Think Twice Before Using Ricotta Cheese In These Dishes

Ricotta is an Italian staple and something that many home cooks will keep a tub of in the refrigerator all the time. It is used in a number of classic Italian dishes such as ravioli, cannelloni, and the delicious dessert cannoli. Ricotta is a popular substitution for cream cheese and heavy cream for those who are keeping an eye on calories and fat content, since it is much lower in both. However, some recipes lend themselves better than others to that low-fat substitution, and it can be difficult to work out which ones to try.

To help you in your cheesy culinary adventure, we took a look at the dishes where, although you technically can use ricotta as a substitute for one of the richer ingredients, it may not be the best choice, and could lead to a drastically different flavor or texture. From gooey mac and cheese to a classic tiramisu, some dishes just wouldn't be the same with a ricotta swap. We'll explore what ingredients make a better choice to elevate these dishes and keep your taste buds content.

Pizza is one of the ultimate comfort foods. Tomato and mozzarella reign supreme as classic toppings, with dozens of alternatives adding extra flair, from pepperoni to the ever-controversial pineapple.

One way to switch up pizza toppings is to use different cheese, and in fact a classic Italian topping of quattro formaggi sees four different cheeses getting a spot in the limelight. If you were considering using ricotta as an alternative though, you may want to think again. The high moisture content of ricotta means that it may undo all the hard work the oven does in making the base crusty, resulting in a soggy bottom — not something you want to contend with on pizza night. It also doesn't melt very well, and will leave big clumps of cheese scattered throughout the pizza, rather than a uniform topping.

If you're desperate to try a cheese a little more exciting than mozzarella, there are better options than ricotta. Fontina is a delicious Italian cheese that often makes its way onto a pizza, as it melts nicely and has a pleasant, slightly nutty taste. Parmesan is another one you may not have considered, but its strong umami flavor will give your pizza a great twist. Ideally, grate the alternative cheeses into the mozzarella, and use a combination to ensure you get a lovely gooey layer.

Cheesecake is a favorite dessert for many people, with its silky smooth filling and crunchy base. You may be wondering if you can use ricotta as the main cheese in your filling, but if you want a classic, creamy dessert then it isn't the best option. Ricotta has a naturally grainy texture, meaning that you will not get the super-smooth creaminess that is one of the highlights of a good cheesecake. Using cream cheese instead will give a much more satisfying mouthfeel and make the dish more enjoyable.

If you really want to lighten up your cheesecake without using ricotta, you can try adding yogurt into the mix to replace some of the cream cheese. It will provide a light, airy cheesecake filling without any grainy texture, and is lower in fat than cream cheese or sour cream. Be sure to taste the filling, as it may need some sugar to balance out the extra tang of the yogurt.

If lightening things up is not your aim, adding some rich mascarpone in along with the cream cheese will enhance the luxurious smoothness and give a delicious extra creamy flavor to the dessert. The Italian cream cheese has an almost buttery texture, and will give the cheesecake an incredible texture. If you want a traditional super-creamy dessert, don't risk making a ricotta version and opt for a creamy option, instead. Whichever ricotta alternative you choose, a well-chosen topping will finish off your cheesecake perfectly to create a mouthwatering dessert.

Mac and cheese is a beloved comfort food in most households, adored by kids and a nostalgic treat for grown-ups. Making a proper cheese sauce for it can be time-consuming and usually high in fat, so it may be tempting to consider using ricotta in the sauce, instead. While this may save time, it won't result in the creamy, indulgent pasta dish that you are used to.

Ricotta is different from many cheeses, like cheddar and mozzarella, having been curdled with acid instead of rennet. Because of this, it doesn't melt, whatever you do to it, so you will never get the gooey cheese sauce that mac and cheese deserves. Instead, it will retain its shape and consistency, and a slightly grainy texture.

Fortunately, there are many rennet-based cheeses that will melt perfectly into your cheese sauce, if you don't fancy the classic cheddar. Gouda and Gruyère are excellent options that have a sharp flavor and will melt beautifully. You can mix either of these cheeses with cheddar to get a sauce that is familiar but with a punch of extra flavor.

