Use It Up! 11 Recipes for Leftover Ricotta (2024)

FAQs

What can I do with too much ricotta? ›

Add ricotta to fluffy lemon ricotta pancakes or stuff it into French toast for breakfast. Make classic Italian American bakery-style ricotta cookies or cannoli dip with waffle crisps for dessert. Or go the savory route!

If you have an unopened container of ricotta, you can stick the whole thing right in the freezer, but if the package has been opened, you have to transfer the cheese to a new container. Use a clean, airtight container or freezer bag to prevent freezer burn and bacterial contamination.

The liquid whey left over from making ricotta is really healthy. Cover and refrigerate it to use in breads, soups, and smoothies instead of milk or water. You can also use it instead of water when cooking pasta or rice. Or, if you're really adventurous, try drinking it plain (you'll make your great-grandma proud).

For extra creamy ricotta, add in an extra egg, a handful of grated parmesan, and a quarter cup of shredded mozzarella. Eggs help prevent the ricotta from drying out and serve to bind the ricotta so it doesn't become runny. One or more eggs are recommended whether you add the other ingredients mentioned here or not.

One key detail to keep in mind is whether the package of ricotta cheese has been opened or not. Unopened ricotta will last about two weeks in the fridge, while opened ricotta will last just a week. As for the freezer, you can store ricotta for up to three months.

Ricotta is about 74% water, and when that water transforms into ice, it disrupts the cheese's texture and makes it dry, crumbly, and slightly grainy.

Opened ricotta generally lasts for about one week in proper storage conditions. To be on the safe side, give it the sniff test. If there is any off odor, toss it. Additionally, if there are any black spots, it's got to go.

Yes, you can freeze ricotta cheese. But keep in mind that its texture will change as ricotta has a high level of moisture, so it will become grainy or slightly watery upon thawing. You can use it in cooked dishes, like lasagna or cannelloni, where the texture will be less noticeable.

The key distinction between the two really comes down to moisture content and texture: ricotta is smooth and spreadable with extremely fine (almost imperceptible) curds, whereas the preparation of cottage cheese results in a soupy and lumpy finished product with a higher moisture content.

What tastes good with ricotta? ›

If you've only ever had ricotta in Vegetable Lasagna, you may be wondering if ricotta is good on pizza and what does ricotta pizza tastes like. Well, I'm here to tell you that, yes, ricotta is AH-MAZING on pizza and it tastes like pure heaven!

Previously frozen ricotta will last for up to three days in the fridge. Don't bother refreezing, as this will completely ruin the texture. This is why you may want to consider freezing the ricotta in individual servings — silicone ice cube trays are great for this purpose ($13, Amazon).

When I have leftover ricotta cheese, I place small portions in heavy-duty freezer bags or an airtight container and, for best results, use it within three months. And that's the ricotta rundown!

As with most cheeses, ricotta is high in fat. The majority of the fat in whole milk ricotta cheese is saturated. According to a study published in 2018 by PLoS One, eating a diet high in saturated fat increases risk of cardiovascular disease by raising blood cholesterol levels.

Yes, the type of cheese and how much you eat can affect your digestion. Softer, fresh cheeses, such as ricotta, cottage and American cheeses, contain more lactose than harder cheeses, and eating them, even in smaller quantities, is more likely to cause diarrhea.

If the cheese doesn't look or smell like it did when you first opened it, your best course of action is to throw it out.