How to Season Ricotta Cheese

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Ricotta cheese is a great dairy product to have in your fridge. It’s a versatile and delicious way to add protein to any meal. But rather than eating it plain, I thought it’d be fun to share a few ideas on how to season ricotta cheese to make the most out of it.

There are a lot of different ways to season ricotta cheese. Some people enjoy adding garlic, basil, and red pepper flakes to their ricotta while others prefer more traditional options like salt and pepper or even lemon zest.

Keep reading to learn some of my favorite ways to season the delicious ricotta.

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What is ricotta cheese?

Ricotta cheese is a soft white cheese made from cow’s milk that goes great in Lasagna and other Italian dishes. You can buy it at your local supermarket in a container that generally has about 14 ounces in it.

How is ricotta cheese made?

The word Ricotta is translated as “recooked” in Italian. It is made from leftover whey that has already been used to make another type of cheese.

Let’s clarify a little bit. When you make cheese you typically heat up milk and as a result, you end up with two different things, you have solids and a liquid.

The solids that you get are commonly referred to as the curds and the liquid that is remaining is referred to as the whey. The heating process causes the curds to separate from the whey so that they can be strained out. Each of these things has its own different uses so no part goes to waste.

The curds are removed from the whey and then pressed into cheese. The whey that is leftover is then used in other ways. In most cases, there are some leftover curds in the whey and that is what is used to make ricotta cheese.

What is ricotta cheese used for?

Ricotta cheese is most known for being a staple ingredient in classic Italian lasagna and as a filling ingredient for ravioli, but there are so many other ways to use ricotta cheese.

You can use it to fill Cannolis, make dessert dips, ricotta pancakes, cheesecake, and even just use some ricotta on toasted sourdough to make a delicious breakfast.

Ricotta is a versatile ingredient that you can use as the star of a dish or something to complement the main part of your meal.

How do you make ricotta taste better?

While I love the taste of ricotta cheese on its own, you can make ricotta cheese taste better by adding different topping combinations to it. Ricotta is a nice blank canvas that has a good base flavor that can only be enhanced by different herbs and other ingredients.

How To Season Ricotta Cheese

Whipped Ricotta with Honey and Fresh Fruits

If you’ve never mixed honey into your ricotta cheese before, you are missing out! I love adding a generous drizzle of honey (or maple syrup) into a bowl of whipped ricotta cheese and topping it with fresh fruits.

You can eat it as is, or spread the ricotta-honey mixture on a thick piece of toast and top it with delicious seasonal fruits (fresh figs are exceptionally delicious when in season!)

P.S: Making your own whipped ricotta is easy! Just start with fresh ricotta (whole milk is best), then whip for 2-3 minutes using a hand mixer or stand mixer. That’s it!

Olive Oil, Salt & Cracked Pepper

Sometimes, simple is best.

Mix in some extra virgin olive oil, salt, and fresh cracked pepper into a bowl of ricotta cheese.

Spread the mixture on a few slices of toasted bread for a quick and simple breakfast when you have to get out of the house in a hurry.

Scrambled Eggs with Ricotta Cheese

Ever try adding ricotta cheese to scrambled eggs? I tried this combination for the first time ever last year and I’ve been hooked ever since!

The combination makes for a delicious breakfast dish that your whole family will love.

Serve the scrambled eggs on a plate topped with a spoonful of ricotta cheese and some fresh chopped chives.

This has got to be one of my favorite ways to use up that leftover ricotta after making lasagna the night before!

Ricotta Cheese & Cherry Tomatoes

Whipped ricotta cheese pairs incredibly well with a good quality extra virgin olive oil, salt, pepper, and cherry tomatoes.

I love mine on toast with some chopped fresh basil and a squeeze of lemon juice!

Ricotta, Spinach, Parmesan Dip

You can make a simple and delicious dip using ricotta cheese, sautéed spinach, parmesan cheese, and a little bit of mayonnaise.

This dip goes great with crackers or a french baguette.

Just sauté the spinach leaves with a little bit of olive oil, fresh garlic, salt, and pepper. Mix well with ricotta cheese, and add some freshly shaved parmesan cheese, and a touch of mayonnaise.

That’s it!

Ricotta Cannoli Dip

Use ricotta cheese to make a simple (and dangerously addicting) cannoli dessert dip that you and your guests will love.

To make, mix together whipped cream, ricotta cheese, powdered sugar, chocolate chips, a little bit of vanilla extract.

You can use some waffle cones that you break up as your chips for this awesome dip.

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In Conclusion

Ricotta cheese is one of those ingredients that is good by itself or combined with other ingredients.

I hope this blog post has given you some ideas on how to season ricotta cheese in ways you’ve never thought of before. Let us know if you try any of these delicious combinations – we’d love to hear what you think!

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