30 Rich Ricotta Dishes That Will Make You Fall In Love With The Cheese

Italian bakeries have been serving up cannoli forever. The crispy shell and creamy sweet filling are nearly irresistible. Often times, they come with mini chocolate chips or chopped pistachios or dipped in chocolate. No matter what topping you pick, they're a MAJOR treat. (It's why we couldn't stop ourselves from making cannoli cupcakes!)

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White pizzas can be boring without the acidity of tomatoes, but we've made a pie that takes advantage of the flavors from three different cheeses. If you want to go totally homemade with this recipe, be sure to use our simple and delicious pizza dough recipe.

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We love spinach–artichoke anything, be it a hearty bun, a cozy soup, a deluxe stuffed baked potato, or a crispy taquito... While we’ve already paired these flavors with gnocchi, tortellini, pasta shells, and more, making a super-cheesy chicken, spinach, and artichoke lasagna just had to happen.

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This light, fluffy whipped ricotta is as close as you can get to eating a cloud. Spoon it onto a serving plate and top with roasted vegetables, add it to bruschetta, or serve as dessert with fresh or roasted strawberries.

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After 5 rounds of testing, we finally found the ideal combination of flavors and effort for our best-ever baked ziti—it’s got rich ricotta and a meaty, tomato-based sauce, thrown together in a dish and baked with your pasta.

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"No-bake" and "whipped" in the same recipe name as "cheesecake"? Sure! This may be the anomaly to cheesecake, but I promise it’s one of the best—I’m not being biased—cheesecakes I’ve had. The NY-style, Basque, or Italian ricotta cheesecakes you’re familiar with can step back for a second.

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Making gnudi, or Italian ricotta dumplings, only sounds fancy. They're actually an easy pasta dinner anyone can pull off. If you love gnocchi as much as we do (make sure to check out this Sheet Pan Burrata Caprese recipe), you'll likely love these too.

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Quiche’s less-fussy cousin, frittatas are the answer to almost every meal dilemma. Looking to get creative with your leftovers? Veggies going bad in your fridge? Home late and craving a simple breakfast-for-dinner recipe? Say it with us: frittata, frittata, frittata.

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While pasta salad can get creaminess from mayo, sour cream, or yogurt, we want to make a case for ricotta. Mixed with fresh lemon juice and zest, plenty of grated Parmesan, and pasta water, the ricotta melts into a creamy, bright sauce without any additional oil.

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Although many stuffed shells recipes contain spinach, we tweak that by adding feta, dill, and scallions to make spanakopita-inspired stuffed shells. The result is a slight spin that might be better than the original.

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It’s time to say ciao to your new favorite Italian treats, zeppole! Zeppole are tiny fried donuts rolled in a sugar mixture, and we can’t get enough of them. They’re the perfect snack for serving with coffee for a midmorning pastry break, or with chocolate sauce for a more decadent dessert to finish off the night.

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If you’ve ever had whipped ricotta toast, you know how the simple ingredient can elevate even something mundane to new heights. The same goes for pasta. In fact, whipped ricotta might just be one of the best pasta upgrades, especially when it’s paired with a sun-dried tomato sauce and spinach like we did here.

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Stuffed with a rich, lilac-colored blueberry ricotta, this dish is exactly what we crave when we’re dreaming of a sweet breakfast to go with our morning coffee. Sourdough is our bread of choice, but if you love brioche or challah French toast, feel free to experiment with those instead.

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While we love eggplant Parmesan and eggplant rollatini, when we're craving a little less work but those same eggplant flavors, we turn to this pasta recipe. It’s a classic Sicilian recipe for very good reason, and is the perfect easy summer dinner to celebrate peak fresh flavors.

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There's no debate: The combination of the crunchy exterior and creamy filling of a cannoli is one of the world’s best bites. These bite-sized treats are the perfect way to serve the classic Italian treat to guests this holiday season without all the mess and stress.

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Think of green bean casserole but better. In this tart, fresh blanched green beans are layered onto a creamy blend of ricotta and goat cheese, topped with garlicky mushrooms and cheddar cheese, then baked on a puff pastry crust until perfectly melty, crisp, and crave-able.

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Perfectly tart with a hint of sweetness, these are the absolute-best lemon ricotta pancakes. Compared to traditional buttermilk pancakes, they're fluffier in texture, and a perfect spring or summer breakfast.

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A light pasta is an ideal dinner during the warm summer months. Fresh ricotta and sweet corn are the stars of the show for this quick and easy pasta. The dish comes together in one pot and in about 30 minutes, which you just can’t beat.

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Italian night is better when your two favorite pastas combine. This dish takes ravioli and turns them into a hearty casserole, guaranteed to please even the pickiest of eaters.

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If you're looking for a quick and easy lasagna, this is the recipe for you. We took a couple shortcuts for this recipe by using store-bought marinara, boxed pasta sheets, and ricotta instead of a homemade béchamel.

Get the Ricotta Lasagna recipe.