Excess Ricotta Cheese

[paprkutr]

I have a lot of ricotta cheese, and want to use it up before it expires. I was going to make blintzes, but that's too much work. Any suggestions where I can use and the freeze the dish. TIA

[ElaineL]

These Lemon ricotta muffins from Giada DiLaurentis are awesome:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/gi...

[toveggiegirl]

I really like Dorie Greenspan's Ricotta-Berry Muffins. That would use up 3/4 of a cup of ricotta (and they freeze well too).
http://www.recipezaar.com/Ricotta-Ber...

[ciaociao1]

I've used extra ricotta in two ways-- if I have the time and energy I mix it with cinnamon and sugar (Italians eat it like this for dessert) and add it to phyllo pastry. I make triangles and freeze them. I bake them straight from freezer and add berries for an impressive dessert

Second is a dish that is for breakfast or dessert, take day old bread into chunks, milk, honey, ricotta cheese and berries and mix. Leave overnight and bake. I forget what it's called but it was a recipe by Giada

[coll]

I just remembered, I bought this kind of cheese at Fairway and loved it.
There's a recipe in this thread that could be it.
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/251639

[Paula76]

I'd recommend ricotta and spinach gnocchi (or you can use butternut squash, sweet potato or beets). Easy and delicious! Also, ricotta crustless cheesecake mixing ricotta with eggs, cream cheese, sugar and raisins.

[Cherylptw]

You can use it to make dumplings for a beef stew, add to pasta or my favorite way would be to make Italian cheesecake

[kattyeyes]

Oh, one more thought! This is a dirty recipe, but I'm sure you can google and clean it up...ricotta cake made with boxed yellow cake...super duper moist and takes a massive amount of ricotta. See what you can find that appeals. :)

[greygarious]

You can freeze a container of ricotta as is, or freeze lasagna either baked or unbaked. It all works. Also, a refrigerates unopened container will be good for weeks past its use-by date. Eventually it will sour but it's not going to mold or rot.

[coll]

I just found some mold on my ricotta, actually I often do. And I get it straight from the distributor's fridge so not like it was mishandled. Then again, it's an "old fashioned" type, not PollyO or one of those, which may have preservative ingredients. It wasn't really sour so I used it anyway.

[greygarious]

You're right - my only experience has been with Polly-O and other typical supermarket pre-packaged stuff, with the plastic seal between container and lid. The most that stuff does is separate and get a bit sour, as does unopened yogurt past its printed date. I've eaten yogurt that was a year overdue, which has been just a little more sour than normal. After all, it's already fermented, so what's the diff?

[coll]

Yeah but now that I think of it, the unopened Brown Cow Greek style yogurt I bought before the end of the year (use by date Jan 28)is all puffed up, not moldy but the fruit is fermented and bitter. I'm pretty sure my fridge is up to temp, but maybe I'd better make sure!

[rainey]

When I make ricotta filling for lasangna, stuffed shells, etc, I frequently end up with extra. It freezes very well so that I can pull it out and fill a few shells or manicotti for an individual serving in the future.

My filling is roughly equal parts ricotta, shredded mozza and grated Parm with an egg and some basil & nutmeg. Well squeezed chopped spinach if I'm in the mood.

[mrbigshotno.1]

Take about 4 cups, dissolve 2 packets of knox geletin in 3/4 cup of milk stir well. put in a shallow pan and refrigerate like jello, top with quality preserves or even canned blueberry pie filling. Delicious!

[kattyeyes]

Layer it into eggplant parm or make rollatini. Just 'cause I've never frozen mine doesn't mean you can't. :)

[shaogo]

Less work than blintzes -- but work, nonetheless is an Italian-style ricotta pie.

Buy some pizza dough, add garlic/oil/onions/mushrooms to the ricotta (clams, maybe) and make a white pizza.

[coll]

My husband likes to just add it into pasta dishes at the table, and that's where our leftover ricotta usually gets used up. Spaghetti with clam sauce is his favorite this way, won't eat it without. Otherwise just throw together some baked ziti and freeze, not as good as fresh but good for an emergency meal down the road,

[scunge]

I usually mix with sugar,sliced almonds and oil of anise or with nutella .Add to pancake batter or pancakes I.added ricotta to pistachio pudding and to a cake mix.