Don't Sleep On Monterey Jack Cheese For A Delicious Homemade Pizza (2024)

Jessica Fleming-Montoya

·3-min read

When you need a meal that's sure to keep all your party guests happy, pizza is an obvious go-to. And while most people choose to order a pizza to save a bit of time, you can also make your own tasty creations at home. Not only can this be a fun activity to get your guests involved at mealtime, but it also means that you can move away from the typical pepperoni and mozzarella toppings and try something new instead.

One way to get a truly mouthwatering pie, just like you'd find at your local pizza joint, is to use Monterey Jack cheese in lieu of traditional mozzarella. It's a soft cheese that melts well and also browns nicely, giving you a beautiful, gooey finish to your dish. Plus, it has a mild flavor, making it perfect for adding to cheese blends or for using on its own and pairing with a wide range of different pizza toppings.

Read more: 8 Baking Sheet Mistakes You Want To Avoid

Why Monterey Jack Works So Well For Pizza And How To Use It

Monterey Jack cheese originally hails from Californiaand is a semi-hard young cheese. It's still aged, but only for a minor amount of time, typicallyonly for a few weeks to a few months. Young cheeses tend to be softer than old cheese, and they also tend to melt better, giving you that gooey, stretchy look that gets your mouth watering.

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As for flavor, Monterrey Jack has a buttery taste, as opposed to the milky flavor of mozzarella. It also has nutty undertones to it, and you can also find variations on it, which come with their own additional tasting notes added to the mix. For instance, there's Pepper Jack, which features jalapeños and other peppers to give it a slight kick.Another variety isDry Jack, which is an aged variety of this cheese and has a tang similar to that of aged cheddar. This could work well mixed with other, younger cheeses for easier melting or sprinkled on top of your baked pizza as a finishing touch.

What To Pair With Your Monterey Jack Cheese Pizza

Don't Sleep On Monterey Jack Cheese For A Delicious Homemade Pizza (3)

If you're going to use Monterey Jack on your pie, it pays to know that you can also pair it with a few other underrated pizza cheeses for an even more mouthwatering flavor combo. For instance, pairing it with some feta can be a great way to add some more richness to the Monterey Jack and add some tangy notes to your meal. Or, you could add a sharpness by adding a bit of cheddar or Asiago cheese instead.

Besides playing around with cheeses, you can also experiment with different sauces. Ramp up the buttery taste of the Monterey Jack by making a white pizza, for instance. Or, play on its nutty undertones by using a pesto sauce.

Finally, there are the veggies and toppings to think about. Because Monterey Jack is quite mild, it can work with just about anything you choose to add to your pizza. Buttery, caramelized onions could work, sausage, spinach — it's up to you which proteins and veggies you prefer on your pie. Next time you make homemade pizza, give Monterey Jack cheese a whirl and see what topping combos strike your fancy!

Read the original article on Daily Meal.

Don't Sleep On Monterey Jack Cheese For A Delicious Homemade Pizza (2024)

FAQs

Don't Sleep On Monterey Jack Cheese For A Delicious Homemade Pizza? ›

One way to get a truly mouthwatering pie, just like you'd find at your local pizza joint, is to use Monterey Jack cheese in lieu of traditional mozzarella. It's a soft cheese that melts well and also browns nicely, giving you a beautiful, gooey finish to your dish.

Does Monterey Jack cheese taste good on pizza? ›

Monterey jack and feta: Monterey jack melts well, making it a great pizza cheese. Feta, meanwhile, is quickly becoming an American favorite and provides a delicious contrast to jack's mild and buttery taste. Feta carries a salty, tangy taste and its crumbly texture brings a new element to the mouthfeel of your slice.

What is the best cheese for homemade pizza? ›

What is the best melting cheese for pizza? The undisputed king of meltiness for cheese toppings is mozzarella. Classic mozzarella has the ideal balance of moisture, elasticity, and fat content for meltability.

Can you use Monterey Jack instead of mozzarella for pizza? ›

10. Monterey Jack Cheese. Monterey Jack, with its mild flavor and excellent melting properties, is a versatile choice for pizza. Its creamy texture and subtle taste make it an ideal base for layering flavors, especially when combined with more assertive cheeses or a variety of toppings.

