Food

36 Gloriously Cheesy Recipes From Around the World

Say cheese for our cheese dumplings, lasagna bread, and the world's best grilled cheese sandwich

By SAVEUR Editors

March 21, 2017

Whether it's simple mac and cheese or traditional khachapuri, a.k.a. our Georgian cheese-bread obsession, there's nothing more comforting than watching gooey melted cheese bubbling and dancing—except maybe devouring it. Though more prevalent in some cultures, cheese is beloved by people all over the world for its ability to comfort and warm the soul.

Fancy yourself a fromage fanatic? Build a gorgeous cheese plate to impress your party guests or get the cheese lover in your life the perfect curd-tastic gift around the holidays. From Italian cheese pizza recipes to cheesy enchilada recipes, we've rounded up our best cheese recipes from around the world.

RELATED: Our Complete Guide to All Things Cheesy

Megruli Khachapuri — This Georgian flatbread is from the region of Samegrelo, which borders the Black Sea. It is not, however, beach food. Stuffed with salty cheese and griddled, then heaped with even more cheese and baked, this is stick-to-your ribs winter cooking at its best. Georgians prepare this bread using a crumbly local cheese called imeruli, or a mixture of imeruli and the milder, more elastic sulguni. We substituted a mixture of low moisture mozzarella and strong, tart feta that gets you very close to the traditional version. Get the recipe for Megruli Khachapuri »Matt Taylor-Gross

Adjaruli Khachapuri — This traditional Georgian cheese and egg bread is best eaten hot. Use a spoon to stir the yolk and butter into the molten cheese, then tear off a piece of fluffy crust to dunk into the cheesy well. Georgians typically make this savory pastry with a mixture of imeruli and sulguni cheese. We find that a blend of low moisture mozzarella and strong, tart feta gets you very close to the traditional version. Get the recipe for Adjaruli Khachapuri »Matt Taylor-Gross

Harvest Supper Bread Pudding — Caramelized onions and mushrooms, a pinch of cayenne, and tangy crème fraiche turn this pillowy white bread pudding savory. It makes a delightful brunch, lunch, or dinner with a lightly dressed green salad on the side. Get the recipe for Cheesy Mushroom and Pancetta Bread Pudding »Matt Taylor-Gross

Oeufs au Plat Bressanne — This classic French meal of baked, cream-soaked toast and eggs is deceptively simple (and scalable) but lavish. Named for the Alpine region of Bresse, which is best known to the culinary world for its exceptional chickens, the dish is practical country cooking at its finest. As it bakes, the cream soaks into the bread and thickens to a rich sauce right on the platter, resulting in a savory French toast. Get the recipe for French Baked Toast with Cream and Eggs »Matt Taylor-Gross

Hatch green chile enchiladas — These are rolled enchiladas—soft corn tortillas stuffed with shredded chicken and smothered with green chile sauce and cheese. If you prefer, make "stacked" enchiladas by layering tortillas, chicken, sauce, and cheese, as if making lasagna. Get the recipe for Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas »Matt Taylor-Gross

nachos — A balance of pickly, salty, cheesy, and crisp, this recipe—inspired by the original—proves that simple is preferable when it comes to nachos. When deep-frying your own tortillas, look for soft tortillas made with all corn (and no flour) for the crunchiest results. Get the recipe for Real Deal Ignacio-Style Nachos »Matt Taylor-Gross

Egg Soufflé — Its name derived from the French verb souffler, meaning "to breathe" or "to puff", a soufflé's pillowy top will naturally rise in the oven but slightly deflate just moments after removal. The eggy treat's fleeting moment of perfection is one of the reasons the dish is handled so delicately by chefs and cherished so deeply by diners. This savory cheese version is courtesy of chef Daniel Skurnick of Le Coucou restaurant in New York City. Get the recipe for Egg and Cheese Soufflé »Photograph by Beth Galton | Food Styling by Mariana Velasquez

Strangolapreti — Strangolapreti is a Trentan party food, a luxurious, cheesy dish made with frugal ingredients of day-old bread, blanched spinach, ricotta, and egg to make a dumpling filled with ooey-gooey cheese.Get the recipe for Italian Spinach and Cheese Dumplings (Strangolapretti) »Matt Taylor-Gross

Kumru — This specialty of Çesme, a small beach town in Turkey, is one of the world's great grilled cheese sandwiches, in which the cheese itself is grilled before getting slipped into toasted bread with raw tomato and optional (but highly recommended) toppings of griddled sausage and pickled cucumbers and chiles. Get the recipe for Turkish Grilled Cheese »Matt Taylor-Gross

Fromage Blanc Spread — This dish, which translates literally to "silk worker's brain," is said to be named for Lyon's 19th-century silk weavers, who'd often make a lunch of the smooth herbed-cheese spread. Get the recipe for Fromage Blanc Spread (Cervelle de Canut) »Photo: Matt Taylor-Gross

Chicken Parmesan — Simply bread your chicken (you could use veal or eggplant instead), fry it, layer with some easy homemade red sauce and mozzarella, and bake. Get the recipe for Easy Chicken Parmesan »Farideh Sadeghin

Pizza Margherita — The Neapolitcan classic reworked for home ovens. See the recipe for Pizza Margherita »Todd Coleman

Bengali Milk Sweets (Sandesh) — For these simple bite-size confections from Bengal, milk is turned into homemade paneer cheese and then combined with sugar and cardamom to yield a dense, fudge-like treat. Get the recipe for Bengali Milk Sweets (Sandesh) »Ingalls Photography

Crab Rangoon — An adaptation of the fried wonton, crab rangoon is one of the most enduringly popular appetizers at the posh Polynesian restaurant chain Trader Vic's. Get the recipe for Crab Rangoon »Matt Taylor-Gross

