American Cheese Month Part 1 - Melt in your mouth Lasagna

*I am a Whole Foods Market Blogger Ambassador. I receive compensation for posts in product or gift cards to purchase product. All opinions are my own. All sources are notated as needed at the end of the post.

Kite Hill Vegan cheese

 October is American Cheese month. A time to recognize North America's diverse and delicious cheeses and all involved in getting it to your table and into your favorite recipes.

The American Cheese Society has named its annual winners for 2014, and it’s a short but distinguished list.  Avalanche Cheese (local to Colorado) was recognized as a winner by the American Cheese Society, and can be bought at Whole Foods Market.  Have any vegan or dairy-free requests? Try the brand new nut-based Kite Hill vegan cheese which is absolutely delicious and entirely dairy-free.

 Stop in Whole Foods Market, Wichita, and talk to a Certified Cheese Professional  (the cheese world’s designation for a “sommelier”) about how best to pair these winners with wines, spreads, and more. 

I spoke to the "on hand cheese man", on my visit to Whole Foods Market, to get the best choices for cheeses for my lasagna dish, and for his recommendation on a good "snacking cheese".  It can be overwhelming, as there are so many to choose from. Take time to meander, study and read the cheese descriptions, have some samples, and speak to their cheese professional before making your selections. 

Wendy with Avalanche Cheese

 You can also find tips for buying, storing, cooking, and wine and beer pairings for cheese at americancheesemonth.org.  

So my cheese adventure begins by incorporating some new flavors and a new richness into my family's favorite lasagna dish. I'm including some step by step photos in case you have never made lasagna, and included my recipe for you to try on your own. I will include the cheeses I purchased at Whole Foods Market in Wichita. 

Follow the jump and come along! 

Oven Lasagna

1 lb of Sausage or beef (I only used about 3/4 of a pound this time)

1 or 2 jars of Spaghetti sauce. (Your favorite brand. I only used one jar for this post, but depending on how many layers, how much meat, and if you add any veggies, you may need at least another 1/2 a jar.)

Pecorino Romano, Fresh Mozzarella, Shaved Parmesan (L-R)

1 cup water

1 15oz container of Ricotta cheese

1 egg slightly beaten

2 cups Mozzarella Cheese

1 cup of Parmesan + 1/2 cup of fresh, fine shred Pecorino Romano cheese.

Lasagna noodles (cooked or oven ready) approximately 9. (I used a 9X13 pan)

1 tsp or dried parsley or Italian seasoning

Shaved Parmigiano Reggiano (optional) for topping at the table.

Heat oven to 375 degrees.

Cook meat, stir in sauce and water.

In a separate bowl combine Ricotta, egg, dried seasoning and 1 cup of Mozzarella and the 1/2 cup of Parmesan and Romano cheeses.

Mix well.

Spread 1 1/2 cups of meat sauce in pan, top with 3 noodles, 1/2 the Ricotta mixture, and 1 cup of meat sauce.  Repeat once. Finish with sauce and slices of Mozzarella and sprinkle Romano cheeses and Italian seasoning across top. 

Cover and bake about 50 minutes, uncover and cook until cheese is fully melted and sauce is bubbly.

Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Mozzarella slicing

crumbly mozzarella

Delicious and melt in your mouth creamy, this was my first time to use fresh cheese, and I immediately noticed the difference. So much more depth of flavor, and a creaminess that is hard to explain other than it "melts in your mouth". The Pecorino Romano Cheese is by Sini Vulvi, and is a hard cheese distributed by WFM. I shredded this finely by hand. The Fresh Mozzarella is from Wisconsin. If you have never used fresh mozzarella such as this it is very milky in flavor with a smooth texture, and it crumbles when you shred it. I did just that to add to my ricotta mixture. Use a sharp knife to finely slice mozzarella to lay across the top of your lasagna. Far worth the extra step and so tasty.  The Shaved Parmigiano Reggiano is a Whole Foods distributed product and the perfect texture and flavor to add that last bit of cheese harmony to your plate. Put this on the table to sprinkle on top. I also think this would be great to add to salad and soups.

Last of the layers  

Fully cooked finished product

Delicious! 

I hope you will go on a cheese adventure soon and explore the cheeses that are not only from all over the world, but from right here in the U.S. 

What is your favorite homemade cheese dish?  What cheese have you been looking to buy, but haven't been able to find?  Or what dish can you skip the processed cheese and replace with fresh cheeses?

Sources:  americancheesemonth.org; Whole Foods Market; recipe: my own.