21 Healthyish Recipes For People Who Can't Live Without Cheese

It's all gouda.

Amy Sefton / Via BuzzFeed Life

Cheese is delicious, obviously, but it can be hard to eat healthy when your current diet is around 50% cheddar. While we would never expect you to just stop eating cheese entirely, there are ways to pair it with vegetables, lean protein, and other unprocessed ingredients so that it's at least slightly more nourishing. If that sounds good to you, here are some recipes with whole, healthy foods and smart substitutes so you can have your cheesecake and eat it too.

And, OK, sure, you might want to take it down a notch cheese-wise depending on your body composition goals (more info on that here) but if you're really just looking to make your favorite cheesy dishes healthier, these recipes are a good place to start.

1. Cheese Pizza With a Cauliflower Pesto Crust

Lindsay Henry / Via vodkaandbiscuits.com

That crust is made with cauliflower, pesto, and MORE CHEESE. Plus, a slice is under 100 calories.

Find the recipe here, via Vodka and Biscuits.

2. Swiss Chard and Bacon Quesadilla

Min Kwon / Via mjandhungryman.com

It's a quesadilla but fancier. This one pairs gruyère cheese with swiss chard, chickpeas, bacon, and a whole wheat tortilla.

Find the recipe here, via MJ and Hungry Man.

3. Cheesy Baked Zucchini Noodle Casserole

Elise Bauer / Via simplyrecipes.com

The new trend is spiralizing your veggies into noodles, and the cool trend is baking them under a blanket of cheese.

Find the recipe here, via Simply Recipes.

4. Mixed Greens With Warm Breaded Goat Cheese

Linda Spiker / Via theorganickitchen.org

What makes a salad absolute perfection? Disks of warm breaded goat cheese.

Find the recipe for this classic French dish here, via The Organic Kitchen.

5. Skinny Baked Mozzarella Sticks

http://www.thecomfortofcooking.com/2013/01/skinny-baked-mozzarella-sticks.html

http://www.thecomfortofcooking.com/2013/01/skinny-baked-mozzarella-sticks.html

Panko breadcrumbs and skim mozzarella make this classic recipe a little lighter, without sacrificing all the gooey goodness.

Find the recipe here, via The Comfort of Cooking.

6. Pepperoni Pizza Cauliflower Casserole

Mellissa Sevigny / Via ibreatheimhungry.com

It's a low-carb pizza-in-a-dish with 10 grams of protein per serving.

Find the recipe here, via I Breathe I'm Hungry.

7. Chipotle Black Bean Twice-Baked Sweet Potatoes

Morgan Eisenberg / Via hostthetoast.com

You can't go wrong with sweet potatoes, black beans, and melted cheese.

Find the recipe here, via Host The Toast.

8. Zucchini Noodles With Ricotta, Bacon, and Peas

Danae Halliday / Via reciperunner.com

This healthier take on spaghetti carbonara is full of veggies, creamy ricotta cheese, peas, and bacon.

Find the recipe here, via RecipeRunner.

9. Skinny Broccoli Cheddar Soup

Jen / Via thescrumptiouspumpkin.com

Packed with veggies, but tastes like Panera.

Find the recipe here, via The Scrumptious Pumpkin.

10. Spaghetti Squash Lasagna Boats

Natalie Gruendl / Via tasteslovely.com

Spaghetti squash is the perfect low-carb vessel for cheesy lasagna.

Find the recipe here, via Tastes Lovely.

11. Cauliflower Crust Grilled Cheese

Jennifer Lee / Via kirbiecravings.com

Swap the carbs for this cauliflower "bread" and keep ALL the cheese.

Find the recipe here, via Kirbie Cravings.

12. Baked Eggplant Parmesan Stacks

Maggie Jones / Via homesweetjones.com

Cheese, tomato sauce, and eggplant. Nailed it.

Find the recipe here, via Home Sweet Jones.

13. Sweet Potato and Spinach Mac 'n' Cheese

Gina / Via runningtothekitchen.com

Sneaking sweet potatoes and spinach into mac 'n' cheese won't make it any less cozy. Promise.

Find the recipe here via Running to the Kitchen.

14. Philly Cheesesteak Stuffed Peppers

Skinny Mom / Via skinnymom.com

Instead of a plain old hero roll, eat your cheesesteak in green peppers.

Find the recipe here via Skinny Mom.

15. Chopped Mozzarella and Tomato Caprese Salad

Becky Hardin / Via thecookierookie.com

This salad is super simple, easy, and full of soft delicious mozzarella.

Find the recipe here, via Cookie Rookie.

16. Skinny Chicken Enchiladas

Lindsay / Via pinchofyum.com

Chicken + corn salsa + cheddar cheese + corn tortillas + avocado + MORE cotija cheese, all baked to bubbly perfection.

Find the recipe here via Pinch of Yum.

17. Healthy Crustless Veggie Quiche

Sally McKenny / Via sallysbakingaddiction.com

Eating your eggs and veggies in cheesy pie form? Breakfast doesn't get much better than that.

Find the recipe here, via Sally's Baking Addiction.

18. High-Protein Healthy Baked Ziti

Lizzie Fuhr / Via popsugar.com

This recipe calls for nonfat Greek yogurt, low-fat cottage cheese, and chicken to go along with the THREE KINDS of cheeses.

Find the recipe here, via POPSUGAR Fitness.

19. Stuffed Mushrooms With Creamed Kale and Manchego

Phoebe Lapine / Via feedmephoebe.com

These shrooms are filled with creamy cannellini beans, cooked kale, and plenty of manchego cheese — which makes them your new favorite Thanksgiving appetizer.

Find the recipe here, via Feed Me Phoebe.

20. Healthier Potatoes Au Gratin

Jen / Via thescrumptiouspumpkin.com

Potatoes and cauliflower, covered in cheese. Have you ever seen anything so beautiful?

Find the recipe here, via The Scrumptious Pumpkin.

21. A Healthier Cheese Plate

Amanda Plott / Via theskinnyfork.com

OK, so this is basically JUST cheese, but there are healthier options for your cheese plate and ways to control portion sizes so you cut the extra fat and sugar when you're hanging out at the hors d'oeuvres table.

Find out how to build a better cheese plate here, via The Skinny Fork.

Happy cheesin'!

danphrinite.tumblr.com / Nickelodeon / Via vanjenn.tumblr.com