Sweet Cheese Ice Cream with Apricots, Raspberries, and Honey Granola — Ice cream so easy you don't even need to cook it. Get the recipe for Mascarpone Ice Cream with Apricots, Raspberries, and Honey Granola »Christina Holmes | Food Styling by Maggie Ruggiero

Lasagna — Lasagna gets a bad rap for being a labor-intensive dish, but with a few shortcuts, like starting with store-bought lasagna sheets, you can make a great cheesy version any night of the week. Get the recipe Classic Easy Lasagna »Farideh Sadeghin

French Lentil Salad with Blue Cheese — A neutral base of lentil salad lets the pleasant sharpness of the Bleu d'Auvergne cheese, which is aged in sweet wine at La Fromagerie du Comtat, take center stage in this salad. Get the recipe for French Lentil Salad with Blue Cheese »Nicole Franzen

Parmesan Polenta with Sausage Ragù — This simple, comforting dish is a great one to make for dinner parties; the ragù improves over time, so make it the day before, and reheat it just before serving. The polenta can also be made ahead, but you'll need to whisk in a bit of water to loosen it while you warm it on the stove. Get the recipe for Parmesan Polenta with Sausage Ragù »Signe Birck

Red Chile Enchiladas — These saucy tortillas are stuffed to the ends with different cheeses and covered in a spicy chile sauce. Get the recipe for Red Chile Enchiladas »Matt Taylor-Gross

Cottage Cheese Pancakes — These old school Polish pancakes are lighter, fluffier, and cheesier than the batter-based standard. Get the recipe for Polish Cottage Cheese Pancakes (lindivikis) »Matt Taylor-Gross

Ddukbokki — Ddukbokki, or spicy rice cakes, are a Korean favorite; some Korean cooks in America like to up the ante by covering them in gooey cheddar. Get the recipe for Korean Rice Cakes Covered in Cheddar »Matt Taylor Gross

Gjetost Burnt Cream — Gjetost, a traditional Norwegian cheese with a fudgy texture and caramelized flavor, makes for a nutty caramel twist on crème brûlée. Get the recipe for Gjetost Crème Brûlée Dessert »Matt Taylor-Gross

Poutine — The province's gastronomic achievements may reach dizzying heights, but Quebec will forever be known as the place where poutine began. An unabashedly savory collage of french-fried potatoes, beef gravy, and squeaky-fresh cheese curds, poutine is perhaps the ultimate late-night snack. Get the recipe for Poutine »Maxime Iattoni

FRIED MOZZARELLA SANDWICHES — These crisp mini-sandwiches are deep-fried and filled with molten cheese. Get the recipe for Fried Mozzarella Sandwiches »Matt Taylor-Gross

Chile con Queso — With both serrano chiles and jalapeños, the dip has a bright spiciness that cuts through the richness of two cheeses. The tangy sour cream added at the end brings it over the top. Get the recipe for Chile con Queso »Matt Taylor-Gross

Scaccia — A street food popular in its native Ragusa, scaccia is an exercise in rustic simplicity: pizza-style dough rolled super-thin, smeared with tomato sauce, showered with D.O.P. caciocavallo cheese (similar to a spicy provolone), and folded into a lasagna-like loaf. Get the recipe for Sicilian Lasagna Bread »Matt Taylor-Gross

Medianoche — With roast pork, ham, Swiss cheese, and pickles, it's almost identical to a Cuban sandwich, save for the bread, a sweet egg load that's similar to challah. Get the recipe for Cuban Medianoche Sandwich »Farideh Sadeghin

Saag Paneer — Meltingly soft spinach strewn with chunks of fresh cheese is delicious scooped up with hot flatbread or served over rice. Get the recipe for Saag Paneer (Spinach with Fresh Indian Cheese) »Todd Coleman

Cheese and Egg Bread (Acharuli Khachapuri) — Filled with melted cheese and topped with a runny egg, this flatbread is best eaten hot--tear off the crust and dunk it in the well of cheese and egg. Get the recipe for Cheese and Egg Bread (Acharuli Khachapuri) »Landon Nordeman

Croque Madame — The croque monsieur, the classic French ham and cheese sandwich covered in cheesy bechamel, becomes a madame when a fried egg is placed on top of it. Get the recipe for French Croque Madame Sandwich »SAVEUR

Greek Fried Cheese — With a bit of fire for show. Get the recipe for Greek Fried Cheese »André Baranowski

Cheddar Cheese Biscuit — When making these buttery little biscuits, opt for a true American cheese—fourth-generation Wisconsin cheesemaker Sid Cook, of Carr Valley Cheese, advised us to use a three-year-old extra-sharp cheddar. Get the recipe for American Cheddar Cheese Biscuits »Vanessa Rees

Fall Radishes with Boursin Dip — A creamy soft cheese spread flecked with dill, parsley, and chive. Get the recipe for French Boursin Dip with Radishes »Matt Taylor-Gross

Fried Potatoes with Kashkaval Cheese — Piquant kashkaval, a Balkan cows' or sheep's milk cheese, and mildly spicy shifa peppers add sharpness to these fried potatoes. Get the recipe for Israeli Fried Potatoes with Kashkaval Cheese »Neal Santos

Cheese and Mint Stuffed Dumplings (Khinkali Qvelit) — These Georgian dumplings are traditionally made with a spiced meat filling; this cheese and herb version, once meant for religious fasting days, is now enjoyed year-round. Get the recipe for Cheese and Mint Stuffed Dumplings (Khinkali Qvelit) »Landon Nordeman

Pão de Queijo — If you can't find sour tapioca starch to make this Brazilian cheese bread, sweet tapioca starch will yield equally delicious results. Get the recipe for Pão de Queijo »Todd Coleman

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