Parmesan can even be used to impart an umami flavor, but is best added into other cheeses or sprinkled on at the end. While ricotta may seem like a unique twist on a classic dish, it is unlikely to live up to your mac and cheese expectations. Sticking with a classic option will ensure you have a dish filled with decadent flavors and textures.

Lasagna is one of Italy's most famous and most loved dishes, with many variations across Italy itself and the world. One variation to the classic béchamel version involves using ricotta cheese instead. While this could save you a bit of time, if you are looking for an authentic rich, creamy flavor from your lasagna, the ricotta version could be disappointing.

The beauty of béchamel is its wonderful, silky texture that keeps the lasagna moist and luxurious once it comes out of the oven. When ricotta is cooked, it can become dry, unbalancing the dish. Instead of the perfect layers you expect in a lasagna, you could end up with grainy, unpleasant sections in between the meat and pasta.

If you want to make the best possible lasagna, béchamel sauce is a must. It is not as difficult to make as you may think, though it does need patience. The key to a successful béchamel sauce is the making of the roux: Whisk butter and flour together until they form a smooth paste. Milk is then added, very gradually, until you end up with a thick, luscious sauce that you can pour across your pasta sheets.

Using ricotta instead of making a béchamel may seem like a shortcut that will save you time, but the texture of your lasagna could suffer as a result. The flavor and texture from a béchamel lasagna will make it worth the extra time standing at the stove.

Quiche is a brilliantly versatile dish that can be eaten for breakfast, lunch, or dinner and is endlessly customizable. A classic quiche filling is made with cream, eggs, and often cheese, so is not known for being low fat. You may be tempted to lighten up the filling by using ricotta in place of the cream and cheese, but this will dramatically alter the flavor and could affect the integrity of your quiche crust.

A perfect quiche has a silky smooth filling that is the ideal consistency to allow the base to cook through and become crisp. The water content of ricotta — up to 80% moisture — means that it doesn't behave the same as other types of dairy when cooked, potentially throwing out the consistency of the filling for the quiche. When placed on top of the raw crust, it can make it soggy, meaning your precious pastry won't achieve the crispy texture you were hoping for. The added moisture could also prevent the filling from setting properly, and a runny filling is not what you want to see when you cut into your quiche.

Ricotta also has a very bland flavor compared to the cheeses that are often used in a quiche filling. Cheddar, Gruyère, and gouda all have rich, umami flavor that gives a tangy punch to the creamy filling, but ricotta won't do that. It has a very mild taste and will do little to lift the overall flavor of the quiche.

Of all the delicious Italian desserts — and there are many — one of the most beloved has to be tiramisu. The decadent combination of soaked ladyfingers, with creamy mascarpone and a generous dusting of cocoa powder is the perfect indulgent way to end a meal. While you may have heard that ricotta can be used as a replacement for the mascarpone, doing so will result in a dish that doesn't resemble a classic tiramisu.

Mascarpone is the key ingredient in tiramisu, bringing the dish together with its super-smooth consistency and creamy flavor. The grainy texture of ricotta will not have the same effect and its milder flavor means something will be missing from the final dish. To make ricotta closer to being as effective as the mascarpone, you would need to mix it with lots of heavy cream, meaning the end result wouldn't be any lighter or healthier than the original.

If you don't have any mascarpone and are planning to make a sweet, indulgent tiramisu, you can actually make your own cheese fairly easily. By heating heavy cream with lemon juice, it will take you around ten minutes of active cooking, then chill it in the fridge overnight, and you will have a deliciously creamy bowl of mascarpone by the next morning. There really is no reasonable substitute for mascarpone if you want to make the perfect tiramisu, so you should wait until you have some before attempting this classic Italian dessert.

