Cheese

You'll have extra butternut squash left over after making the ribbons; cut into cubes, toss with olive oil, salt and pepper, and roast for an easy side dish.

This old-school, rectangular pizza bakes right in a sheet tray. The flavorful, doughy crust is thicker than the more standard thin-crusted Neapolitan-style pies.

Any kind of firm, sweet pumpkin or squash can be used for this recipe. If you want a shortcut, you can buy pre-cubed butternut squash. Just make sure the surface of the squash looks fresh and moist.

Use a very sharp cheddar to make this—it's the difference between pimiento cheese and cheesy mayonnaise.

Meat-free but not too virtuous, it's healthy and satisfying.

Parmesan crisps turn this simple fall salad into something extra-special.

I have such fond memories of helping my mom make lasagna as a kid. I was in charge of layering the noodles, sauce, ricotta and mozzarella. Today, my lasagna is a bit lighter than my mom's. Rather than making it as a large tray, I prefer to make them into rolls—which I load up with vegetables—for better portion control. And here I swap tomato sauce for a wonderfully savory Butternut squash sauce with shallots, garlic, and Parmesan cheese.

"Because it's cheese! And nuts! In ball form! Best of all, it's infinitely riffable, as these recipes demonstrate. Hurrah, freedom! Hurrah, cheese balls!"

Set this up in advance and serve it at room temperature. The cheese will be soft enough to scoop with a cracker-and will taste better, too.

The keys to achieving razor-edged triangles: Let the sandwiches cool slightly, then slice with a serrated knife.

The thinly sliced zucchini ribbons replace pasta in this delicious, low-carb, noodle-less dish. This lasagna totally satisfies my cravings for cheesy and indulgent Italian comfort food. It's perfect in the summer when I have tons of garden-fresh zucchini and herbs, but I also love making it during the colder months when I want something hot and comforting. Although it takes a little longer than most of my recipes, it's totally worth it!

Shishito peppers give a mildly spicy kick to this old-school breakfast classic. If you can't find them at your farmer's market, use any chile pepper with a similar heat level, like poblanos or pimentos de Padron.

Toss earthy kale with a bright citrus dressing and finish with a crunch of toasted walnuts. Use baby kale, if possible, for its tender leaves.

Pasta, lush tomatoes, and a pool of ricotta lend this dish all the flavor of a lasagne—without the heaviness.

Although this sweet-tart cheesecake is great with a homemade graham cracker crust, which you can whip up pretty quickly, to make this easy cheesecake even easier, use a 9-inch ready-to-use all-natural graham cracker piecrust. If you like a limier flavor, add a teaspoon of lime zest to the batter (which you can sample before cooking because, thanks to chia, there are no raw eggs to worry about).

We make the shells for these tarts with packaged graham cracker crumbs to save time. If your brown sugar contains hard lumps, force it through a sieve before using. Otherwise, it won't dissolve in the filling.

Think of this as a carbonara, but with tomatoes in place of the eggs.

Jaew is a tart, smoky dipping sauce from Thailand, usually served with grilled meats and sausages. Watson takes it to a Tex-Mex place in this eggy, cheesy rice dish that might remind you of nachos (it works).