Elevate Your Roasted Vegetables With Leftover Ricotta

Roasted veggies are known for their crispy, earthy, lightly charred flavor. Now, imagine this flavor and texture paired with something luxuriously creamy and salty. To get this yummy dish, it's simple — top your cooked vegetables with dollops of ricotta cheese before diving in. Another method is to spread the mild, white cheese over the bottom of a shallow dish before adorning it with your hot veggies. The warm vegetables help to heat it, making it even more velvety.

While you can use store-bought ricotta straight from the tub, you could also be super fancy and make your own homemade ricotta using just whole milk, vinegar (or lemon juice), and salt. Cheese purists would say the homemade kind is creamier and tastier because it doesn't have any extra preservatives or additives that may alter the flavor, leading to a pure product that's fluffy and rich. 

If you want to take your ricotta a step further, whip it in a food processor with a couple of teaspoons of olive oil and lemon to achieve a super decadent dip-like texture before dolloping or spreading it along the plate. Putting whipped ricotta underneath your pasta for the perfect bite every time reigns true for this veggie dish, too, since each time you scoop up a serving, you'll be greeted with a touch of luxurious cheese.

There are so many veggies that pair wonderfully with ricotta. Think of topping it with rich roasted garlic, acidic cherry tomatoes, and sweet onions (reminiscent of all of the flavors in your favorite baked ziti). Make sure to enjoy the garlic and tomato-topped cheese with some crunchy olive oil-laden crostinis for a deliciously scoopable appetizer. 

More cruciferous vegetables like broccoli provide ample crunch and char, which is an excellent complement to the soft texture of the cheese. Better yet, try drizzling the top of your broccoli and ricotta with some hot honey for a deliciously spicy yet sweet addition to the side. The sweetness in the honey brings out the same semi-sweet notes in the cheese, while the spice provides a zingy kick of flavors.

Roasted pumpkin or squash also makes a seamless, creamy, and aromatic complement to ricotta. Roast the pumpkin with olive oil, salt, and pepper before serving over whipped and fluffy ricotta. The robust orange veggie makes a beautiful duo with the vibrant white color of the cheese, while the earthy, sweet taste of the pumpkin brings out the subtle aromas in the ricotta.