21 Indulgent Baked Cheese Recipes

By Food & Wine
Updated October 31, 2018
Who doesn't love warm, melty cheese? Here, a collection of baked cheese recipes, from mac and cheese to potato gratin.
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1 of 21

Époisses, Ham and Apple Tart

Credit: Jorgensen Photography
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Chef Ludo Lefebvre uses the pungent, soft cow-milk cheese Époisses to flavor this delicious tart. He adds ham and apples as well, to balance the rich filling.

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2 of 21

Crispy Frico Cups with Polenta and Brown Butter

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Lachlan Mackinnon-Patterson molds traditional Italian frico (cheese crisps) into cups, then fills the salty, crunchy bowls with creamy, warm polenta and nutty brown butter. The frico cups soften as the polenta sits in them, so serve right away, with a fork and knife.

3 of 21

Baked Macaroni with Mortadella and Mozzarella

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Chef Paul Kahan ramps up this comforting Italian take on mac and cheese with fresh mozzarella, mortadella, eggs and a rich pork ragù.

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Best-Ever Cheese Soufflé

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Alexandra Guarnaschelli perused old supper-club menus to come up with this retro cheese soufflé.

5 of 21

Cheddar Gougères

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Cabot Clothbound Cheddar gougères are perfect on New Year's eve with cava.

6 of 21

Focaccia with Caramelized Onions, Pear and Blue Cheese

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In a class at Point Reyes’s new culinary center, students learn to top focaccia with pears and blue cheese.

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7 of 21

White Lasagna Cupcakes

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Do lasagna cupcakes sound like a great idea or just plain wrong? Either way, they're part of a savory cupcake trend—but feel free to call them mini lasagnas, too.

8 of 21

Macaroni and Many Cheeses

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At the end of their wine-and-cheese parties, Cheesewhizzes Helen Jane Hearn and Natalie Wassum gather any leftovers to make an incredible mac and cheese later in the week.

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Three-Cheese Mac and Cheese

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Three different types of cheese, plus sour cream and egg yolks, make this recipe from chef Ben Vaughn of Restaurant Grace in Memphis especially rich.

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10 of 21

Pimento Cheese & Bacon Crostini

Credit: BURCU AVSAR
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Down Home with the Neelys has inventive recipes like these irresistible crostini.

11 of 21

Goat Cheese & Chorizo Rolls

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These crispy rolls, adapted from the cookbook Nirmala’s Edible Diary are a riff on Argentinean street food.

12 of 21

Oven-Roasted Tomatoes Stuffed with Goat Cheese

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For these buttery-soft roasted tomatoes, Alain Coumont boosts the flavor of the creamy goat cheese filling with garlic and basil. The result works both as a side dish or a main course with a salad and crusty bread.

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13 of 21

Free-Form Sausage-and-Three-Cheese Lasagna

Credit: Quentin Bacon
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This gooey lasagna is packed with cheese and sausage. The style is called free-form because the pasta can be arranged in different ways—for instance, folded over the filling—instead of traditionally layered.

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Baked Butternut Squash-and-Cheese Polenta

Credit: Quentin Bacon
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Anna Thomas’s 1970s book, The Vegetarian Epicure, is iconic; updated in the ‘90s and rechristened The New Vegetarian Epicure, it focuses on recipes for entertaining. One of her latest dishes is this crusty baked polenta, swirled with mashed butternut squash and smoked Gouda cheese.

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Herbed Potato Gratin with Roasted Garlic and Manchego

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Jose Garces learned how to make a classic potato gratin while studying at Kendall College’s cooking school in Chicago. It's still one of his favorite side dishes. This version combines lots of sharp, nutty Manchego cheese and smoky San Simón cheese (Gouda is a fine substitute) for rich, complex flavor.

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16 of 21

Pull-Apart Cheesy Onion Bread

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Grace Parisi spreads her buttery biscuit dough with a savory onion-Gruyère mixture, stacks layers of it sideways in a loaf pan, then bakes it until golden and fluffy.

17 of 21

White-Bean-and-Pancetta Pizza

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This delicious pizza features two unusual toppings: white beans and pancetta.

18 of 21

Golden Potato and Porcini Gratin

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This indulgent gratin is the result of a trip Richard Betts took in 2006 to the Rhône Valley.

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19 of 21

Triple-Decker Baked Italian Cheese Sandwiches

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Consider pairing these hearty sandwiches with dry, fragrant rosé from Provence.

20 of 21

Three-Cheese Baked Pasta with Porcini and Radicchio

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This lush cold-weather pasta dish is even better the next day.

21 of 21

Camembert Baked in the Box

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This tender, melty cheese bakes in its box to keep it from collapsing. Be sure to buy Camembert in a box that’s stapled, not glued.

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