Pasta with 4 cheeses is a typical first course of the traditional cuisine of our country, usually made with a medium/short pasta shape, but that doesn't mean other shapes can't be used, especially when you find yourself with at least 5 open packets of pasta on the shelf dedicated to flour products!
For an Italian, preparing pasta with four cheeses is almost child's play because it's within our culinary capabilities. It's true, the United States challenges us good-naturedly with their macaroni and cheese, also called mac’n’cheese, but if you were born in Italy and go to a local place, you feel a sense of pride when reading "pasta with 4 cheeses" on the menu, as if to imply that our cuisine never fails. And shall we say it all? If an American were to teach us how to make good macaroni, with the utmost respect and a pinch of irony, we could remind them that - it is said - President Thomas Jefferson indeed brought Macaroni and cheese to the U.S.A. around 1780, but only after a trip to our peninsula!
Pasta with four cheeses is a simple and quick dish to prepare, even when you're short on time, even when time is tight. It should be served immediately in order to appreciate the melted and creamy cheeses that envelop the pasta; otherwise, they tend to harden.
Before feeling guilty, we might think that enjoying a little indulgence at the table does not hurt even the strictest diets and that gastronomic satisfaction, without excess, can lift our spirits even in the most difficult moments of our day.
Generally, pasta with four cheeses is presented as a tasty dish that is loved by children and dairy lovers, but nowadays it can also be tried in a vegan version with plant-based cheeses or vegetarian with foods possibly also lactose-free. Nowadays, even someone with specific dietary needs can easily enjoy a delicious cheese pasta recipe and will no longer feel "different" or "alone" asking for lactose-free pasta: one because today there is a palpable common sensitivity towards such nutritional preferences, and two because there is a concrete desire to somehow protect the environment and everything that surrounds it.
The recipe for pasta with 4 cheeses is for a truly easy first course that requires very little effort and saves you in all those situations of impasse when unexpected guests arrive.
It’s a "peaceful" dish that comes in handy when you're craving a good homemade pasta dish while also being "special" and filling for particular festive occasions like Sunday lunch or a party among teenagers. The fact is that pasta with four cheeses, regardless of the situation, is a dish rich in flavor and nourishment, thanks to the significant portion of cheese present.
While the choice of types of cheese to experiment with can undoubtedly be made based on personal taste, it is advisable to first opt for quality that is not entirely poor and, secondly, pay attention to the soft texture of the cheeses chosen to achieve a harmonious blend of dairy products.
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With mouth-watering interest, let's now look at some summer and winter recipes for pasta with 4 cheeses, depending on the season. After all, anyone could find themselves opening the fridge and noticing leftovers of not only cow's milk cheese but also goat, sheep, or blue cheese. However, it should be noted that while cheese pasta is often used for the necessity of clearing out the fridge, nothing stops you from preparing it with new products, perhaps DOP yet to be unpacked.
On one hand, therefore, the recipe for pasta with four cheeses can indeed be seen as a "fridge-clearance" recipe; on the other hand, incorporating high-quality products will allow the cook of the day to showcase the trendiest and most flavorful cheeses they had been saving until that moment.
Pasta with 4 cheeses winter - Recipe 1
Ingredients for 4 people
• 320 g rigatoni
• to taste fine sea salt
• to taste white pepper
• 80 g soft Taleggio
• 80 g Parmigiano
• 100 g sweet Gorgonzola
• 80 g Gruyère for grating
• 180 g whole milk
Bring about 4 liters of water to a boil and salt with a decent amount of salt, then proceed with the cheeses. Grate the Gruyère using a coarse grater, then move on to the Taleggio by cutting it into small cubes and finally reduce the sweet Gorgonzola into pieces. Moving to the stove, place a pot over medium heat, pour in the milk, and heat it gently for a moment. At this point, add the Gorgonzola and Taleggio. Gently stir to aid melting and finally add the Gruyère along with the grated Parmigiano. Continue stirring for a while longer and then turn off the heat.
Once the pasta is cooked, drain it with a slotted spoon so that some of the water remains in the pot. Now toss everything into the cheese cream, adjusting with pepper and possibly salt, paying attention to the saltiness of the cheeses. Stir well again and there you have it, pasta with 4 cheeses, to be served warm and creamy.
