Ricotta Filling Recipe and Ways to Use it

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This simple Ricotta Filling recipe is so versatile and delicious!  Stuff it, top it, or mix it with pasta, chicken, beef, or veggies!  So many dinners and ways to use it.

This Ricotta Filling recipe is easy to make, but can be used in so many ways! Ricotta is creamy and mild, taking on whatever flavors it is combined with. It imparts only a slightly cheesy flavor when served cold, but when cooked, it becomes rich and cheesy and delicious.

This basic ricotta filling recipe is kept pretty simple with garlic, Italian herbs and seasonings, parmesan, and salt and pepper. But then I give you lots of optional ingredients to jazz it up! Plus, I have easy dinner ideas for how to use it!

This is a great recipe for meal planning easy meals. Add it to your Throwback Thursdays to use up leftover ground beef or chicken or turkey. It’s also a great recipe to add to your Pasta Dinner Sundays meal planning calendar!

Ricotta can be used in so many dinners!

Ricotta is a creamy Italian cheese that’s made from milk curds. You find it in a lot of Italian cuisine, but ricotta isn’t just for lasagna and ravioli! Ricotta is a very versatile cheese. You can mix it with sweet or savory for dinner, appetizers, or desserts.  Here are some of my favorite ricotta recipes.

I love to dollop it on top of a Quinoa bowl or plate, such as my Mediterranean Sheet Pan Chicken Sausage, Chickpeas, & Zucchini.

Ricotta can also be the star as the sauce for pasta! I love it blended with walnuts in my Walnut Cream Sauce Pasta with Ricotta and Spinach. It’s also delicious with bacon in this Pasta with Ricotta, Bacon, Mushroom Sauce!

You can fill jumbo pasta shells with it in my Leftover Turkey Pasta Bake: Stuffed Shells Recipe in Tomato Sauce. I also love to dollop it on top of a simple spaghetti and marinara sauce. And of course you can add it to Homemade Lasagna layer after layer!

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Simple Ingredients and Substitutes

Basic Filling Ingredients and Substitutes

• Whole Milk Fresh Ricotta Cheese – whole milk ricotta will have the most flavor. However, you can use a lower fat ricotta as well. If you don’t have ricotta, small curd cottage cheese is a good substitute. For large curd cottage cheese, there is typically more cream, which can make your filling too liquidy. For large curd, you can drain it in a paper towel lined colander over a bowl for an hour in the fridge. This will help strain out some of the liquid. Then you can either mash the large curds with the back of a fork or pulse it in a food processor.
• Parmesan Cheese, grated – Parmesan adds more depth, salty, and nutty flavor to the filling. Shredded is fine too. If you don’t have parmesan cheese, you can substitute with shredded or grated pecorino romano cheeses, manchego cheese, cotija, gruyere, or other hard salty cheese.
• Cloves garlic – Fresh is best when it comes to garlic. The great thing in this recipe is that you just need to peel it. The food processor does the rest. But you can buy pre-minced garlic to save time or mince it in bulk and freeze it for use when you need it! You can also substitute in dried garlic flakes or garlic powder.
• Italian Seasoning Blend – Use your preferred brand. If you don’t have, you can make your own. This is typically a combination of equal parts oregano, basil, rosemary, and thyme.
• Salt – Ricotta is typically pretty bland, so salt really helps to make the flavor come out. If you are sensitive to salt, you may want to taste first before adding the salt.
• Ground Black Pepper – black pepper adds a more depth and flavor. You can also use white pepper.

Optional Ingredients

Protein Options

• Eggs – If you are planning to cook and use this filling more like a stuffing, then eggs are needed. Eggs will help to bind the filling so that it holds its place and shape vs. melting and oozing out. Add 1 large egg per 15 ounces of ricotta. Beat the 1 or 2 egg yolks with whites first, then add to the filling and mix to combine.
• Cooked Shredded Turkey or Chicken – I always have raw chicken breasts in the freezer as they can last up to 12 months if in an airtight container or packaging. I also keep cooked shredded chicken in the freezer for quick dinners. Check out all of my tips on Prepping and Storing Chicken for Easier Dinners.
• Cooked Ground Beef – ground beef mixed in is a great option for filling pasta shells, zucchini boats, portabella mushrooms, or lasagna.
• Cooked Bacon, crumbled – Use your favorite bacon. I love a simple smoked bacon vs. a maple flavored variety. Cook bacon strips in a pan or in the oven until the fat is rendered and the bacon is crispy. Then crumble into the ricotta filling. I love it in this Pasta with Ricotta, Bacon, Mushroom Sauce!

Vegetable and Other Options

• Sauteed Mushrooms – White button mushrooms, baby bella, cremini, shiitake, portabella or any other mushrooms you like. Make sure to chop them into small pieces for mixing into the filling. This filling with mushrooms is great in ravioli, in stuffed jumbo pasta shells, or topped on grilled chicken or steak.
• Fresh Basil, chopped – You can use either fresh or dried.
• Fresh Oregano, chopped – You can use either fresh or dried.
• Red Pepper Flakes – Add these if you want some heat and spice. You can also use a cayenne pepper or hot sauce.
• Fresh Lemon zest and lemon juice – Lemon ricotta go so well together, especially when you are using the ricotta filling recipe to go on crostini or toast. I love to add this variation on top of grain bowls and salads.
• Jalapeño, finely chopped, no seeds – This is a great way to take a mexican spin on the filling. You can also add a teaspoon of cumin and chili powder to go that direction.
• Shredded Mozzarella Cheese – Looking for a really cheesy filling? Add mozzarella to it as well!

Tips for Making this Ricotta Filling Recipe

There really isn’t much to this recipe, as everything simply gets mixed together in a large bowl. However, here are a few tips to think about.

First, think about the ingredients and what may need to be cooked ahead. Make sure to plan for that.

In this recipe, the garlic is added raw. Many times, you are added the filling and then there is a cooking step to cook the garlic. For example, if you stuff shells or layer into a lasagna, you have a baking step. I love the flavor from raw garlic, but if you do not and are not planning to cook the filling, then perhaps you want to saute the garlic in a teaspoon of olive oil over low-medium heat in a pan.

Think of 1-2 ways that you can use this ricotta cheese mixture and make a double batch! For example, you can use it in a pasta bake one night, then dolloped on top of a quinoa or salad bowl the next night.

ENJOY!  😍 Carrie

Ricotta Filling Recipe FAQS

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