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

FAQs

What to do with a lot of ricotta? ›

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.

Its high moisture content can cause it to go bad in one or two weeks at maximum, or a mere two days for a homemade version. Prolonging ricotta's shelf life by freezing it seems like an easy solution, but it changes drastically when frozen, which is again attributed to its high moisture content.

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 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.

The sign your ricotta is bad

If the ricotta has gone yellowish or brown, or if there's a layer of water sitting atop the cheese, that's also an indicator that your ricotta has spoiled (so don't just shrug and mix the water back into the cheese!).

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.

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.

Because of textural deterioration, it's no longer ideal for use as a primary ingredient in its raw form, so you'll want to skip slathering it on a piece of toast or serving with fresh fruit. The best way to make the most of ricotta that has been frozen is to cook or bake with it.

Why does ricotta cheese turn pink? ›

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.

You can use the whey instead of plain water for more flavor. Make butter: To use whey to make butter, leave it to cool for a few hours or overnight. The cream present in whey will rise to the top and can be scooped away and used to make butter. Pest control: Strain the whey well and dilute 1:1 with water.

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.

Soft cheeses, such as cottage cheese, cream cheese and ricotta, with mold should be discarded. The same goes for any kind of cheese that's shredded, crumbled or sliced. With these cheeses, the mold can send threads throughout the cheese — contaminating more than you see.

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.

Even so, frozen and defrosted ricotta should work fine in both sweet and savory baked recipes, like lasagna and cakes. Fresh ricotta can simply be frozen in the original packaging, which is usually a plastic tub. You can also freeze fresh ricotta in a freezer-safe glass glass jar or airtight container.

Ricotta lovers will be happy to know that ricotta cheese is a healthy food and belongs to the dairy food group. It can be enjoyed every day as part of a balanced diet.

Opened ricotta generally lasts for about one week in proper storage conditions. To be on the safe side, give it the sniff test. If there is any off odor, toss it.