Four-cheese penne and mushrooms winter – Recipe 2
Ingredients for 4 people
• 320 g paccheri
• 50 g mozzarella
• 50 g Monte Veronese
• 50 g Fontina
• 50 g sweet Provolone
• 80 g fresh white champignon mushrooms
• 50 g butter
• 1 scant glass of milk
• half a teaspoon of cornstarch
• grated Parmigiano
• parsley
• to taste fine sea salt
• to taste pepper
After cutting the cheeses into strips, put only 25 g of butter in a saucepan; as soon as it starts to foam, add the cornstarch. Stir, pour in the milk, and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and add the cheeses. Cook the penne until fairly firm, pour them into a bowl, sprinkle with a pinch of pepper, and add the remaining melted butter. Mix, return the saucepan with the cheeses to the heat, pour them over the pasta, and add the sliced mushrooms, cooked separately with oil and parsley.
Pasta with 4 cheeses with sautéed zucchini summer – Recipe 3
Ingredients for 4 servings
• 320 g Kamut rigatoni
• 1 clove of garlic
• 3 medium-sized zucchinis
• 10 g Pecorino
• 20 g Grana
• 20 g Goat Caciotta
• two bunches of parsley
• to taste fine sea salt
• to taste pepper
• to taste extra virgin olive oil
Clean the zucchinis and cut them into slices about 3-4 mm thick. In a pan, pour in a little extra virgin olive oil, add the peeled garlic clove, and let it flavor for a minute, then add the zucchinis. Salt, pepper, and let them cook over low heat until tender, stirring often so they don’t stick to the bottom. Once cooked, turn off the heat and sprinkle with chopped parsley. Meanwhile, after boiling a pot of salted water, cook the Kamut rigatoni.
In the immersion blender cup, place the Pecorino, Grana, Goat Caciotta, and rosemary, add a few tablespoons of the pasta cooking water, and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Blend until reduced to a cream. Drain the pasta and pour it into the pan with the zucchinis, finishing with the cheese cream obtained, mix well, and plate. Sprinkle with more parsley.
Pasta with 4 cheeses with spinach and blue cheese summer – Recipe 4
• 320 g rigatoni
• 150 g Fontina
• 150 g spicy Provolone
• 150 g blue cheese
• 100 g Grana
• 100 g boiled spinach
• 1 clove of garlic
• 70 g butter
• 40 g flour
• 750 ml milk
• to taste fine sea salt
• to taste pepper
• nutmeg
• extra virgin olive oil
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First of all, prepare the béchamel: in a small saucepan, melt 50 g of butter, add the sifted flour and mix to allow it to absorb. Pour in the cold milk gradually while stirring, salt, add nutmeg, and continue stirring, keeping it rather liquid. Cut the cheeses into small dice, and away from the heat, add them a little at a time to the béchamel. Mix again until they melt completely. After heating a small amount of extra virgin olive oil in a pan and sautéing a clove of garlic until golden, add the pre-boiled and chopped spinach, letting them flavor.
Now it is possible to cook the pasta in abundant boiling salted water, drain it while it is still firm, and season it with the cheese sauce along with the spinach. Pour everything into a baking dish, level it with the back of a spoon, and sprinkle the top with Parmigiano and a few knobs of butter. Bake at 190°C for 30 minutes. As soon as a golden crust is seen, carefully remove it from the oven, let it cool slightly, and serve.
For the health-conscious, here's a recipe for whole wheat pasta with 4 cheeses without lactose:
Ingredients for 4 people:
• 320 g whole wheat fusilli
• 50 g Mantuanella
• 80 g Gran Kinara with vegetable rennet
• 100 g Parmigiano Reggiano 30 months
• spices to taste (oregano, marjoram, coriander…)
• half a pack of cooking soy cream
• nutritional yeast to taste
• sea salt
Boil the pasta in plenty of slightly salted water. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 200°C and in a small bowl, combine the various ingredients until you create a homogeneous mixture. Drain the pasta when al dente and mix it with the lactose-free cheese mix.
Put everything in a baking dish, sprinkle with a little more nutritional yeast flakes and spices to taste, and bake for 10 minutes.
Pasta with 4 cheeses: some recommendations
It is evident that it would be preferable to consume pasta with 4 cheeses as soon as possible to savor the deliciousness of a dish that is undoubtedly caloric, yet so tasty and succulent.
The resting time and subsequent cooling of the cheese will tend, as mentioned, to make it thicken and harden in no time, rendering the effort and commitment spent in preparing the dish futile.
For those who want to prepare any cheese sauce in advance, it is enough to cover the mix very well, keep it in the fridge, and consume it within two days. By melting it in a double boiler or a pot with a little milk, its texture will appear velvety and smooth as if just made.
So what are we waiting for? Let’s go choose the cheeses that tempt us the most!
Anna Cesaro
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