Extension > Family > Farm to School > Minnesota Toolkit for School Foodservice > Using Food > Using Cheese
Using Cheese
Quantity Recipes
- Bean Burrito (19 K PDF)
- Mexican Lasagna (18 K PDF)
- Refried Beans (18 K PDF)
- Vegetable Chili (18 K PDF)
Home Recipes
- Bean Burrito (19 K PDF)
- Mexican Lasagna (18 K PDF)
- Refried Beans (18 K PDF)
- Vegetable Chili (18 K PDF)
School Lunch Menu Examples Using Cheese
Taco Tuesday | June in January | Salad Bar | Refried Beans
Bean Burrito | Mexican Lasagna
Menu Example 1: Taco Tuesday
Seasoned Taco Meat |
Taco Sauce |
Food Component and Menu Item |
GRADES |
GRADES |
OPTIONAL |
|---|---|---|---|
Meat or Meat Alternate: Seasoned Taco Meat and |
2 ounces |
2 ounces |
1 ½ ounces |
Vegetable: Lettuce and Tomatoes |
¼ to ½ cup |
½ cup |
¼ to ½ cup |
Fruit: Fresh Cut Pineapple |
¼ to ½ cup |
½ cup |
¼ to ½ cup |
Grains/Bread: Soft and Hard Shells |
12 servings per week – minimum of 1 serving per day |
15 servings per week – minimum of 1 serving per day |
10 servings per week – minimum of 1 serving per day |
Milk: As Beverage |
8 fluid ounces |
8 fluid ounces |
8 fluid ounces |
Menu Example 2: June in January
Locally Produced Cheese Cubes with Whole |
Red Grape Cluster |
Food Component and Menu Item |
GRADES |
GRADES |
OPTIONAL |
|---|---|---|---|
Meat or Meat Alternate: Cheese Cube |
2 ounces |
2 ounces |
1 ½ ounces |
Vegetable: Baby Whole Carrots and Celery Sticks |
¼ to ½ cup |
½ cup |
¼ to ½ cup |
Fruit: Red Grape Cluster |
¼ to ½ cup |
½ cup |
¼ to ½ cup |
Grains/Bread: Whole Grain Crackers |
12 servings per week – minimum of 1 serving per day |
15 servings per week – minimum of 1 serving per day |
10 servings per week – minimum of 1 serving per day |
Milk: As Beverage |
8 fluid ounces |
8 fluid ounces |
8 fluid ounces |
Menu Example 3: Salad Bar
Diced Turkey, Turkey Ham, Shredded Cheddar |
Seasonal Fresh Fruit or Chilled Canned Fruit |
Food Component and Menu Item |
GRADES |
GRADES |
OPTIONAL |
|---|---|---|---|
Meat or Meat Alternate: |
2 ounces |
2 ounces |
1 ½ ounces |
Vegetable: Chopped Romaine Blend Lettuce and Cherry Tomatoes (3 = ¼ cup) Marinated Black Bean, Carrot- Raisin or Cucumber Salad |
¼ to ½ cup |
½ cup |
¼ to ½ cup |
Fruit: Seasonal Fresh Fruit or Chilled Canned Fruit |
¼ to ½ cup (Vegetables and Fruits must = ¾ cup/day + an extra ½ cup/week) |
½ cup |
¼ to ½ cup (Vegetables and Fruits must = ¾ cup/day) |
Grains/Bread: Wild Rice/Macaroni/Pasta Salad Lemon Poppyseed, Blueberry or Apple Cinnamon Muffin (1:4 oz. = 2 Bread) |
12 servings per week – minimum of 1 serving per day |
15 servings per week – minimum of 1 serving per day |
10 servings per week – minimum of 1 serving per day |
Milk: As Beverage |
8 fluid ounces |
8 fluid ounces |
8 fluid ounces |
Menu Example 4: Refried Beans
Cheese or Chicken Quesadilla Pizza |
Chilled Pineapple Tidbits |
Food Component and Menu Item |
GRADES |
GRADES |
OPTIONAL |
|---|---|---|---|
Meat or Meat Alternate: Cheese or Chicken |
2 ounces |
2 ounces |
1 ½ ounces |
Vegetable: Lettuce |
¼ to ½ cup |
½ cup |
¼ to ½ cup |
Fruit: Chilled Pineapple Tidbits |
¼ to ½ cup |
½ cup |
¼ to ½ cup |
Grains/Bread: Quesadilla Pizza |
