The Most Popular Italian Cheeses for Spaghetti

Photo byun

Cheese and pasta dishes are like soulmates. If you’re a fan of Italian food, you’ll know that their authentic dishes use many different types of cheese. Some are more popular than others, so if you want to learn more about what cheese Italians put on spaghetti, we’re here to share all about popular Italian cheeses! 

There are many cheese options for cooking pasta the Italian way. You must also consider the type of sauce you’ll put on your spaghetti when choosing a cheese. Since there are many options, even if one choice doesn’t match your spaghetti sauce, you’ll find other popular Italian cheeses that’ll go well with your spaghetti dish. Here are some of the best cheeses that fit well with spaghetti dishes. 

Parmesan or Parmigiano-Reggiano

When discussing spaghetti or other pasta dishes, you might be most familiar with parmesan cheese. It’s among the most popular Italian cheeses worldwide and the best match for many spaghetti creations. The hard cheese gives the pasta a rich and nutty flavor and a gentle salty taste that elevates the flavor profile. 

Parmesan fits well with tomato-based pasta dishes. It also works well with buttery and creamy pasta sauces like carbonara. Parmesan is versatile, so it goes nicely with many other types of pasta, like lasagna and fettuccine, and even as a ravioli filling. 

Mozzarella

Mozzarella is another famous Italian cheese with the same popularity as parmesan cheese. The authentic Italian mozzarella uses buffalo milk. The primary charm of mozzarella cheese is that it melts quickly, so it’s an excellent addition to a sauce for your spaghetti. 

Mozzarella is also an excellent choice to combine it with parmesan. As mozzarella has a mild taste that isn’t as salty as some other popular Italian cheeses, it’ll add creaminess without overly salting your spaghetti. 

Pecorino Romano

Pecorino Romano is a hard Italian cheese, and it’s made from sheep’s milk. It has a strong salty taste, and the standard way to use Pecorino Romano is by grating it to top a pasta dish. The most popular spaghetti dish that often uses grated Pecorino Romano is spaghetti alla carbonara, giving a deeper flavor to the creamy sauce. There’s also Pecorino Romano in many Italian classic dishes, like spaghetti cacio e pepe, which goes along well with black pepper. 

Due to its strong and salty taste, spaghetti with Pecorino Romano might not suit everyone’s preferences. Yet, it’s one of the oldest cheeses in Italy that has existed ever since the Roman era. 

Ricotta

Ricotta is a famous Italian cheese with a soft texture that can complement many dishes. It’s creamy, spreadable, and has a slightly sweet texture that adds richness to pasta sauces. It’ll also work well with other cheeses. 

Instead of adding Ricotta to a sauce, it’s most famous as a filling. You’ll often find ravioli, cannelloni, and stuffed shells with ricotta as their filling. However, ricotta can also help thicken up your spaghetti sauce and it’s the perfect cheese that can add creaminess to your sauce.