The Best Cheese To Take Savory Breakfast Dishes Into Dinner Territory

According to a 2019 OnePoll study via FoodNavigator USA, the average U.S. adult only eats breakfast three times per week, and for 13% eating breakfast at all is a rarity. But, you know what Americans aren't skipping out on? Cheese. In 2020, the average U.S. consumer ate 40.2 pounds of cheese by themselves, a per-capita increase of five pounds since 2010. Last year, Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin projected that U.S. football fans would devour a record-breaking 20 million pounds of cheese on Superbowl Sunday alone, according to Dairy Herd.

Americans love cheese! And, if you're like many other consumers, there's probably a good chance that cheese has at least some small place on your breakfast table. There's a wide array of cheeses, from provolone to mozzarella, to more unique cheeses like brie noir, Neufchatel, or burrata. But, selecting the right cheese for any recipe is a matter of picking the right tool for the job. There's a reason why pepper jack or queso work brilliantly for topping nachos, but not quite as well in a cheese souffle. Now, we're talking about the breakfast-to-dinner pipeline, and it turns out that one key ingredient for transitioning your savory breakfast dish into dinner territory is (you guessed it) cheese. Here's which one to use.

Without further ado, the perfect cheese for the job is smoked cheddar. Per the authority at Cheese.com, smoked cheddar is a smooth, semi-hard, pale yellow cheese with an Irish origin and a bold smoky taste and aroma. The Academy of Cheese describes smoked cheddar as a "winter cheese," toting smoky, buttery flavors versatile enough to eat by itself or in a savory tart — which, incidentally, makes it a perfect fit for transitioning your Cheesy Sausage Breakfast Casserole to the dinner table.

Epicurious recommends using smoked cheddar to add unexpected depth to an apple Dutch baby recipe, maintaining that the smoked flavor "drives home the savory dinner-worthiness of it all." Bake suggests using smoked cheddar cheese to add a savory flair to biscuits. The Kitchn says that, when combining smoked cheddar with sausage, eggs, sweet apples, and scallions in a casserole, using smoked cheddar cheese "lend[s] smoky creaminess to every bite." In short, smoked cheddar cheese is the glue that makes sweet and savory flavors not only work together but complement each other. Plus, its richness, depth, and smoky flavor elevate a savory breakfast dish to a hearty dinner recipe you'll still be craving in the morning.