Is Monterey Jack cheese healthier than cheddar? ›

The nutritional values of Monterey Jack and Cheddar are nearly identical. However, Cheddar contains more fat and sodium than Monterey Jack. Monterey Jack may be the way to go if you watch your salt and fat intake.

What is Monterey Jack cheese best for? ›

Monterey jack's excellent melting properties make it a natural for Mexican and Tex-Mex cuisines, as well as soups, pasta casseroles, cheesy dips, and, of course, mac and cheese.

Does Monterey Jack cheese melt? ›

Monterey Jack is the cheese goddess of melting. With a high fat and moisture content, this semi-hard American cheese will melt on cue for baked pasta, grilled cheese sandwiches, and any quesadilla it lays its eyes on.

What cheeses do Italians use on their pizza? ›

The Best Italian Cheese for Pizza
  • Mozzarella: The Staple of Pizza Cheeses.
  • Buffalo Mozzarella: Creamy and Rich.
  • Scamorza: Smoky and Versatile.
  • Mascarpone: Silky Smooth.
  • Provolone: Sharp and Full-Bodied.
  • Pecorino Romano: Bold and Salty.
  • Ricotta: Delicate and Creamy.
  • Taleggio: Soft and Melty.
Apr 19, 2024

Which cheese is used in Domino's pizza? ›

Dominos uses a mix of cheese, made up of mozzarella, Pecarino, Parmesan, and asiago cheeses.

What kind of cheese do little caesars use? ›

Little Caesars products are made with quality ingredients, like fresh, never frozen, mozzarella and Muenster cheese and sauce made from fresh-packed, vine-ripened California crushed tomatoes.

What is the difference between Colby Jack and Monterey Jack? ›

Therefore, the flavors of Colby and Monterey Jack typically are milder and sweeter than a mild Cheddar. Colby typically is colored a medium-yellow using annatto, while Monterey Jack is not colored. Colby Jack, a blend of Colby and Monterey Jack cheeses, can be made in various ways, McCoy notes.

Is Monterey Jack cheese stretchy? ›

On first glance, the sandwich made with cheddar cheese looks pretty similar to that made with Monterey Jack when pulled apart. But the reason Monterey Jack outranks cheddar is because it stretched way further before breaking. Dramatic, definitely. But not nearly as impressive as the stretchiest cheese of them all...

What cheese tastes closest to Monterey Jack? ›

What cheese is most like Monterey Jack? Havarti cheese is the most similar substitute, offering a buttery flavor and creamy texture like Monterey Jack. Other close matches are aged gouda, muenster, and mild cheddar.

Why is Monterey Jack so good? ›

Monterey Jack Cheese melts very well. This makes it great for grilled cheese or nachos. Its flavor also works very well with Spanish and Mexican dishes. The texture also makes it suitable for grating over dishes.

Does Monterey Jack taste like mozzarella? ›

As for flavor, Monterrey Jack has a buttery taste, as opposed to the milky flavor of mozzarella. It also has nutty undertones to it, and you can also find variations on it, which come with their own additional tasting notes added to the mix.

What is the most healthiest cheese in the world? ›

Which cheese is healthiest? Cottage cheese is probably the healthiest cheese, Rizzo says. “It's lower in saturated fat and higher in protein than most other cheese,” she explains.

Can I use Monterey Jack cheese instead of mozzarella in lasagna? ›

The four different types of cheese make this lasagna a real crowd-pleaser. You can vary the amount of mozzarella, Monterey Jack, provolone and Parmesan to suit your preference. For our family, the more cheese, the better.

What cheese can I use instead of mozzarella for pizza? ›

The Best Mozzarella Cheese Substitutes – Dairy
  • Gruyère Cheese. ...
  • Cheddar. ...
  • Swiss Cheese. ...
  • Ricotta Cheese. ...
  • Emmental Cheese. ...
  • Comté Cheese. ...
  • Provolone Cheese. ...
  • Fontina Cheese.

Is Monterey Jack cheese better than cheddar for nachos? ›

"Those tend to be extra crumbly, which isn't great for nachos," says Perry. Choose a combination of cheeses for both flavor and meltability. A Monterey Jack cheese will have the oozy-melty quality sought after in the best nachos, while a standard sharp cheddar will offer a little tang.

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