What can you make with a tub of ricotta?

Ricotta is the quiet one in the cheese drawer. It is soft, milky and slightly sweet, so it rarely leads a dish, but it makes everything around it gentler and creamier. That also means a tub can sit in the fridge waiting for a plan. Here are the plans.

Pasta in minutes

The fastest thing you can do with ricotta. Put a few spoonfuls in a big bowl with grated Parmesan or pecorino, lemon zest, black pepper and a little olive oil. When the pasta is cooked, lift it straight into the bowl with a splash of its cooking water and toss until creamy. Add peas, spinach, courgettes or basil if you have them.

It works with short shapes and long ones. Do not cook the ricotta in the pan; it can turn grainy. Let the heat of the pasta do it. For a sharper version, see our lemon pasta.

On toast

Thick toast, a generous layer of ricotta, then:

• Honey, black pepper and a few walnuts.
• Sliced ripe tomatoes, salt and olive oil.
• Roasted peppers or courgettes with mint.
• Figs or peaches in summer.
• Sautéed greens with garlic and chilli.

Season the ricotta with a pinch of salt first and it tastes far more like itself.

In the oven

Ricotta is the filling half of Italian home baking.

• Baked pasta. Dot spoonfuls through a tray of pasta and tomato sauce before it goes in the oven, for creamy pockets.
• Stuffed vegetables. Mix ricotta with Parmesan, herbs and an egg and use it to fill courgettes, peppers, tomatoes or large pasta shells.
• Savoury tart. Ricotta with greens, eggs and cheese makes the classic filling for a torta salata, a rustic savoury pie. Our page on torta salata goes into it.
• Baked ricotta. Season it with salt, pepper, zest and herbs, pack it into an oiled dish and bake until set and golden at the edges. Serve warm with bread.

Whipped and spread

Beat ricotta with a spoonful of olive oil, a pinch of salt and some lemon zest until light and smooth: a food processor makes it silky. Spread it on a plate, make a swirl, then pile on roasted tomatoes, grilled vegetables or herbs with more oil. An excellent thing to put out with drinks: see aperitivo snacks.

Gnocchi and fritters

Ricotta gnocchi (sometimes called gnudi in Tuscany, where they are made with spinach) are soft, light dumplings made with ricotta, Parmesan and a little flour. Small ricotta fritters, sweet or savoury, are another good way to use a tub. Both like ricotta that has been drained well first.

Sweet things

Ricotta has a long life in Italian desserts.

• Ricotta with fruit. Sweeten it lightly, add orange or lemon zest, and serve it with berries, poached pears or macerated fruit.
• With chocolate. Fold in chopped dark chocolate and a little candied peel for something that leans towards the filling of a Sicilian cannolo.
• Ricotta cake. A simple cake made with ricotta is moist and gentle, and a good one to bake with children.
• Pancakes. Stirring ricotta into pancake batter makes them soft and tender.

Draining, and getting the most out of it

Some ricotta is quite wet. For fillings, gnocchi and baking, set it in a sieve over a bowl in the fridge for a while so the extra whey drips away. For pasta and toast, use it as it is.

Once opened, keep it covered in the fridge and use it within the time on the packet. If you have a little left, stir it into scrambled eggs, a frittata or a soup at the end.