Looking for a provolone cheese substitute? Provolone is a versatile Italian cheese with a pleasant aroma and complex flavor profile. This cheese is tasty and can be used in many or your favorite dishes. Read on to find out suitable alternatives.
WHAT IS PROVOLONE CHEESE?
Provolone cheese is a pasta filata, or stretched curd cheese, that is aged. Provolone cheese is from the Campania region of Italy, near Mt. Vesuvius. Often shaped like a pear, provolone can also come in a cone shape that is typical.
Made from cow’s milk, provolone cheese can be very mild if it is young, and becomes more sharp and salty as it is aged. Provolone piccante is aged for a minimum of four months and is sharp and piquant, hence its name. Provolone dolce is sweet and mild and similar to fresh mozzarella cheese in texture and flavor.
Sometimes smoked, provolone cheese comes in a large format as well as smaller size known as provola. Provolone translates to “large provola”, and is also made in Spain, South America, and America. When produced in Italy, provolone cheese has a PDO or protected denomination of origin, making it so that it can only be produced in a particular style in that location.
HOW IS PROVOLONE CHEESE MADE?
Provolone cheese is known as a pasta filata, or stretched curd cheese. Similar in process to how mozzarella cheese is made, provolone is made when fresh calf’s rennet is added to warm cow’s milk causing it to curdle.
The curds then separate from the whey and are scooped out of the liquid whey and kneaded into a stringy and stretchy texture. The provolone cheese is left in a brine, when removed it is typically dipped in wax and left to age.
While mozzarella cheese is traditionally made with ripened buffalo milk, and is consumed as a fresh cheese, provolone is always aged at least two months before it is consumed. Both cheeses have a mild taste, but provolone is slightly tangier and flavorful than mozzarella.
HOW IS PROVOLONE CHEESE USED?
Depending on the age of the provolone, there are ideal uses for young and aged provolone. If provolone is young and still semi soft in texture, provolone is great for melting on a sandwich with protein, or shredded and sprinkled over a casserole.
When provolone is aged it becomes dry, crumbly, and salty. When it is aged it is ideal on a cheese or charcuterie board alongside sweet accompaniments, such as chutney, or with crackers.
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The Best 9 Provolone Cheese Substitutes
Provolone is a versatile Italian cheese that is used in dishes as well as sliced on sandwiches or cheese boards. For this reason there are a bunch of choices when you are looking for another cheese to substitute for provolone. Whether you are making a pizza or a sandwich, these provolone substitutes will step up to the plate and come through in your recipe.
Looking for the right provolone cheese substitute? Keep reading and find out what your best options are.
As I said earlier, mozzarella cheese and provolone cheese are both made in a similar way, causing them to be alike in texture and flavor. Low moisture mozzarella is made from souring fresh mozzarella cheese and then drying it out.
The lack of moisture and higher salt content in this low moisture cheese gives it a longer shelf life and slightly different flavor than fresh mozzarella. This makes low moisture mozzarella a good substitute for provolone, because the texture and flavor are so similar. Sometimes made with buffalo milk when fresh, low moisture mozzarella tends to be made with cow’s milk instead.
Low moisture mozzarella cheese is ideal for shredding and melting on pizza. It is a better choice than fresh mozzarella because it doesn’t make the pizza soggy and melts evenly.
Fontina cheese is an Italian cow’s milk cheese. Fontina is savory and nutty but also a milder cheese. Fontina ranges from a semi soft cheese, to harder the longer it is aged, making it a good provolone cheese substitute.
Fontina was originally made in the Aosta valley of the Alps, and was much funkier in flavor and smell. Since its origination, it has been produced in other countries such as Denmark, Sweden, United States, and France. Typically the Danish and Swedish versions are covered in a red wax.
Fontina cheese is a good melting cheese, making it ideal for grilled cheese sandwiches, pasta, and cheesy dips meant for fresh bread.
Cheddar cheese is a good provolone substitute, especially when similarly aged. Cheddar ranges from semi hard to hard and crumbly when it is aged longer. This makes it sharper in flavor as well.
A cow’s milk cheese originating in Somerset, England, cheddar can be white or orange in color, depending on the addition of annatto, a natural food coloring. What makes cheddar so popular is its versatility and ability to stand out in recipes. It is incredibly meltable and satisfying gooey when melted on a grilled cheese sandwich.
Gruyere cheese is a Swiss cheese known for its creamy, salty, and slightly nutty flavor that becomes stronger as it ages. Unlike some other Swiss cheeses, gruyere does not have holes or eyes throughout, but sometimes has cracks that form from the ageing process.
Gruyere is popular for its meltability and flavor in recipes, making it a good substitute for provolone. Gruyere is commonly found as one of the most popular cheeses in fondue, and also the top choice in the french sandwich the croque monsieur, where it is melted on bread with ham and topped with bechamel. It is also commonly used as the cheese topping for french onion soup.
Muenster cheese, or munster cheese, is a french cheese originating in the Alsace region of France. The versatile semi soft cow’s milk cheese was originally made in a monastery.
Muenster is often confused for a German cheese, named after the city of Muenster in Germany, but it is in fact named for the city of Munster in Alsace. Muenster cheese is a good provolone substitute because it is a more mild cheese than most. Unlike provolone, when muenster cheese ages it becomes more pungent and does not get harder.
Muenster’s meltability makes it a great choice for macaroni and cheese, tuna melts, and cheeseburgers.
Monterey jack cheese is an American cheese from California. It is similar in texture to a young provolone cheese, and has a very mild flavor that can be used in lots of recipes.
Monterey jack cheese or jack cheese is a semi soft cow cheese that is often marbled with colby cheese, making the popular cheese colby-jack. When peppers are added to monterey jack, it is called pepper-jack and has a mild spicy flavor.
While typically not aged more than one month, there is a dry aged variety not commonly found, which takes on a similar texture to an aged provolone or parmesan.
Monterey jack is a tasty sandwich cheese that happily accompanies cold cuts. Try monterey jack as you would muenster, melted over a hamburger or stirred into a bechamel to make macaroni and cheese.
Another Swiss style cheese, emmental cheese is a worthwhile choice to check out as a substitute for provolone cheese. Known for its holes throughout, emmental is a semi hard cheese that is pale yellow and made of cow’s milk.
Emmental is typically savory and mild, with a nutty flavor that is typical of Swiss and alpine style cheeses. Another common cheese found in fondue, emmental is often sliced on a sandwich as well as melted in a number of different cooked dishes.
Edam cheese is a cheese from the Netherlands made from cow’s milk, and sometimes goat’s milk. It is known for its red wax coating and spherical shape.
Like most cheeses, edam becomes more flavorful the longer it ages, having little to no smell and a very mild taste when it is young. Similar to provolone, it has a versatile taste that lends itself to lots of recipes, making it an ideal substitute.
Edam cheese is good on a cheeseboard with dried fruit and jams. Its subtle salty taste pairs well with nuts. Try it the next time you are building a board for friends.
Gouda cheese is the final cheese on this list of provolone substitutes. Gouda ranges from a soft cheese when it is young, to a hard cheese with a crunch from crystals that form over time when aged. When gouda is young it is an ideal substitute for provolone.
Gouda cheese is a dutch cheese that is often covered with a wax rind to protect it during the ageing process. The best way to enjoy gouda, in my opinion, is when it’s aged and on a cracker with accompaniments. When gouda is younger, slice it and enjoy it on a sandwich for a delicious treat.
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