looking for ideas and recipes for my ricotta cheese

I have lots of ricotta cheese at the moment. My goats are giving milk generously, so every other day I'm making cheese. With the whey, I always make ricotta. I've tried a few things with it, like lasagna, but I'd love more ideas and recipes for using ricotta as an ingredient. Any ideas?

lightly whip ricotta with parsley and an egg, you can add Italian cheese blend. cut zucchini in half. cut or scoop out most of the meat. you can whip it together with cheese.
if you like meat fry an onion and add chopped up Italian sausage or sausage and ground beef together. cook well in pan, add Italian blend spices. drain grease out well once cooked. add tomato sauce, like marinara. add lots of Italian spices and garlic. keep stirred while simmering on low for 15-20 minutes
coat gutted zucchini halves with olive oil. bake hot 400-450 for 10 to 15 minutes. remove zucchini halves from oven
put layer of sausage sauce in zucchini halves put on layer of cheese. bake hot 400 for about 30 minutes till bubbled and lightly browned.
put on plate, put some more sausage sauce on top
bon appétit

My neighbor just gave me two large zucchinis! I will have to try this.

I have a friend who uses ricotta cheese to make cakes and a whip cream type dessert.

I don't have any recipes as I only make lasagna with it.

Anne Miller wrote:I have a friend who uses ricotta cheese to make cakes and a whip cream type dessert.

I don't have any recipes as I only make lasagna with it.

Anne, that sounds really good. Any chance you could ask for some recipes next time to talk to them?

Anne's mention of dessert caused me to rummage around in the recipe posts on my blog. I don't have a category for ricotta, but I'm thinking I should!

Something I haven't made in years is popsicles. I used to make them with fruit juice and pureed fruit, and later tried adding ricotta cheese to make creamsicles. I recall that we liked them best with fruit juice concentrate plus ricotta. No sugar added! Tangy sweet and perfect for a hot weather dessert.

Also, gelato. I think there are numerous recipes for it, but the definition I found said that in Italy, they are typically made without cream and eggs. I've never been to Italy, so I don't know about that, but this recipe makes a creamy and delicious frozen dessert.

3 cups ricotta cheese
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla flavoring
pinch salt

In a saucepan combine the milk, sugar, and salt. Heat gently until the sugar dissolves, then chill the mixture. Combine the chilled mixture and ricotta and mix till smooth and creamy. Add vanilla and blend well. It will be thick. Freeze in your ice cream freezer. (It took 20 minutes in my table top model.)

I think you could make it any flavor you wish.

This was inspired by Bruce's ricotta stuffed zucchini recipe (above). I mostly followed his instructions but found my mixture too liquidy, so I added fresh bread crumbs to give it enough bulk to actually stuff the zuchinni shells. Dan loved it and said, 'make this again!'

A couple of other ideas for you:

Ricotta pancakes (lots of recipes online, here's one)
https://www.recipetineats.com/fluffy-ricotta-pancakes/

Pasta with ricotta, lemon zest, basil, and cherry tomatoes
https://www.thekitchn.com/lemony-ricotta-pasta-asparagus-tomatoes-recipe-23153122

When I make this, I just chop and pan roast the tomatoes in olive oil with some garlic and  then as the pasta is finishing stir in the ricotta, lemon zest, herbs and thin with some of the pasta water, then stir in the pasta for a minute or two to absorb some of the flavour, and finish with more olive oil and season with salt and pepper and grated parmesan. It's simple but good!

Quiche/egg tart or frittata with ricotta and whatever other fillings you like

If I get extra ricotta, I always try to make cannoli. Mix the ricotta with powdered sugar and orange zest, with a little bit of vanilla extract. It makes a wonderful filling.

I'm really happy with all the ideas.

Here's one i want to include here. It's a ricotta ranch dressing I made for the Make 2 Different Kinds of Condiments or Salad Dressings PEP Badge Bit.

The recipe calls for equal parts of ricotta cheese and kefir, seasoning to taste with salt, pepper, onion and garlic powder, and a tablespoon of pickle juice. I think yogurt or buttermilk could be substituted for the kefir. This is a favorite on garden salads.

Very satisfying thread for this particular Italian boy! So very nice to hear about folks making ricotta in the orthodox manner, from whey rather than from milk.

A traditional dish and personal favorite ricotta dish in our house was Ndunderi di Minori, sometimes called Ricotta Gnocchi, in which ricotta is not an ingredient in the sauce but rather a base ingredient in the pasta.

