Thinking of what cheese goes best with turkey for that leftover turkey sandwich? We’ve got you covered with this delicious list of cheeses. Try these and choose which cheeses you love with this fowl.
Turkey is a well-known and well-loved protein in the United States. We all know that turkey is the star of Thanksgiving dinner but it’s not only enjoyed during that time of the year.
Since Americans started to become more conscious of their diet, turkey has become more and more popular not just for Thanksgiving but also for 365 days in a year. Turkey has replaced beef, pork, and even chicken. Studies show that this lean meat is a healthier alternative to the fattier meats that we typically enjoy.
The best part about turkey is that it’s so versatile. They were right in saying that you can do anything with it and it can substitute other meats. Turkey is turned into meatballs, meatloaves, roasts, BBQ, and even cold cuts.
Now, to maximize the use and flavors of turkey, we need to be able to pair it with the right kinds of food. One of the best ingredients we’ve ever known is cheese. If turkey tastes good with cheese, then we can toss out all the other meats.
Here’s a list of cheeses that go well with turkey.
Table of Contents
1. Havarti
Havarti is a subtle cheese with notes of creamy butter. Havarti can be soft and semi-firm but it retains its moisture. It’s an enjoyable cheese to have with turkey, oven-roasted turkey most especially because its slightly acidic taste compliments the flavor of the well-seasoned turkey.
2. Asiago
Asiago is an Italian cheese that is close to Parmesan cheese but it’s even more nutty and buttery. This makes a good pairing with oven-roasted turkey because its nuttiness and pungent flavor harmonize with the turkey. It’s a good added flavor in your mouth together with the cheese.
3. Gouda
Gouda has a rich, nutty, and caramel-like taste. It’s often creamy and perfect for sandwiches. If you’re making yourself a nice leftover turkey sandwich post-Thanksgiving, you might want to consider throwing in some Gouda slices into your sandwich. The flavor of the Gouda shines through the sandwich without overpowering the leftover turkey meat and it also goes well with the gravy.
4. Provolone
Provolone has a subtle nuttiness to it with a slightly spicy flavor. Provolone is typically used as a sandwich cheese because it often comes mild. The subtle flavor of provolone goes perfectly well with turkey because it’s not too overpowering for this quite subtle tasting bird.
5. Mozzarella
Mozzarella is like a universal cheese. It’s subtle in flavor, buttery and milky. What we love most about mozzarella is its stringy character most especially when melted. Mozzarella cheese should be served with turkey with bread. Think of it as a mini pizza with turkey as the topping instead of pepperoni.
6. Colby Jack
Colby Jack is a smooth, mild, and tangy cheese. It’s perfect to serve it in a turkey burger because it’s an overall perfect American cheese to have. If you’re using turkey meat as a sub for beef for the burger, Colby Jack would make the experience furthermore authentic.
7. Monterey Jack
Monterey Jack is a cheese that melts well. This is absolutely the first thing we love about it because it’s a no-brainer that it already tastes so great. Monterey Jack, just like Colby Jack, is an all-time favorite American cheese to use in sandwiches. It’s buttery and naturally sweet. It’s perfect for grilled cheese sandwiches and even possible to add to mac and cheese with turkey meatballs.
8. Cheddar
This very orange cheese is probably the standard of what a cheese looks like in any country that is heavenly influenced by the United States. Cheddar is not just used in most American dishes but it’s also plastered on junk food bags. Most cheese-flavored chips are flavored with cheddar cheese. Turkey is definitely part of this bandwagon. Cheddar is milky, salty, and sometimes sharp. It goes perfectly well with turkey meatloaf and you can also add it to turkey sandwiches.
9. Emmental
Emmental cheese is definitely one of our ultimate favorites. Its flavor is sweet and intricate. It has some notes of hazelnut and ripe fruit. We love this cheese because it compliments the subtle flavor of turkey. If you’re making a turkey cold cuts sandwich, we suggest adding Emmental cheese to the mix.
10. Fresh Mozzarella
Just like its firmer counterpart, fresh mozzarella also tastes good with turkey. If you’re having some cold shredded turkey on a bed of green, simply add some fresh mozzarella balls to it and lightly season with salt and pepper. This is a delicious mix of healthy and subtle ingredients.
