Ricotta

Ricotta is a fresh Italian whey cheese made by re-cooking (ri-cotta) the whey left over from other cheese production. The result is a white, grainy-creamy cheese with a mild, slightly sweet flavour and high moisture content. It is one of the most versatile dairy ingredients in Italian cooking.

Culinary Use

In pasta cooking, ricotta serves two distinct roles:

As a sauce base — folded cold into hot, drained pasta with pasta water. The residual heat softens the ricotta without cooking it, creating a creamy, light coating. This technique is used in pasta ricotta e limone and similar preparations. The sauce is made off heat; boiling or high heat causes ricotta to break and turn grainy.

As a filling — mixed with egg, spinach, or other ingredients for stuffed pasta (ravioli, cannelloni). This application requires a well-drained ricotta to avoid wet fillings.

Outside pasta: ricotta appears in crostata (tart), sfogliatella (pastry), cassata (Sicilian cake), and as a spread on bread.

Varieties

Ricotta vaccina (cow's milk) — the standard supermarket product. Mild, slightly sweet, all-purpose.

Ricotta di bufala (buffalo milk) — richer, more flavourful, higher fat. Used in premium applications.

Ricotta salata — dried and salted ricotta, used grated like hard cheese over pasta in southern Italy.

This page prices standard ricotta vaccina.

Storage

Ricotta is highly perishable. Use within 2–3 days of opening. It does not freeze well — moisture separates on thawing, breaking the texture.

Cost Context

At €6.50/kg, a 250g tub costs approximately €1.63 — the standard single-recipe quantity for pasta sauce (4 servings). Ricotta is more expensive per kg than mozzarella fior di latte (€12.00/kg) is by weight, but the lower quantity needed per recipe keeps per-serving cost moderate.

Recipes using ricotta include pasta ricotta e limone. Use the Recipe Cost Calculator to model exact cost per serving.