What is Asiago Cheese?

What is Asiago cheese? It is an Italian cow’s milk cheese from the Veneto region that ranges from smooth and mild when fresh to crumbly and sharp when aged. This guide covers how it tastes, how it melts, and what to make with it.

Types of Asiago Cheese

• Fresh Asiago, called Asiago Pressato. It is soft, smooth, and mild, and it is aged for about a month.
• Aged Asiago, called Asiago d’Allevo. It is firmer and more crumbly, and its flavor gets sharper as it ages.

How Asiago Is Made

Asiago is made from cow’s milk that is curdled with rennet, pressed, salted, and aged. How long it ages decides whether it is a soft, mild cheese or a hard, crumbly one.

What Does Asiago Cheese Taste Like

Fresh Asiago tastes mild and slightly sweet, like fresh milk. Aged Asiago tastes nuttier, sharper, and more savory. Compared to Parmesan, Asiago is nuttier and creamier, and Parmigiano Reggiano is usually a little sharper and more crumbly.

Does Asiago Cheese Melt Well?

Fresh Asiago melts very well, which makes it a good choice for sauces, dips, and sandwiches. Aged Asiago is drier, so it melts less smoothly and can turn grainy if you heat it too high. A few habits help.

• Keep the heat low once the cheese goes in.
• Grate your own cheese, since pre shredded cheese often has anti caking agents.
• Add the cheese a handful at a time.
• Pair aged Asiago with a mild melting cheese such as Monterey Jack, which keeps the sauce creamy while the Asiago adds its nutty, sharp flavor.

How to Use The Asiago Sauce

This sauce is the anchor for several "real food" meals. If you’ve already tried my creamy sauces, this one sits right between a classic blush sauce and a richer cheese sauce in terms of flavor and texture. Here is how you can pair it with other recipes on my site-

• The Ultimate Comfort Pasta Stir this sauce into Fresh Homemade Pasta and top it with Cheesy Meatballs. The salty punch of the Asiago cuts through the richness of the meatballs for a restaurant-quality dinner.
• Gourmet Turkey Burgers Skip the slice of cold cheddar. Pour a ladle of warm Asiago sauce over my Two Ingredient Turkey Burgers just before serving. It keeps the lean turkey meat moist and adds a savory finish.
• Creamy Enchiladas For a twist on Tex-Mex, use this sauce instead of red salsa on Spiced Pork Enchiladas. It creates a rich, Suiza-style white enchilada that is incredibly satisfying.
• Italian Nachos Try my Asiago Cream sauce on my Italian nachos.
• Spinach Casserole Try a drizzle of the asiago cheese sauce over my Spinach Casserole for instant comfort food.

Tips for Buying and Using Asiago

• Check the label to see whether the cheese is fresh or aged, since they cook differently.
• Buy a wedge and grate it yourself for the smoothest melting.
• Wrap leftover Asiago in parchment or wax paper and refrigerate it so it can breathe.
• Use aged Asiago in small amounts, since its flavor is strong.

FAQs

Now that you know what Asiago cheese is, you can choose the right type for the job. Fresh Asiago slices and melts easily, and aged Asiago adds a nutty, sharp flavor to pasta and sauces. Keep the heat low when you melt it, and it stays smooth. Try it in my asiago cheese sauce for an easy start.