I love that ricotta is nutrient-packed and mild in flavor, which makes it excellent in terms of withstanding a variety of transformations, both sweet and savory. I like to whip it and mix it with pasta if I don’t have time to make a “proper” cheese sauce. If in a hurry, I also like to eat ricotta with leftover salad, or to spread it on toast and add veggies or fruits, for a delicious snack or even a main meal.
If I’m not in a hurry, I like to stuff pasta with ricotta, to add it to cakes or cookies, on pizza, or as a sweet/savory crepe filling or a pancake ingredient. I am a big fan of lemon ricotta pancakes, and I have been using Maggiano’s stellar recipe for many years. You can find the recipe here and my review of Maggiano’s brunch menu, which includes lemon ricotta pancakes, here.
I used to make my own ricotta (I recommend Ina Garten and Alex Guarnaschelli’s recipes) but the price of heavy cream has gone up so much that at the moment I think store-bought ricotta is more cost-effective than homemade. As always, I recommend checking the labels prior to purchasing to ensure minimal processing and ingredients were used, and buying locally, if at all possible.
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