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!

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).

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.

Some sources suggest that ricotta may last up to two weeks, but past that one-week mark you should look for signs of spoilage (more on that in a moment). And if it's been sitting for more than two weeks, throw it away.

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.

When it comes to the creamy and cheesy layer, ricotta, cottage cheese, and béchamel fillings can all be frozen, although béchamel varieties tend to weather the freezing process a bit better. Both meat and vegetable lasagnas can be frozen, but be sure to fully cook any meat before assembling and freezing.

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.

Why is it important to let ricotta cheese drain after you make it? ›

That's why it's important to give yourself as many advantages as you possibly can, especially when it comes to removing excess moisture before and during the cooking process. Epstein explains that if ricotta isn't drained as part of the prep, "the moisture in the ricotta causes the lasagna to fall apart."

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.

Once ricotta is defrosted, it should be used within 2 days. Once defrosted, you'll need to use the whole portion of ricotta. It shouldn't be put back in the freezer. If necessary, you can split ricotta up into small portions before freezing.

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.