

Authentic Italian cheeses like Gorgonzola or Pecorino add bold, complex flavours

Pesto is a fantastic Italian sauce that is often used for pasta, marinating, topping, and dipping. It is traditionally made with basil, pine nuts, garlic, salt, cheese, and olive oil. The cheese that is most commonly used in pesto is parmigiano reggiano, but there are several other authentic Italian cheeses that can be used to add bold and complex flavours to the sauce.

Gorgonzola is a sharp, tangy Italian blue cheese with a creamy, crumbly texture. It pairs well with the herbs and oils found in pesto sauces, adding a tangy kick to your pesto pasta. It can be crumbled into small pieces or added in larger chunks for a more pronounced flavour.

Pecorino Romano is a hard, salty Italian cheese made with sheep's milk. It is similar to parmigiano reggiano but is made with sheep's milk, giving it a tangy and nutty taste with hints of grassiness and earthiness. It has the same mouthfeel as parmigiano reggiano, with the same crystals, and is a great binder for pasta when making a pesto dish.

Asiago is another Italian cheese that can be used in pesto. It is a hard, aged cheese made from cow's milk with a complex flavour and a texture that ranges from crumbly to firm, depending on its age. Asiago is often grated over pasta dishes and is a great topping for pesto pasta due to its creamy and pungent flavour.

These authentic Italian cheeses add bold and complex flavours to pesto, making it a truly unique and unforgettable dish.

Cream cheese adds a hint of gentle sweetness to pesto

Cream cheese is a great pairing with pesto. The mild flavour of cream cheese works in harmony with the richness of the pesto, helping to maintain an overall lightness. The tangy creaminess of the cheese can balance the aromatic, nutty, and herbaceous flavours of the pesto.

Cream cheese and pesto can be combined to make a delicious sauce for pasta. The sauce is easy to make and only requires a few simple steps. First, blend the cream cheese and pesto with some starchy pasta water in a bowl until smooth and creamy. Then, toss the cooked pasta in the sauce until well coated. The sauce can be made thinner by adding more water or thicker by adding less. The pasta can be served immediately, or baked in the oven, and is best served hot with grated parmesan cheese and toasted pine nuts on top.

Cream cheese and pesto can also be used as a topping for chicken. Chicken breasts can be slow-cooked in the cream cheese, and then shredded and mixed with pesto. This creates a delicious combination of flavours and is a great way to use up leftover ingredients.

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