12 servings per week – minimum of 1 serving per day |
15 servings per week – minimum of 1 serving per day |
10 servings per week – minimum of 1 serving per day |
Milk: As Beverage |
8 fluid ounces |
8 fluid ounces |
8 fluid ounces |
Menu Example 5: Bean Burrito
Bean Burrito Featuring Locally Grown Beans |
Mexican Rice |
Food Component and Menu Item |
GRADES |
GRADES |
OPTIONAL |
|---|---|---|---|
Meat or Meat Alternate: Bean Burrito |
2 ounces |
2 ounces |
1 ½ ounces |
Vegetable: Lettuce |
¼ to ½ cup |
½ cup |
¼ to ½ cup |
Fruit: Cantaloupe Wedge or |
¼ to ½ cup |
½ cup |
¼ to ½ cup |
Grains/Bread: Soft Shell (2 = 1 ½ |
12 servings per week – minimum of 1 serving per day |
15 servings per week – minimum of 1 serving per day |
10 servings per week – minimum of 1 serving per day |
Milk: As Beverage |
8 fluid ounces |
8 fluid ounces |
8 fluid ounces |
Menu Example 6: Mexican Lasagna
Mexican Lasagna Featuring Locally Grown Black Beans |
Fruit Filled Churro |
Food Component and Menu Item |
GRADES |
GRADES |
OPTIONAL |
|---|---|---|---|
Meat or Meat Alternate: Mexican Lasagna (1/25th) |
2 ounces |
2 ounces |
1 ½ ounces |
Vegetable: Whole Kernel Corn |
¼ to ½ cup |
½ cup |
¼ to ½ cup |
Fruit: Honeydew Melon Cubes |
¼ to ½ cup |
½ cup |
¼ to ½ cup |
Grains/Bread: Sliced Wheat Bread |
12 servings per week – minimum of 1 serving per day |
15 servings per week – minimum of 1 serving per day |
10 servings per week – minimum of 1 serving per day |
Dessert: Fruit Filled Churro |
No meal contribution |
No meal contribution |
No meal contribution |
Milk: As Beverage |
8 fluid ounces |
8 fluid ounces |
8 fluid ounces |
- Consuming cheese immediately after meals or as a between-meal snack helps to reduce the risk of tooth decay. Certain cheeses - aged Cheddar, Swiss, blue, Monterey Jack, Brie, Gouda and processed American cheese - have been shown to help prevent tooth decay.
- Although cheese is a vital source of nutrition in many regions of the world, and is extensively consumed in others, its use as a nutritional product is not universal. Cheese is rarely found in East Asian dishes, as lactose intolerance is relatively common in that part of the world and hence dairy products are rare.
- Cheese supplies a great deal of calcium, protein, and phosphorus. A 30-gram (1.1 oz) serving of cheddar cheese contains about 7 grams (0.25 oz) of protein and 200 milligrams of calcium. Nutritionally, cheese is essentially concentrated milk: it takes about 200 grams (7.1 oz) of milk to provide that much protein, and 150 grams (5.3 oz) of milk to equal the calcium in 30 grams (1.1 oz) of cheese.
- The USDA recommends limiting full-fat cheese consumption to 2 oz (57 g) a week. Whether cheese's highly saturated fat actually leads to an increased risk of heart disease is called into question when considering France and Greece, which lead the world in cheese consumption yet have relatively low rates of heart disease.
Sources:
Food Reference — www.foodreference.com/html/fcheese.html
Nutrition Data — www.nutritiondata.com/facts/dairy-and-egg-products/8/2
Contact Farm to School Extension: 
Thoughts on our website? 
