15 Minute Meals is for Cheese Lovers

The inspiration for Ali Rosen’s latest cookbook, 15 Minute Meals, (January 9, 2024, Mango) came out of the early Covid pandemic days. “I had a house full of people, and I had to cook for them in a way I never had before,” Rosen remembers. “We were in an endless loop of meals.”

Often, 30 minutes was too much time to devote to getting lunch or dinner on the table. Together with her son, Rosen started filming Instagram Lives where they attempted to cook something delicious in 15 minutes or less. It turned out to be “much more doable than we give ourselves credit for,” says Rosen.

Author Ali Rosen’s Shortcuts

As a cookbook author, TV host, writer, romcom author, and mom, Rosen wears a lot of hats. She loves food—it’s her passion and her career—but she rarely has time to fuss. This cookbook is a treasure trove of shortcuts that teach the reader how to cut out steps without sacrificing flavor.

It started with a spirit of experimentation. “Can we skip onions? Can we buy precut versions? Can we make a piece of fish quickly if I use my broiler?” Rosen asked. Oftentimes, the answer was an enthusiastic yes. The book began with meals that we often think of as quick—pasta, rice bowls, and tacos. From there, it expanded into more surprising territory, like this rich charred cabbage with tangy feta and hot honey.

Why Cheese is the Magic Ingredient

Rosen found that cheese was a powerful tool in her toolbox. “First, cheese is one of the foundations of my life,” says Rosen. “How do you get flavor and unctuousness into something without time honored techniques like braising and caramelizing?” she asked. Cheese was one of the best answers. “Cheese already has a lot of these qualities—it can add so much flavor and depth.”

Rosen found herself turning again and again to ricotta, which adds a mellow creaminess, and goat cheese, which imparts great tang and can help meld ingredients together. Some of her go-to cheeses for cooking, like brined feta and aged Cheddar, “have already been given that time and love” by the time they get to your kitchen, Rosen explained. They add deeply satisfying flavor without much effort. And even though quality cheese is a relatively expensive ingredient, it is enormously valuable when it comes to impact.

Rosen’s white wine, goat cheese and spinach pasta; goat cheese and olive English muffin pizza; and smoked salmon, feta, cucumber salad are delicious proof of cheese adding an exquisite, ideal pop of flavor and texture.

Rosen urges cooks to invest in well-made cheese. “Some cheeses on the market are totally flavorless,” she says, especially ones “with added preservatives to keep them shredded or crumbled.” Instead, buy feta, blue cheese, and goat cheese in a block or in brine. After all, “crumbling feta or gorgonzola just adds 30 seconds,” Rosen points out.

Rosen’s Favorite Purveyors and Producers

Rosen lives near Union Square in New York City, so she’s “surrounded by delicious cheese.” She’s walking distance to two iconic cheese shops, Murray’s Cheese and Bedford Cheese Shop, both of which she frequents (read our profiles of Murray’s Cheese and Bedford Cheese Shop). But you’ll most often find Rosen at the Union Square Greenmarket, stocking up on finds from Cato Corner Farm, Riverine Ranch, Moxie Ridge Farm, and other local cheesemakers. Next, she’ll bring them home to share with her family, as is or in the form on super quick, super satisfying meals.

Charred Cabbage with Whipped Feta Recipe

From 15 Minute Meals

One of my favorite restaurants, Butcher and Bee, has this whipped feta appetizer that is addictive. The tangy brine of feta melds sensationally with the sweet heat of hot honey. I’ve always thought a similar combination could top a particularly robust salad, and with cabbage and the crunch of pecans, it really does the trick. It’s a dish that is surprising, filled with flavor, and addictive—all elements that are often hard to find in a fifteen-minute salad.

Ingredients

1 large head of green cabbage

Dash of olive oil, plus additional

Dash of Kosher salt 

4 oz (110 g) feta

4 oz (110 g) cream cheese

2 tablespoons mint

2 tablespoons honey

1 teaspoon hot sauce (plus additional as you prefer)

1 cup (140 g/5 oz) pecans

Instructions

Turn on your oven’s broiler, making sure your top rack is close to the flame. Chop the cabbage roughly into bite-sized pieces. Line a sheet pan with aluminum foil and toss the cabbage on top with a pour of olive oil and a heavy sprinkle of salt. Place the cabbage under the broiler for four to ten minutes, depending on the heat of your broiler and how close you want to put it (I like getting close, but I know it makes others wary!). It should be charred and cooked, but still with a bit of crunch when it is done.

While the cabbage is cooking, make the sauce. Using a mixer (or by hand with a fork if you don’t mind stirring a lot!), combine the feta and cream cheese in a bowl until it is whipped and a bit fluffy. You can add a few tablespoons of olive oil if it doesn’t have the lightness you would like. Chop the mint and add that to the mixture as well. In a separate small bowl, combine the honey and hot sauce. Finally, crush or chop the pecans roughly.

When the cabbage is done, remove it from the oven and, while it is still hot, put it into a bowl. Combine with the feta mixture and the pecans—the cabbage should melt the feta a bit so that it is all easy to combine evenly.

Serve either as one large bowl or split into individual bowls, but finish by drizzling the hot honey on top.