Ooey, Gooey Everything: 33 Outrageously Cheesy, Chocolaty, Over-the-Top Recipes (2024)

The rich sweetness of the caramelized onions with the added splash of bourbon will change your boring grilled cheese into a gourmet meal.

Recipe: Grilled Cheese with Bourbon Melted Onions

"The oozy, gooey deliciousness of queso flameado is as Texan as Friday night football. This dish is traditionally served flambé — but the idea of pouring tequila on top and setting it on fire is a little scary, so we added the liquor to the mixture to get the flavor without the flames." — The Casserole Queens

Recipe: Queso Flameado

This great creamed spinach recipe calls for herbes salées or salted herbs, a Canadian seasoning staple. It's made by simply adding salt to a mix of minced vegetables and herbs; it's great on everything from steak to roast poultry, fish, and vegetables.

Recipe: Creamed Spinach with Montreal Salted Herbs

For a real weeknight indulgence, dig in to this hearty, meatball-studded pasta bake, filled with gooey mozzarella and fresh green spinach.

Recipe: Baked Pasta with Meatballs and Spinach

In chef Kelly English's Southern twist on Canadian poutine, the fries are topped with spicy pimento cheese, andouille gravy, and crawfish, crab, or shrimp.

Recipe: Louisiana Cheese Fries with Crayfish and Gravy

Simple but always satisfying, this classic, buttery, gooey grilled cheese will please kids and adults alike.

Recipe: Basic Grilled Cheese

This fresh, fruity twist on the classic s'more is sure to be a hit at any gathering.

Recipe: Gooey Chocolate and Strawberry S'mores

These light and cheesy fried potato croquettes are breaded twice: They're dredged in bread crumbs, dipped in beaten eggs seasoned with mustard and garlic, then dredged in bread crumbs once more. The payoff is a supercrisp, flavorful crust for the filling of soft mashed potato and melted cheese.

Recipe: Potato-and-Mozzarella Croquettes

Gooey and luscious, this addictive starter is like a deconstructed broccoli quesadilla.

Recipe: Broccoli Cheese Dunk

A Southern twist on the classic grilled cheese. Making your own pimiento cheese is easy and can be done ahead.

Recipe: Pimiento Grilled Cheese

This gooey, satisfying mac and cheese recipe uses mostly pantry staples and on-hand items, and also manages to sneak in a healthy serving of leafy greens — what's not to love?

Recipe: Double-Cheese Macaroni and Greens

Pears and parsnips create an unusual sweet-savory topping for Julianne Jones's French-style, open-face sandwiches called tartines. Toasted briefly under the broiler, the tartines are best eaten hot, while the parsnips are still crisp and the Fourme d'Ambert (a mild blue cheese) is gooey.

Recipe: Pear, Parsnip, and Fourme d’Ambert Tartines

Forget the stuffing and rolling — all you have to do to get the classic cheesy taste of this chicken favorite is layer it and bake it.

Recipe: Baked Chicken Cordon Bleu

In this decadent lasagna, store-bought fresh pasta sheets are layered with wild mushrooms in a creamy wine sauce.

Recipe: Wild Mushroom Lasagna

Have a friends or loved ones who follow a gluten-free diet, but still love dessert? Leaving the flour out of these brownies not only gets rid of the gluten, but also makes them super moist, chewy, and gooey.

Recipe: Flourless Caramel-Almond Brownies

To create these smoky, slightly spicy burgers, Bobby Flay took inspiration from another favorite bar food — nachos — and brought the two together into one savory treat.

Recipe: Nacho Burgers

Try this recipe for delicious and gooey cinnamon rolls bound to please everyone's sweet tooth!

Recipe: Tyler's Vanilla Pudding Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Frosting

Fry fresh Italian mozzarella balls in a mixture of panko (Japanese breadcrumbs) and dried thyme to create a crowd-pleasing appetizer. Serve with tomato sauce that guests can dip into.

Recipe: Fried Mozzarella

This gratin combines blanched chard and sautéed leeks, cooked until just tender in a creamy two-cheese sauce made with both Gruyère and Parmigiano-Reggiano.

Recipe: Swiss Chard and Leek Gratin

Everyone loves the gooey richness of French onion soup — but not the excess fat and salt. So we swapped in olive oil for butter and added a dash of soy sauce to chicken broth to mimic the savory depth of salty beef stock. Finally, we blanketed our dish with Gruyère and reduced-fat Swiss — because what's onion soup without the cheese?

Recipe: French Onion Soup