Baked Ricotta Cheese

By
Jennifer Meier
Jennifer Meier
Jennifer Meier
Food writer, cookbook author, and recipe developer Jennifer Meier specializes in creating healthy and diet-specific recipes.
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Updated on 01/3/22
Baked Ricotta Cheese

The Spruce / Julia Estrada

Prep: 5 mins
Cook: 20 mins
Total: 25 mins
Servings: 6 servings
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
117 Calories
10g Fat
2g Carbs
5g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 6
Amount per serving
Calories 117
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 10g 13%
Saturated Fat 3g 15%
Cholesterol 13mg 4%
Sodium 63mg 3%
Total Carbohydrate 2g 1%
Dietary Fiber 0g 0%
Total Sugars 0g
Protein 5g
Vitamin C 0mg 0%
Calcium 113mg 9%
Iron 0mg 1%
Potassium 53mg 1%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

Mild in taste, ricotta cheese is a good ingredient for adding texture to sweet and savory dishes. Often ignored, this cheese has many uses and can improve simple dishes at a very low cost.

This recipe for baked ricotta cheese is incredibly easy and delicious. Serve it as an appetizer to share before an Italian-inspired meal along with warm pieces of Italian bread, or place it as the decorative and yummy centerpiece of your cheese board, surrounded by other cheeses, olives, salami, spreads, nuts, dried fruits, bread, and crackers.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup ricotta cheese

  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh herbs (e.g., parsley, thyme, chives, and basil), plus more for garnish

  • 1 pinch sea salt

  • 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Baked Ricotta Cheese ingredients

    The Spruce / Julia Estrada

  2. Pre heat oven to 425 F. In a small bowl, mix the fresh herbs and a pinch of sea salt with the ricotta.

    ricotta mixture in a bowl

    The Spruce / Julia Estrada

  3. Grease a small baking dish (like a small ramekin or mini-tart pan) with olive oil and place the ricotta mixture in it, drizzling 1 tablespoon of olive oil on top.

    oil on top of the ricotta mixture in the bowl

    The Spruce / Julia Estrada

  4. Bake for 20 minutes. If the top doesn't brown, finish the dish by placing the baking dish under a broiler for a few minutes until it's browned and bubbly.

    Baked Ricotta Cheese in a bowl on a cooling rack

    The Spruce / Julia Estrada

  5. Drizzle the remaining olive oil on top and decorate with fresh herbs. Serve warm and enjoy with crackers, bread, or veggies.

    Baked Ricotta Cheese served with bread, crackers and vegetables

    The Spruce / Julia Estrada

Glass Bakeware Warning

Do not use glass bakeware when broiling or when a recipe calls to add liquid to a hot pan, as glass may explode. Even if it states oven-safe or heat resistant, tempered glass products can, and do, break occasionally.

What is Ricotta?

Ricotta is a moist, fresh Italian cheese made from whey, a byproduct of cheesemaking. This cheese is used in Italian cuisine in dishes like lasagna or manicotti and in many desserts like cheesecakes and baked goods. It's made from the sheep, cow, goat, or buffalo's milk whey that remains after the curds are removed. Following the removal of the curds, the whey is reheated to form another curd that becomes ricotta cheese. Since the casein is filtered away from the whey during the cheesemaking process, ricotta is suitable for persons with casein intolerance.

Flavor Your Cheese

Create your own version of baked ricotta:

  • Pepperoncino: Mix the ricotta with salt and 1/4 cup of sauteed red peppers. Bake and drizzle with olive oil and 1/2 teaspoon of red pepper flakes. Serve with ciabatta bread.
  • Olives: Mix the ricotta with salt and chopped green olives. Bake and drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with black peppercorns. Serve with sesame rice cakes.
  • Sundried Tomatoes: Mix the ricotta with 1/4 cup of chopped sundried tomatoes. Bake and drizzle with olive oil and chopped fresh basil. Serve with thyme crackers.
  • Pesto: Mix the ricotta with salt and chopped fresh basil. Bake and drizzle with olive oil, sprinkling a handful of pine nuts on top. Serve with a warm baguette.
  • Sweet Ricotta: Mix the ricotta with a pinch of salt. Bake and drizzle with honey, decorating it with chopped nuts and fresh berries. Serve with vanilla sugar cookies.