69 ricotta and optional Recipes

ricotta cheese (2-16 oz containers), monterey jack cheese (finely shredded ), romano cheese (finely shredded ), mozzarella cheese (finely shredded ), asiago cheese (finely shredded ), provolone cheese (finely shredded ), parmesan cheese (finely shredded ), parsley (finely chopped, preferably fresh but dried is fine ), tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, oregano, bay leaves (you can substitute both oregano and bay leaf with 1.5 tsp of italian seasoning), fresh garlic cloves (minced ), white onions (optional, minced finely, your choice ) or 1 large yellow onion (optional, minced finely, your choice), italian sausage (or a mixture of the two if you want is fine) (optional) or 1 1/2 lbs ground beef (or a mixture of the two if you want is fine) (optional), no-boil lasagna noodles

shells manicotti (1 box) or 12 -14 cannelloni tubes (1 box), ricotta cheese (low-fat or part-skim), freshly grated parmesan cheese (divided 3/4 cup & 1/4 c), egg yolks, chopped fresh basil, lump crabmeat (optional) or 1/2 lb roasted & shredded cooked chicken (optional) or 1/2 lb chopped fresh spinach (optional), salt, fresh ground black pepper, tomato sauce (any jar sauce is fine, ricotta parmesan is my fave or use your favorite homemade basic .), butter or 4 tbsp margarine, all-purpose flour, milk (i use 1%), salt, fresh ground black pepper, nutmeg

pasta sauce, divided, ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese, shredded, parmesan cheese, grated, egg, beaten, italian seasoning (optional) or 1 tsp garlic powder (optional), cannelloni tubes, cooked (i always use fresh-made manicotti or cannelloni crepes shells), cooked chicken, shredded (optional)

all-purpose flour (unbleached ), baking powder (aluminum free), baking soda, salt, butter (unsalted ), granulated sugar (natural cane sugar), eggs, vanilla, lemon zest (or other citrus zest), low-fat ricotta (whole milk is also okay, for pete sake, don tsp use fat free!), sugar , sifted, lemon juice (fresh please! or use any citrus juice), lemon zest (optional, i added this )

ziti pasta, ground beef (optional) or 3/4 lb sausage (optional), marinara sauce (my favorite is rao s), ricotta cheese, shredded mozzarella cheese, dried basil, salt, ground black pepper, grated parmesan cheese

frozen chopped spinach (or 2 cups cooked fresh spinach), nonfat cottage cheese (or ricotta cheese), eggs, whole wheat flour (or any type of flour will work, gluten-free brown rice flour works well), shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese (or any cheese will do), salt and pepper, feta cheese (optional topping )

ground beef, bulk italian sausage, onion, chopped, garlic cloves, minced, crushed tomatoes, undrained, tomato paste, water or 1 1/2 cups chicken broth, salsa, sugar (optional...i don tsp use ), chili powder, fennel seed, dried oregano, dried basil, lasagna noodles, carton ricotta cheese, egg, beaten, fresh parsley, chopped, salt and pepper, to taste, shredded mozzarella cheese, grated parmesan cheese

jumbo pasta shells (approximately 18 shells ), marinara sauce, egg, ricotta cheese, shredded mozzarella cheese (divided ), grated parmesan cheese (divided ), chopped fresh parsley (1-1/2 tsp dried ), ground beef (optional) or 1 lb turkey (optional)

olive oil, onion, chopped, crushed tomatoes, garlic cloves, finely chopped, crushed red pepper flakes, salt & pepper, jumbo pasta shells, frozen chopped spinach, thawed & cooked, ricotta cheese, eggs, slightly beaten, salt, ground black pepper, grated parmesan cheese (optional) or 1 cup romano cheese (optional), nutmeg (optional), shredded mozzarella cheese

