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

FAQs

What can I do with leftover ricotta liquid? ›

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).

The Proper Way To Freeze Ricotta Cheese

Use a clean, airtight container or freezer bag to prevent freezer burn and bacterial contamination. You can even freeze the cheese in ice cube trays and then transfer the cubes to a container, which makes for easier portioning when you want to use it in the future.

The versatile, soft cheese can actually be used for every meal of the day, not just supper. We're talking Ricotta Pancakes for breakfast, White Calzones with Marinara Sauce for lunch, and Raspberry Ricotta Cake for dessert. From appetizers to mains to desserts, these are our best recipes that use ricotta cheese.

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.

Substitute whey in any baking recipe that calls for water (or even milk). Try it in fresh breads, cornbread, pancakes, waffles, muffins, biscuits, tortillas and more for a sour tang. *Also works with non-cultured whey from fresh cheeses. Use whey to soak whole grains, legumes and even ground flours.

When it comes to storing ricotta, you can use the freezer, but it's important to know that it will compromise the quality of your cheese. While its flavor may endure the freezing process, the texture of ricotta suffers once it has been frozen and thawed, transforming from smooth and creamy to gritty and clumpy.

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.

Baked Ricotta Storage Instructions

This baked ricotta will last up to 6 days in the fridge and 3 months in the freezer.

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.

What happens when you heat ricotta cheese? ›

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.

Ricotta is made from a combination of heat and acid, which means that it has a different structural property than most cheeses do. As a result, that means that ricotta will not melt. This is what makes it so popular for pasta bakes, because it doesn't lose volume the way a melted cheese would.

In Italy, ricotta is typically eaten as a filling for pasta or cannoli.

Enjoy with crackers, a drizzle of honey, dried fruits or vegetable sticks. As a spread: Toast slices of banana bread or fruit toast, spread with ricotta and drizzle with honey for a snack or brekky. Finger food pasties: Ricotta and spinach are a match made in heaven.

A. Obesity and the risk of chronic disease are linked by inflammation. For example, dairy foods might lower the risk of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease, but their effect on inflammation is unknown. Ricotta cheese and other dairy products may also help lessen inflammation in some cases.

So, ricotta actually translates to recooked in Italian, and ricotta is what's called a "whey cheese." When you make cheese, you separate milk into two distinct things. You have the solids, called curds, which will be separated out and pressed to form cheese. And you have the liquid that is left behind, called whey.

Ricotta goes bad in 3–5 days. It turns sour and it is not edible anymore. There is no way to make it last, it is not made for lasting.

Can you freeze ricotta cheese mixture? Yes! Say you've made a pasta filling with ricotta cheese and other ingredients like Parmesan cheese, eggs and herbs, it is perfectly fine to freeze it. On thawing, excess liquid may need to be drained away but otherwise it will be good.

Soup stock: Whey adds a deep flavor as a base in soups and stews, much like a stock. Replace part of the stock or water in a soup recipe with whey. Bake with it: The acidity of whey has a softening effect on glutenous bread and pizza dough. Some recipes even call for whey in the ingredient list.