From hard cheddar to soft goat, chances are cheese ranks high on your list of favorite foods. While small servings of some cheeses can deliver a lot of calories and saturated fat, some options are lighter than others—and you don't have to give any of the ones you love to weight.
The keys to success involve making informed choices and keeping tabs on your serving sizes. If a recipe calls for say, one-fourth of a cup of grated mozzarella, stick to it! (And remember to count those bites, licks, and tastes.) You'll also want to balance out your cheese intake with ZeroPoint™ foods like fresh fruits and veggies, so you can have your creamy, gooey cheese-pulls and stay full, too.
But back to the cheese: The roundup of recipes below serve up cheese, front and center. Incorporate them into your weekly meal rotation, and you'll see how the best tasting foods can keep you satisfied and help you reach your weight loss goal.
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A few rules of thumb before you get cooking:
Big flavor goes a long way! Cheeses with big, bold flavor are great choices because a little bit can deliver a lot of great taste—think feta crumbled on top of a salad, or a pillow of freshly grated Pecorino Romano on a bowl of pasta and vegetables.
Your freezer can help with food prep. If you’re grating or shredding a softer cheese such as Havarti or Gruyère, pop it in the freezer for 15 minutes beforehand and the job will be much easier.
Substitutions are totally allowed! As long as the textures are similar, don’t be afraid to swap your favorite cheese for one that’s called for in a recipe. If Gouda’s your thing, go ahead and use it instead of cheddar.