What Do You Do With Ricotta Cheese?

[gnomi]

I have a one-pound container of ricotta cheese from which I have used about 1/2 c. I now have the rest of the container to use up (I use ricotta mostly in full-container amounts for lasagna or baked ziti or whatever). So... please gimme recipes!

Comments

[mercurysparkle.livejournal.com]

How about a quiche? I make one with ricotta and spinach. You may be able to get by with a little less than the full amount if it's whole fat (yum!). I'm going by memory and googling here but I think I got the recipe from Russo's Vegetable Stand and this seems close to what I do:

Ingredients

2 boxes (8 or 10 oz I forget)frozen chopped up spinach. i've used fresh steamed and ripped up small too when i can get it.
1 unbaked 9-inch pastry shell
small onion finely chopped
half teaspoon salt
about 1/4 or less of teaspoon of pepper (taste and check - I think I use about 1/4)
a bit of nutmeg (this is mentioned online but I never do)
one cup of milk (I use 2%)
4 big eggs, beaten a bit
1 pound Ricotta Cheese (i think I use the partly skimmed on)
1/4 cup plus a bit of grated parmesan cheese

How to:

Thaw and drain the spinash
Preheat oven to 425ish
Saute the onion in a little oil and addv spinach, salt, nutmeg and pepper.
Separately combine the cheeses, milk and eggs
Add spinach mixture
Add to pastry shell and cook for 15 or so min
Reduce heat to 325 degrees and bake another 45-55 minutes until it sets (knife test)

[xiphias.livejournal.com]

Blintzes.

[magid.livejournal.com]

If not a ricotta pie (either the savory one above, or a sweet one (classic Italian recipe, I think)), or in lasagna, I often put it on pasta, to make a it's-not-cream-sauce.

[glishara.livejournal.com]

I'll second the not-quite-cream-sauce suggestion! I do a lot of mixing a cup of ricotta with some pesto or something on pasta, to add creaminess to the dish.

I also use it for spinach-and-cheese roll-ups. The recipe is kind of handwaved, but consists of a thawed package of frozen spinach, 10 or so oz of ricotta, an egg, and some grated parmesan cheese, mixed together. I spread it on cooked lasagna noodles, roll them up jelly-roll style, and then bake them for 30-35 minutes with some tomato sauce and maybe a bit of grated cheese on top.

[fauxklore]

Hmm, mixed with other cheeses and a bit of pesto sauce, you could make a nice filling for stuffed mushrooms.

I'm also fond of the ingredients option in allrecipes.com for situations like this.

[emmyjag.livejournal.com]

I *love* making a low carb strawberry cannoli with ricotta, I found on Eggface's blog.

12 Large Red Ripe Strawberries, washed & cored
1/2 cup Ricotta Cheese
1 Tablespoon Sugar Free Torani Syrup (I used SF Vanilla)
dash of Cinnamon

Optional toppings:
Unsweetened Coconut
Grated Sugar Free Chocolate
Chopped Nuts (Chopped Pistachios, Pecans, or Hazelnuts are great)

Wash and core strawberries. Leaving a hollow in the berry. Set aside.

Mix ricotta, SF syrup and cinnamon together till well combined.
Spoon mixture into a snack size Ziploc bag. Seal.
Cut end off and pipe mixture into hollowed strawberries. Dip into optional toppings.

[thespisgeoff.livejournal.com]

OMNOMNOM those look good.

[anahcrow.livejournal.com]

Oh, my goodness. Thank you!

I know a little Fox who would love to have these next time she visits.

[emmyjag.livejournal.com]

*sniffs* what do little kittehs get?

[anahcrow.livejournal.com]

*pets the kitteh* Well, I could make some for you, too. *g* Those look so good. I would actually go strawberry picking to make sure to get enough to make heaps of those.

[gingicat]

Blended into alfredo sauce, it makes it wonderfully thick.

[kuroshii.livejournal.com]

that "baked ziti with three cheeses" recipe that i got from you a while back, uses half the amount of ricotta that a pan of lasagna normally does.

but the above suggestions sound yummy too. :)

[morgan-lowri.livejournal.com]

Make lasagna or cheesecake with it! ^_^

Though I have never done crockpot cheesecake myself, I'm sure some slowcooker genius here has and can tell you all about it.

Lasagna in the slowcooker is utterly FABULOUS and makes the whole house smell good. Great dish to come home from work to. You don't even have to boil the noodles first. ^_^

[readsalot.livejournal.com]

Ricotta pancakes! I've made this recipe several times, and they're always wonderful.

[vettecat.livejournal.com]

Not an ingredient I use, but is that a new icon?

[rivkaesque.livejournal.com]

Run it through a food processor- possibly with a very little bit 2% milk- until it's creamy, and mix in some spicing (I like garlic and aromatic herbs like basil, oregano or chive). I call it skim cheese, and it's great on toast.