If you're in the mood for a comforting lunch or satisfying afternoon snack, a grilled cheese sandwich is likely to hit the spot. With a crispy exterior and a gooey middle, it has the perfect contrast of textures to match the delicious flavor of the filling. While a hard cheese like Cheddar is traditional, it is easy to mix up your grilled cheese by experimenting with a variety of cheeses. If you're after that perfect oozing middle though, ricotta is not going to get the same result.

The beauty of a grilled cheese for most people is the melted cheese that stretches between the two slices as you pry them apart. If you use ricotta instead of cheddar, the cheese will not change much when you heat it. Sure, it will warm up, but it will not melt in the characteristic way that most other cheeses do. On top of that, the ricotta is much wetter, meaning the bread could become soggy and prevent the sandwich from crisping up on the outside.

If you want a change from cheddar, you could try gouda or Gruyère, which both melt well and have enough strength of flavor to add a punch to your grilled cheese, unlike ricotta which is very mild. You could even use mozzarella, though you may want to mix it with another cheese to make the flavor more robust — the melt will be perfect, though.

As side dishes go, a good helping of mashed potatoes can be the perfect option for certain dishes. The ideal mash will be both creamy and fluffy at the same time, and will often use plenty of cream and butter to get the job done. Some people choose to lighten up their mash by replacing the cream and butter with alternatives, but using ricotta in their place could lead to disappointing results.

Water is the enemy of fluffy mashed potato, and in the same way that poorly drained potatoes can lead to soggy mash, so can replacing the usual cream and butter with much wetter ingredients. Store-bought ricotta contains a lot more moisture than other cheeses, so trying to cut down on fat by substituting it for the usual dairy products could negatively affect the texture of the mashed potatoes. Cream cheese would be a better alternative, since it has less moisture, but is still lower in fat than either butter or cream.

The low fat nature of ricotta also means it won't add much to your mashed potatoes in terms of flavor. Fat is where the flavor comes from, so switching to low-fat dairy such as ricotta means cutting out on the rich taste that can make mash so decadent. If you are concerned about fat intake, you may get better results using a little bit of butter and a splash of cream, rather than switching to ricotta and throwing off both the flavor and consistency.

Eggs are a great way to start the day, packed with high-quality protein and heart-healthy fats, and omelets are a quick and endlessly customizable way to incorporate them into your breakfast easily. Adding cheese to an omelet can give it a delicious boost of flavor and add to its luxurious texture, but when it comes to choosing the right one, ricotta may not the best cheese to opt for.

Many people pick ricotta in place of other dairy as it is significantly lower in fat. However, the higher fat content in other cheeses is what lends a smooth consistency to the omelet, and gives it a luxurious mouthfeel. If cutting down on fat is really important to you, the texture of omelet can actually be delightfully fluffy without adding any cheese at all. The key is to whip the eggs much more than you likely already do, to get as much air into them as possible. In doing this, you can get the perfect omelet texture without needing to add any extra fat.

If you really want to add a cheese that will enhance your omelet, stick to cheese that melts well to create a gooey element in the omelet filling. Italian Fontina cheese melts brilliantly and will impart a distinctive flavor that will match the eggs nicely.

If you're planning on having a few people over for game day or a garden party, chances are you're considering serving a few savory dips. Homemade dips taste better, naturally, and whipping one up doesn't take too much time. Cream cheese and sour cream are the dairy products most often used for dips as their creamy texture and smooth flavor match well with so many other ingredients. You may have considered using ricotta cheese as the base instead, but that's not the best option, for a number of reasons.

The grainy nature of ricotta means using it in a dip will not give you the desired smooth texture. The grittiness may be off-putting for some, if they are expecting a velvety consistency. Similarly, the water content in ricotta compared to cream cheese or sour cream may mean the dip is a tad thin compared to the luxurious texture from one of the higher-fat options.

Using Greek yogurt in your dip instead of ricotta could be a better option that will still keep the fat content lower. It will impart a creamy texture, though the flavor will have more tang than a dip made from cream cheese. In your quest for a healthier dip, you could always avoid dairy altogether and make a base made from blended beans, creating a creamy texture without the need for any dairy products.