Healthy Highlight: Gouda

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Just to stay on our "Charcuterie Board" theme for the next month or so, let's talk about another cheese that we love to see on a snack board. Gouda is a smooth, creamy cheese, often strong and salty in flavor. It is much lower in calories than cheddar and is even richer in protein. Grab a wheel of smoked or aged cheddar to bring your homemade meat and cheese board up a notch. 

  • A 1-ounce serving of Gouda contains 7.1 grams of Protein, 198 mg of Calcium, and 155 mg of Phosphorus
  • Gouda is very low in carbs, like many other cheeses, but the only carbs that are found in Gouda cheese are natural sugar from cow's milk
  • Gouda is a good source of high-quality protein, the 7.1 grams per ounce has all of the essential amino acids
  • There are many vitamins and minerals in Gouda. A one ounce serving contains 10% or more of the daily value for Calcium, Phosphorus, Zinc, and Vitamin B12
  • This is not a cheese you need to avoid because you are lactose intolerant. Gouda has very little lactose and is easy to digest. 

Recipes:

Creamy Gouda Cheese Cauliflower Bake (Aprettylifeinthesuburbs.com)

  • 1 head Cauliflower, cut into bite sized pieces
  • 2 tablespoons Butter
  • 2 tablespoons Flour
  • 1 3/4 cup Whole Milk
  • Salt and Fresh Ground Pepper
  • 1 teaspoon Dry Mustard
  • 1 1/2 cup grated Gouda Cheese
  • 1/4 cup grated Gouda Cheese for the top
  • chopped Green Onion for garnish
  1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
  2. First cook the cauliflower. In a pot of boiling water, boil the cauliflower pieces for about 3 minutes…you don’t want them to cook fully, just until slightly tender. Drain, and set aside.
  3. In a skillet over medium heat, melt the butter then stir in the flour. Cook for about 1 minute.
  4. Slowly whisk in the whole milk, and stir until thickened.  This should take about 4-5 minutes.
  5. Season with salt, pepper and the dry mustard. Mix well.
  6. Stir in the grated cheese until melted.
  7. Add the cooked cauliflower pieces to a baking dish, then pour on the cheese sauce.
  8. Sprinkle the extra cheese over the top.
  9. Bake for 40 – 45 minutes.
  10. When done baking you may find the dish a bit watery, but just give it a good stir before serving and it will be nice and creamy.
  11. Sprinkle on some chopped green onion, and serve.

Gluten-Free Gouda and Spinach Shells and Cheese (Naturallyella.com)

  • 6 ounces Gluten Free Pasta Shells (Or whichever you prefer)
  • 2 tablespoons Unsalted Butter
  • 2 cloves Garlic, minced
  • 1/2 teaspoon Sea Salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon Black Pepper
  • 2 tablespoons Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour
  • 1 1/2 cups Whole Milk
  • 4 ounces Smoked Gouda, shredded
  • 2 ounces Mozzarella, shredded
  • 2 cups packed shredded Spinach
  1. Preheat the oven to 375 ̊F (190 ̊C, or gas mark 5). Bring a pot of water to a boil and cook pasta according to box (make sure you don’t overcook the pasta!)
  2. In a saucepan, melt the butter and add the minced garlic, salt, and pepper over medium-low heat. Cook until the garlic is fragrant, 60 seconds . Add the gluten-free flour and cook for another minute. Stir in the milk and heat until thickened, 5 to 6 minutes. Remove from the heat and add half (3 ounces) of the cheese.
  3. In a 9 by 9-inch (23 by 23 cm) baking dish (or its equivalent), combine the pasta with spinach then pour the cheese sauce over, stirring until well combined. Top with the remaining half of the cheese. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the cheese is bubbling and golden brown on top.

Smoked Gouda and Bacon Dip (Pillsbury.com)

  • 1 can (11 oz) refrigerated Pillsbury Original French Bread
  • 8 ounces Smoked Gouda, shredded
  • 1 package (8 ounces) Cream Cheese, softened
  • 1/2 cup Mayo
  • 1/2 cup Sour Cream
  • 1/8 teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper
  • 1 cup chopped, cooked Bacon
  • 1/4 cup sliced Green Onions
  1. Heat oven to 350°F. Bake French loaf as directed on can; cool before slicing.
  2. Meanwhile, spray 9-inch pie plate with cooking spray. In medium bowl, mix Gouda cheese, cream cheese, mayonnaise, sour cream and crushed red pepper; mix on low speed with electric mixer until well mixed. Reserve 2 tablespoons bacon for topping; set aside. Stir in remaining bacon and 3 tablespoons of the green onion.
  3. Transfer mixture to pie plate. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until dip is heated through. Top with remaining bacon and green onions. Serve hot dip with sliced French bread.