My recipe uses 200 grams of very well-drained ricotta (allowed to drain in a sieve for about 12 hours in the refrigerator), 3 grams grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, about 150 grams flour, a large egg, salt, and a scrape of nutmeg. Mix everything together in a bowl, then transfer to a board for kneading, but not too much kneading or you’ll have to add more flour. Allow the dough to rest in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes. Remove it, take about a third and roll it into a snake 3cm-4cm in diameter. Cut the snake into pieces 3 fingers wide each, flatten the chunks a very little bit and dust them well with flour, then roll them over a ridged gnocchi board to make the pasta shape. (If you aren’t blessed with an older Italian relative who can teach gnocchi rolling, do a YouTube search.) Cook in a large pot of salted, boiling water until 2 minutes after they’ve risen to the surface. Remove with a slotted spoon.

A simple sauce cooked with olive oil (flavored with a clove of garlic and basil stems), cherry tomatoes, and basil leaves is the time-honored finish.

Hopefully the attached pictures will energize you!

Here's a recipe for Lemon Ricotta Cake. You can use regular sugar if you prefer, I just try to avoid it.  Also, I was wondering if you can freeze the cheese?

Lemon Ricotta Cake
Prep Time 10 minutes  Cook Time 50 minutes  Total Time 1 hour
Servings 9  Calories 212 kcal

• 1/2 stick soft butter (2 oz)
• 1/2 cup Sukrin :1 (Swerve Granulated or Lakanto Classic)
• 4 large eggs (cold) (one more egg if not using baking powder)
• 1 cup whole milk ricotta cheese (cold)
• 1 1/2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1 tsp lemon zest (zest from one lemon)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• 1 cup almond flour (whisk before measuring)
• 4 tbsp coconut flour* (whisk before measuring)
• 2 tsp baking powder** (see directions for version without baking powder)
• 1/4 tsp salt

1. Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees F. Cut a piece of parchment to fit the inside bottom of an 8 x 2 inch round pan. Spray or butter the pan and add the parchment. Measure the dry ingredients into a small bowl and whisk to remove any lumps.

1. Cream the butter, vanilla, and sweetener until completely blended. Add one egg and beat until light and fluffy. Add the ricotta cheese, lemon zest, lemon juice, beating until throughly combined.
2. Working by thirds, mix 1/3 of the dry ingredients into the batter. Add and egg an mix. Repeat with the remaining ingredients finishing with the last egg.
3. Gently spread the batter into the prepared cake pan with an offset spatula. Bake for 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean. Remove the cake from the oven and let the cake cool for 15-20 minutes, then run a knife around the pan to loosen the cake. Flip out onto a rack to cool completely.
4. Wrap any leftover cake in cling film and leave out on the counter for 3 days (unless it's hot and humid) or refrigerate. Warm slightly before enjoying if refrigerated. Serves 9 at 3.5 net carbs per serving. See post for topping ideas.
**If Not Using Baking Powder:
1. Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees F. Cut a piece of parchment to fit the inside bottom of an 8 x 2 inch round pan. Spray or butter the pan and add the parchment. Measure the dry ingredients into a small bowl and whisk to remove any lumps.
2. Separate 4 eggs, putting the whites into a medium bowl to be whipped to soft peaks. Whip the whites to soft peaks.
3. Cream the butter, vanilla, and sweetener. Add the egg yolks and beat until light and fluffy. Beat in the ricotta cheese, then the whole egg, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Add the dry ingredients, mixing until combined.
4. Working by thirds, fold the whipped egg whites into the cake batter. The batter will be thick. Gently spread the batter into the prepared pan with an offset spatula. Bake for 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean. Remove the cake from the oven and let the cake cool for 15-20 minutes, then run a knife around the pan to loosen the cake. Flip out onto a rack to cool completely.
5. Wrap any leftover cake in cling film and leave out on the counter for 3 days (unless it's hot and humid) or refrigerate. Warm slightly before enjoying if refrigerated. Serves 9 at 3.5 net carbs per serving. See post for topping ideas.
Recipe Notes
* You can sub 3 tbsp of oat fiber (or whey protein isolate) for the coconut flour or use 1/3-1/2 cup more almond flour as a sub. Using subs never achieves the same result or texture as using the original ingredients stated in the recipe.
I always use cold eggs and liquids in my baked goods. The erythritol makes things cold as it melts, so I don't bother having the ingredients sit out on the counter. The exception is butter and cream cheese. I soften in the microwave just before beginning a recipe.
Nutrition Facts
Lemon Ricotta Cake
Amount Per Serving
Calories 212Calories from Fat 153
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 17g26%
Total Carbohydrates 7g2%
Dietary Fiber 3.5g14%
Protein 8g16%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Stir fry snow peas (giant snow peas, if you have them!) and add the ricotta near the end with herbs like thyme. Serve with potatoes or polenta.

another one:

Mix with cooked greens such as lambsquarters, add sauteed onions and garlic, cayenne and bergmot or oregano, and use for filling calzones (dough pockets). Can bake in the oven or stove top on a griddle/frying pan, flipping halfway.

