Quattro Formaggi Pasta

Cheese is life, at least for those of us who love it. Even if we try to avoid eating it all the time, every now and then we need an extra cheesy fix. Well, my friend, this quattro formaggi pasta is an elegant and balanced way to get that fix. Let’s make it!

What to expect: a balanced cheesy pasta, that’s cheesy but not sickly so. Bite into al dente penne with a creamy cheesy sauce. Taste the strong blue cheese, and the marrying notes of emmental and pecorino. It’s an Italian cheese delight.

What does Quattro Formaggi mean?

Quattro formaggi literally means ‘four cheeses’ in Italian. That’s to indicate a pasta made with four different cheeses, usually an equal mix of hard and soft ones.

Formaggio is the singular for cheese, and formaggi is the plural.

Quattro is number four.

Quattro Formaggi Origins

Unfortunately, this pasta origins are not clear. Considering that butter, cream and cheeses are especially loved and enjoyed in the North of Italy, I would say it was probably invented in the North. However, don’t quote me on that, as I wasn’t there :).

As for the quattro formaggi pizza, Wikipedia says it originated in Lazio around the 18th century.

Whether the pasta or pizza came first, we don’t know, although I have a feeling that’s probably the same as for the Norma. Pasta alla Norma came first, and then in more recent years, someone coined the pizza version.

What cheese to use for Quattro Formaggi Pasta?

To have a balanced, delicious and rich cheesy pasta, the quattro formaggi rule holds that you should combine two hard cheeses, preferably Italian, and two creamy ones.

The options of which cheeses to use are endless; here are the most common ones:

Hard cheeses: Grana Padano, Parmigiano Reggiano, Pecorino, Emmental, Fontina, Provolone.

Creamy cheeses: Gorgonzola aka blue cheese and Philadelphia or Certosino or Stracchino or Taleggio.

What is Quattro Formaggi made of?

Other than the four cheeses combination, you might be wondering what else to put in your Italian pasta cheese sauce. Here are the most common ingredients:

1. butter
2. cooking cream
3. salt and pepper
4. optional parsley
5. pasta, of course

You might also not know that many Italians just use milk instead of cooking cream. They heat it up like we are going to do with cream, and then add the cheeses to melt. The rest of the cooking process is the same. You’ll see it in the recipe below.

Pasta for Quattro Formaggi

Speaking of pasta, and how it’s the essential component of Quattro Formaggi sauce, let’s look at which pasta is best for this recipe.

The most used pasta shape for quattro formaggi is: penne. Try our Artisan Penne Pasta from Italy.

The other pasta shapes Italians love to use when making this cheesy sauce are: farfalle, fusilli, conchiglie, e cavatappi.

Traditional Quattro Formaggi Pasta from Italy

Other Recipes for Cheese Lovers

If you like your cheese, I am pretty sure you’ll appreciate these other recipes:

1. Italian fried eggs with ham and cheese
2. Blue cheese pasta sauce
3. Cheesy 15 minutes Spicy Rigatoni
4. Ham sandwich of dreams (with asiago cheese)
5. Lean Beef Pizzaiola with Mozzarella

Is your mouth drooling? Luckily, those recipes are all quick and easy to make, so grab the ingredients to make them soon.

More Quattro Formaggi Questions