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

FAQs

Can I freeze ricotta cheese for later use? ›

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).

Generally speaking, you should think twice about freezing cheese, and doubly so for fresh varieties like cream cheese or ricotta. 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.

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.

To start with, look out for any sort of odor. Ricotta doesn't have much of a smell to it, so if it smells foul or off in any way, then it's time to throw it out. Additionally, look for any change in the ricotta's appearance. If it's growing mold, you'll have to throw the whole thing out.

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.

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).

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.

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.

What is ricotta cheese good on? ›

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.

It's not technically toxic for dogs — unlike blue cheeses, which in general should be avoided. But ricotta also contains lactose, which can aggravate dogs who suffer from lactose intolerance. Additionally, as a high-fat food, ricotta cheese is not really the best thing to feed to your dog on a regular basis.

Ricotta is a classic example. This soft, sweet, white cheese is made from what is left over after making other cheeses. Strictly speaking, ricotta is not really considered a cheese, but a latticino—which means a dairy by-product—just as cow or buffalo milk mozzarellas are.

The analysis demonstrated the predominance of spore-forming bacteria throughout the shelf-life, mostly belonging to Bacillus, Paenibacillus and Clostridium genera. A strain involved in spoilage and causing a pink discolouration of Ricotta was isolated and characterised as Bacillus mycoides/weihenstephanensis.

Compared to most cheeses, ricotta is a healthier choice because it contains less salt and fat - 10 per cent fat, of which 6 per cent is saturated. It's light and creamy with a slightly grainy texture and delicate flavour that can be used on its own or in sweet and savoury dishes.

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. When it comes time to thaw it, put it in the fridge overnight or until it reaches the right consistency.

The preferred method is to thaw it in your refrigerator over the course of 2 days to let it defrost slowly. This will give the cheese the opportunity to retain some of the moisture in its packaging, giving it a better texture and preserving its original flavors.

Yes you can thaw ricotta cheese in the microwave, it is easier to thaw the harder cheeses such as cheddar or provolone. Softer cheeses like ricotta and brie are soft cheeses which when thawing begin to sweat and melt when defrosted. When thawing cheese iy is preferred to thaw it in the fridge over 3 days.

Stir the ricotta with a spoon so that the cheese will freeze more evenly. Remove the cheese from the container and press it down with a layer of paper towels to drain. Wrap the cheese in plastic wrap, either as a whole or in individual portions using an ice cube tray (the latter is easier for thawing).