Ricotta cheesecake.  Soooo good. Also- Make lasagna portions and freeze. Or make minis and give away

Whipped ricotta dip recipe

▢ 2 cup ricotta, (500g)
▢ 2 tbsp parmesan cheese, freshly grated
▢ zest of one lemon
▢ 1 tbsp fresh thyme, chopped, plus more for garnish
▢ 1.5 cups cherry tomatoes, (200g)
▢ 1 tbsp olive oil
▢ salt and pepper, to season

Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
Cut the tomatoes in half and place in a baking tray. Sprinkle with chopped thyme, salt, pepper and half 1/2 tbsp of olive oil. Roast for 15-20 minutes then remove to set aside and cool.
Put the ricotta, lemon, parmesan and a pinch of psalt and pepper to a food processor, blitz until smooth (a couple of seconds).
Add the ricotta dip to a serving plate or shallow bowl and make a small well in the middle. Add the roasted tomatoes, drizzle with a touch of olive oil, a sprinkle of salt and pepper and a few extra thyme leaves. Serve with crusty bread or crackers.

Barbara Simoes wrote: ...  Also, I was wondering if you can freeze the cheese? ...

Yes, you absolutely can.

Took a chance on some I found in the freezer at an outlet grocery. Figured if nothing else, my chickens would probably love it.

Day or two before I want to use it, I put it in the refrigerator. Use as normal once thawed. Both lasagna and ricotta cake turned out great.

I probably would not keep leftovers in the refrigerator more than a few days though.

Tammy Farraway wrote:

Barbara Simoes wrote: ...  Also, I was wondering if you can freeze the cheese? ...

Yes, you absolutely can.

I concur. I freeze surplus ricotta regularly. I typically have to drain off excess whey after it thaws, but it works well for all its normal uses.

Co-incidence!  This recipe appeared in the local ABC news this week. webpage    Warrigal greens are a native species much like spinach.  This recipe is a relative of the Greek spinach and cheese pie - spanokopita,  also made in the form of triangles - uses phyllo pastry, but flaky pastry subs.

My sister’s creation from her love of dwarf Nigerians.  Small but mighty milk producers of so much Cheve I grew and concerned.   Cheve/Ricotta sour cherry ice cream.  1/3 cheese, 2/3 fresh cream. 1lb cherries to the gallon of dairy.  Often she uses beet sugar, I prefer turbid sugar.  Lime leaf Bearss fine 1/2” julian and summer savory.  Spicier with some fine chopped mioga, Ahh summer. Cheers.

We make a version of spinach and ricotta cannelloni with homemade crepes, substituting silverbeet aka chard or kale.

We prefer the tomato sauce topped with Parmesan baked in the oven over the white sauce version.

The baked cannelloni freeze and reheat well too.

The crepes are easier to stuff and roll up than stuffing the bought pasta tubes and as a bonus we have the extras for dessert with castor sugar and fresh lemon juice or maple syrup etc.

For just the two of us, 1 1/2 cups flour makes 8 crepes for the cannelloni and 3 each for dessert.

I really love making cheesecake from it, my recipe has 3 ingredients - honey, eggs, and ricotta: https://thenourishinghearthfire.com/2024/03/17/simple-baked-cheesecake/

I also like to make a kind of veggie patty where I mix ricotta (or chèvre that's a bit past its best) with some eggs, and then mix in whatever grated vegetables need using up, like zucchini, turnip, or carrot, add a little flour to help firm it up and some salt and herbs, and then fry them up as patties.

Sometimes I've put some ricotta on pizza too.

And I also like to make pasties (savoury hand pies) with ricotta plus whatever veggies need using up: https://thenourishinghearthfire.com/2026/06/13/pasties-savoury-hand-pies/

Another idea from the Mediterranean region - calzones - inside out pizza, stuffed with ricotta mixed with spinach, or pepperoni, ham or extra cheeses, or whatever is on hand.  The ricotta should be well drained, as I understand it.