Trust me, I'll take a big slice of pizza topped with gooey mozzarella any day of the week and twice on Tuesday. I love it so much that it's easy to make pizzas with nothing but mozzarella. Sometimes I need a reminder that there are other cheeses out there. Here are five of my favorites.
1. Asiago: The nutty and tangy flavor of this cheese is especially great with vegetable pizzas. Look for the fresher version, rather than the harder dry-aged version.
2. Gouda: My top choice for pizzas with pulled pork or shredded BBQ chicken. I love both straight and smoked gouda.
3. Gruyère: This is a fun one to try with a whole range of toppings, from thin slices of potato to diced ham. It has a fairly assertive savory flavor and melts like a dream.
5. Fontina: Mild-flavored with a silky texture when melted, I think this cheese goes well with more strongly flavored toppings like spinach or peppery charcuterie.
4. Goat Cheese: This doesn't melt like other cheeses, but drop spoonfuls over a pizza and you'll get a tasty little burst of cheese every few bites. Yum.
And if you don't feel like you can pull yourself away from mozzarella, try its creamy, ultra-rich cousin burrata. This is like a pocket of mozzarella filled with thick ricotta-like cream. On a pizza, this makes for a spectacular contrast of textures.
What are your favorite cheeses for pizza?
Related: White Pizza: Three Cheeses to Make You a Believer
(Image: Jill Chen/Shutterstock)
Monterey Pitcher fr...

Taleggio! With garlic, thyme, salt, red pepper flakes, & olive oil. Throw on some prosciutto & arugula when the pizza comes out of the oven. Delicious.
Not a fancy choice, but as a St. Louis native, I have to mention provel! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Provel_cheese Mmm...
Fresh ricotta, well-drained, is marvelous with spinach, some olive oil and red pepper flakes and slivered garlic!! I make my own as it's both incredibly simple and the taste is unreal!
We make a great pizza with Taleggio, Mascarpone, celeriac, potatos, arugula and garlic.
It totally depends on the toppings, but here are some that see regular roatation in my pizzas: chèvre, feta, monterey jack, ricotta, cheddar, fontina, muenster and gruyère.
I used to work at a pizza place, and the mix there was 2 parts mozz and 1 part munster. It was really delicious and still pretty traditional if that's more your thing.
gorgonzola + fig jam + prosciutto