chicken breast, - 2 large skinned boneless chicken breasts filleted cut into 4 serving pieces (between 1/4 and 1/2 thick), frozen chopped spinach, thawed, onion, chopped (divided ), garlic cloves (divided ), olive oil, feta (optional) or 1/4 cup ricotta cheese (optional) or 1/4 cup requeson cheese (optional), ripe roma tomato, cored (10 - 12), red bell pepper , rough chopped, dry basil or 1/2 tsp oregano, salt and pepper

brown bread (or malted brown), cream cheese (curd cheese, ricotta or gorgonzola (another alternative would be 50/50 mascarpone mixed with low-fat), fresh fig, honey (greek is good, or a mix of , lemon juice and cinnamon) (optional), grated orange rind (optional), pecan nuts , roasted (or a few sunflower seeds, optional) (optional) or 2 walnuts (or a few sunflower seeds, optional) (optional) or 2 hazelnuts (or a few sunflower seeds) (optional), fresh salad leaves or 3 radicchio

fettuccine, reduced-sodium vegetable broth , meatless option or 1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth, meat option, frozen chopped spinach, sun-dried tomato, garlic clove, minced, part-skim ricotta cheese, fresh ground pepper, crumbled feta cheese

all-purpose flour, baking powder, salt, egg yolks, vanilla, granulated sugar, butter, melted (no substitutes), egg whites, cream of tartar, granulated sugar, chopped pistachio nut, powdered sugar, strawberry and brandied apricot jam or 3/4 cup jam, bittersweet chocolate (optional) or semisweet chocolate, shavings (optional), ricotta cheese, granulated sugar, vanilla, bittersweet chocolate or 1/3 cup semisweet chocolate, shavings

no-boil lasagna noodles, beef, crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, water, onion, powder, garlic powder, dried chili pepper flakes, to taste (optional but recommended ), black pepper, salt, mushroom, cut into small cubes, bay leaf, olive oil, parmesan cheese, mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced, ricotta cheese, egg, lightly beaten, salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, chopped fresh parsley

olive oil, onion, diced, garlic cloves, minced, ground beef, tomato paste, whole canned tomatoes, white wine or 1/2 cup dry vermouth, anchovy paste (optional) or 1 tsp worcestershire sauce (optional), dried basil, dried oregano, dried thyme, bay leaves, salt, ground black pepper, egg, ricotta cheese (homemade if you can, about 1 pt), dried basil, grated parmesan cheese, no-boil lasagna noodles (about 1/2 lb), low-moisture mozzarella cheese, shredded (about 4 cup), grated parmesan cheese

all-purpose flour (plus more for rolling ), sugar, salt, olive oil, white vinegar, dry red wine (or as needed), fresh ricotta (2 cups), sugar, plus more for decoration, grand marnier (optional, but very good ), unsweetened chocolate (or 3 tbsp bittersweet chips), candied orange peel, toasted almonds

olive oil, chopped onion, chopped garlic cloves, stalks chopped celery, chopped green peppers, chopped mushroom, chopped eggplant (2 if they are small), chopped zucchini (2 medium sized), tomato paste, tomato sauce, oregano, garlic powder, salt, pepper, lasagna noodles, mozzarella cheese , sliced fairly thin, ricotta cheese or 1 1/2 lbs cottage cheese, grated parmesan cheese, sesame seeds (the seeds and nuts add to the texture and solidity but they can be overdone and dominate. be careful) (optional) or sunflower seeds (the seeds and nuts add to the texture and solidity but they can be overdone and dominate. be careful) (optional) or celery salt (the seeds and nuts add to the texture and solidity but they can be overdone and dominate. be careful) (optional) or diced almonds (the seeds and nuts add to the texture and solidity but they can be overdone and dominate. be careful) (optional)

ziti pasta, lean ground beef, garlic cloves, minced (optional), onion, chopped (optional), favorite spaghetti sauce, eggs, part-skim ricotta cheese, italian seasoning (optional) or 1 tsp dried parsley (optional), shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided, grated parmesan cheese