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The Italian Cheese Lidia Bastianich Always Uses For Pasta (It's Not Parmesan) By Moriah House Dec. 13, 2025 10:00 am EST

When it comes to Italian pasta toppings, parmesan (which isn't just a less fancy name for Parmigiano Reggiano) tends to get all the buzz. However, while parmesan is undoubtedly delightful, it isn't the only hard Italian cheese on the block. Italian-American chef, television host, and author Lidia Bastianich, a strong advocate of Italy's dairy diversity, prefers topping her pasta with a different kind of Italian cheese. In a post on X , the chef affirmed that Grana Padano is her go-to grated cheese.

If parmesan is the king of cheeses, Grana Padano, a hard, crumbly cheese from Italy's Po Valley, is arguably the queen. Much like parmesan,

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