27 Main-Dish Cheese Recipes for Dinner

Recipes

The “Beef. It’s What’s for Dinner” commercial from the early ’90s is seared into my mind like steak on a grill. Lately, though, red meat rarely appears on my plate. My weeknight move for making satiating meals in shockingly little time is the other other white meat—cheese. It’s a rich source of protein that will keep you full, and it can be cooked in all sorts of ways.

For anyone who wants to eat more vegetarian meals, cheese is the answer. You can certainly grate a block of cheddar over your salad, but the dairy aisle offers quite a few more options these days. Grab any variety that catches your eye and what once seemed like a side can easily turn into a hearty main. Look for salty finishers like Cotija, rich orbs of buffalo mozzarella and burrata, grill-friendly Halloumi, dense planks of paneer, and crumbly feta. Each one offers something unique, and they’ll all help you get dinner on the table as fast as a catchy commercial might have you believe.

Scroll on for my favorite recipes that prove dairy is the main dish.

  • recipes Halloumi meatballs in sauce in a bowl

    Photograph by Heami Lee, Food Styling by Pearl Jones, Prop Styling by Maggie DiMarco

    1/27

    Recipes Halloumi No-Meat Balls

    Shredded Halloumi cheese stars in these meatless meatballs, a worthy vegetarian substitution that adds savory richness of its own.

  • Photograph by Heami Lee, Food Styling by Pearl Jones, Prop Styling by Maggie DiMarco

    2/27

    Recipes Cabbage and Burrata Salad With Spicy Tahini

    This dinner salad combines decadent burrata cheese with a spicy tahini dressing that clings to every crinkly leaf of Napa cabbage.

Read More

Latest

Deuterium in comets tells interesting tales

Science & Nature Comets have played an interesting role...

Homo floresiensis Probably Didn’t Hunt Stegodons or Use Fire

Science & Nature When paleoanthropologists announced the discovery of...

31 alien-like marine species discovered off the coast of Brazil

Science & Nature A ghostly squid, speedy gossamer worm,...

The American revolutionaries who popularized science in the early United States

Science & Nature Benjamin Franklin and other citizen scientists...

Newsletter

Don't miss

Deuterium in comets tells interesting tales

Science & Nature Comets have played an interesting role...

Homo floresiensis Probably Didn’t Hunt Stegodons or Use Fire

Science & Nature When paleoanthropologists announced the discovery of...

31 alien-like marine species discovered off the coast of Brazil

Science & Nature A ghostly squid, speedy gossamer worm,...

The American revolutionaries who popularized science in the early United States

Science & Nature Benjamin Franklin and other citizen scientists...

Urevo CyberPad Office walking pad review: Get your steps in without stopping work

Science & Nature With a compact build and a...

Business seminar in Munich highlights Hong Kong’s strategic roles amidst global shifts (with photos)

Business seminar in Munich highlights Hong Kong's strategic roles amidst global shifts (with photos) ******************************************************************************************      The Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, Berlin (HKETO Berlin), promoted Hong Kong's unique advantages and strategic roles at the seminar "Hong Kong's strategic role amidst geopolitical tensions" on June 18 (Munich time) in Munich, Germany.             Senior executives, investors

AI for business services: From job fears to productivity

AI for business services: From job fears to productivity

Business Insurance-AZ Achieves Record Response Times for 2026 Arizona Construction Bids

Business Insurance-AZ achieves milestone response speeds for commercial construction bids across Arizona, accelerating documentation delivery to keep local projects moving forward without delay. Phoenix, AZ, June 06-2026, ZEX PR WIRE — Business Insurance-AZ has achieved record-breaking processing speeds and response times for commercial construction bids throughout Arizona, directly supporting the state’s massive infrastructure and advanced manufacturing boom