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

FAQs

What can I do with too much ricotta? ›

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).

Fresh ricotta is fluffy, creamy, spreadable. It can be spooned into a dish and baked in the oven to become baked ricotta. The top browns and is slightly crusty and toasted and the middle is warm and creamy. Fresh ricotta can also be baked into dishes or used as an ingredient in baked goods.

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.

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.

As the curds and whey are divided by the ice, the cheese will become more dry and crumbly in texture. To make this texture difference less noticeable in your dishes, only use previously frozen ricotta in cooked dishes.

Expired Ricotta Cheese. It's generally not recommended to consume any food product that is past its expiration date, even if it's sealed. The expiration date is there for a reason, and it indicates the last date the manufacturer recommends consuming the product for optimal quality and safety.

Ricotta cheese, like cottage cheese and cream cheese, is high in moisture and spoils more quickly than hard cheeses. Use it promptly because it only stays fresh for a week or two. 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.

The egg is a binder to make the ricotta firmer and adds protein. It makes the cheese more spreadable, and yet solidifies the layers together, when it is heated (& the cheeses melt together), when you make a lasagna. Egg is sort of the “edible glue” that holds most foods together!

Can you eat ricotta straight from tub? ›

Ricotta is a fresh cheese, so it doesn't need to be cooked. You could serve it with some fresh fruit or on top of a salad.

In other words, the cheese doesn't melt. So ricotta falls in the same category as paneer, halloumi, queso blanco and other cheeses that can be heated without melting. This is why ricotta is such a fine choice for lasagna, stuffed shells, ravioli and cheesecake. It heats wonderfully, but doesn't reduce to a pool of goo.

and too much cheese on lasagne will just ruin the taste of the other ingredients, like the sauce, vegetables in it, meat in it, seasonings, and even the noodles. It gets a weird texture and is too heavy. A good lasagna has a balance so it works together.

You can smear ricotta on toast and then top it with almost anything for an easy meal. Try it with corn and scallions, or pesto and tomatoes, or a fried egg. You can also eat it for dessert: top with strawberries and honey or banana and nutella. Get the recipes here.

Ricotta is a fresh cheese, so it doesn't need to be cooked. You could serve it with some fresh fruit or on top of a salad.

Here's How. With its rich texture and mildly salty and creamy flavor, ricotta cheese is not only a vital part of cannoli and lasagna, but can add a gourmet touch to cheesecakes, omelets, and crêpes.

You can freeze ricotta cheese, but it's not always advisable. Why? Frozen ricotta cheese has a grainier texture once it's defrosted, though its flavor is preserved. This is because the water separates from the cheese curds and forms ice crystals when frozen.

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.

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).