One cheese, three ways: Goat cheese

I'm a big fan of a cheese tray. But to be honest, I’m an even bigger fan of cooking with cheese. It’s probably my ultimate comfort food, and combining it with other ingredients and serving it for dinner is always a win.

It’s easy to fall into a rut, though, and use the same recipes all the time. So once a month, I’ll share a few ways you can use cheese in a recipe. Give it a try – maybe you’ll find a new favourite! And I’d love to hear about your own favourites in the comment section.

This month I’ll start with goat cheese, an incredibly versatile cheese to cook with. From a pasta salad, to a frittata, to an easy way to dress up sweet potatoes, these recipes are some of my favourites. All of them use a creamy goat cheese rather than a firm one.

Roasted Beet and Goat Cheese Pasta Salad: This is one of my top summer recipes, but the roasted beets mean you can serve it any time of the year.

Sweet Potatoes with Balsamic Reduction (see photo at top): Although it requires a little time (to roast the garlic and sweet potatoes), I can’t think of another recipe that takes so little effort for so brilliant a result. I’ll be the first to admit that I think roasted sweet potatoes go with everything, but here it’s perfectly balanced by the tangy goat cheese.

Pasta frittata with leeks, arugula, goat cheese and mint: Cheese and eggs are always a great combination. This frittata adds leeks, garlic and arugula for great vegetable flavour, and surprises with the addition of cooked pasta and mint. Together it’s one amazing cool-weather frittata.