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I am allergic to parmesean cheese - any aged cheese really (due to the mold created from the aging process). However, I can eat blue cheese. I'm making a ricotta gnocchi that calls for parmesan. What can I use as a substitute?

Debbie M.
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Gina
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  • Possible duplicate of [Substitutes for cheese due to allergy.](http://cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/37311/substitutes-for-cheese-due-to-allergy) – Debbie M. Nov 29 '15 at 16:32
  • @DebbieM., the other question deals with histamine and other allergens, OP explicitly states mold, which is not covered. Bordering health advice, but no duplicate. – Stephie Nov 29 '15 at 17:02

3 Answers3

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Some cheeses, especially here in the Netherlands, are covered in a plastic layer to prevent moulds from gaining access to the product. If the molds are indeed all you are allergic to, you might want to try an aged Gouda cheese as a substitute for Parmesan.

It will provide you with a very similar taste, provided you go for the really aged kinds, like This brand that is sold internationally

To get the effect that you would normally get from Parmesan you need to get a cheese that was aged at least 10 months, otherwise it will be too creamy and might ruin the texture of your dish.

Richard ten Brink
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I don't see any reason why you couldn't sub in bleu cheese for parmagian. I'm Sicilian and this sounds good. I have made various types of gnocchi over the years but never thought of bleu!

What is the proportion of the cheeses, bread crumbs/flour, egg and/or spinach? The only problem you might have is that the bleu may have more moisture than it should have and could melt out in boiling. If it's only a tablespoon or two, it should be okay. Make sure the bleu is very finely crumbled so that the bread crumbs and/or flour can contain and absorb it better.

If you're making the recipe I think you are and have made it before, all you have to do, if too moist, is to add just a little more bread crumbs. That's all.

Would you be able to make 1/4 of the recipe to test?

If you're not allergic to Romano, you can sub that in without any adjustments. It's just a teeny bit saltier.

Cooking is a journey for all of us. We each have our different ovens, altitudes, ingredients and recipes we like to 'fix' to make it unique and ours.

Patti Scozzafava
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  • bleu still uses mold, it's just a different mold. So although this might be a good subtitution in general, it might not be so great for this particular person. – Joe Nov 17 '16 at 19:41
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Fermented Tofu products (Sufu/Furu), Miso, or even nutritional yeast might work in that recipe. However, while these products do not involve mold, they are still cultured/fermented products that you might want to approach with care.

rackandboneman
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