What Is Mozzarella Cheese?

Mozzarella cheese is an Italian white cheese traditionally made with buffalo milk. However, most modern-day mozzarella cheese is made from cow’s milk. Mozzarella comes in many varieties such as fresh, smoked, and low moisture. Fresh Mozzarella is semi-soft and sold inside of a brine. Low moisture, or aged mozzarella, is much harder with less water content, and commonly used for melted applications.

What Does Mozzarella Cheese Taste Like?

Mozzarella is a very creamy, mildly tasting cheese. Fresh mozzarella has a milky, delicate flavor, while low moisture mozzarella is slightly tangier and saltier. 

How Can You Eat Mozzarella Cheese?

Mozzarella’s mild flavor makes it a suitable addition to many different meals. One way to serve fresh Mozzarella is to slice it and serve it with tomatoes, basil, and olive oil as a Caprese salad. Low moisture mozzarella’s texture makes it great for shredding and melting and is a favorite for Italian-American favorites like pizza and lasagna. 

Where Can You Buy Mozzarella Cheese?

Find Mozzarella at any well-stocked grocery store. Find pre-packaged blocks and shreds of low moisture mozzarella in the dairy aisle near the other packaged cheeses. Fresh and smoked varieties will be in the specialty cheese section or deli of your grocery store. 

How Do You Store Mozzarella Cheese?

Refrigerate all varieties of mozzarella cheese to keep them fresh. Store fresh mozzarella in an airtight container in its brine or cold water, and make sure to use it within a week of opening. For low moisture blocks of cheese, wrap them in wax paper and keep them in the deli drawer for up to three weeks. Keep pre-packaged shreds and slices in their packages and used within two weeks of opening, and toss them in the trash if mold occurs.

Fun Fact About Mozzarella Cheese:

Most of the Mozzarella cheese that you find here in the U.S. is cow’s milk cheese. If you want to try buffalo mozzarella, look for the label that reads mozzarella di bufala.

Did you know?

Mozzarella cheese is high in protein! One ounce of mozzarella contains about 8 grams of protein. That is more protein than the amount in one egg!

Recipes Using Mozzarella

Watch our lasagna video cooking lesson for kids to see how we use mozzarella in that dish.

Ricotta and Zucchini Cannelloni

This recipe replaces cannelloni pasta for zucchini for a healthier version of stuffed pasta that is just as tasty. In a bowl, mix ricotta, spinach, eggs, and parsley. Place one tablespoon of the mixture at one end of a think strip of zucchini, and roll it up. Place the rolls into a baking dish layered with tomato sauce and top each roll with more tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese. Bake until the zucchini is tender and the cheese is bubbly.

Caprese Salad

This classic salad recipe involves no cooking and can be prepared in five minutes. On a cutting board, cut thick slices of tomato and fresh mozzarella cheese. On a serving platter, alternate tomato, mozzarella, and fresh basil leaves that have been washed and dried. Season the salad with salt, pepper, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar glaze for a light and refreshing salad.

Breakfast Pizza

Who said you shouldn’t have pizza for breakfast? To make it, place prepared pizza dough onto a baking sheet. To the pizza dough, add shredded and fresh mozzarella, minced garlic, spinach, crumbled sausage, and a splash of heavy cream. Season it with salt and pepper and partially bake it until the ingredients begin to cook. Take the pizza out and crack some eggs in the center. Put the pizza back in the oven to cook the eggs and brown the crust.

Barley Stuffed Peppers With Mozzarella

Stuff bell pepper halves with cooked barley, mushrooms, mozzarella, and parmesan cheese for an easy, school night dinner. Top the stuffed bell peppers with parsley and breadcrumbs and bake until the peppers are tender and the cheese has melted. This recipe also works well with other mild peppers such as Poblanos or Anaheim peppers.

Smoked Mozzarella and Pasta Salad

This pasta salad made with homemade dressing and smoked mozzarella is perfect served cold or at room temperature and is great to pack for a picnic or school lunch. In a blender or food processor, mix parmesan cheese, parsley, mayonnaise, vinegar, garlic, and cayenne pepper until smooth. Combine the dressing with cooked short-length pasta, like penne, cubed smoked mozzarella, roasted red peppers, and baby spinach.