# ISO: Ricotta substitute



## Ardor

I'm in New Zealand, in a student town, so food is mostly limited to alcohol, staple food and body builder's food. I was thinking of making lasagna, but i could not find any ricotta, what can i use to substitute ricotta in a recipe?


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## Angie

I use cottage cheese...hubby likes it better that way.


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## kitchenelf

Ditto what Angie says - cottage cheese works great and is more moist.  I mix half cottage cheese and half grated mozzarella but that's not a must if you just want to use the cottage cheese only.


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## Wino

Cottage cheese. You may want to put it in the blender and add a touch of sugar as ricotta is smoother and a little sweeter.


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## Ardor

kitchenelf said:
			
		

> Ditto what Angie says - cottage cheese works great and is more moist.  I mix half cottage cheese and half grated mozzarella but that's not a must if you just want to use the cottage cheese only.



Will it be noticably different from ricotta? Since ricotta is made from the whey of mozzarella, i would assume that adding mozzarella would close the gap...


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## VeraBlue

Ardor said:
			
		

> Will it be noticably different from ricotta? Since ricotta is made from the whey of mozzarella, i would assume that adding mozzarella would close the gap...



It will be different, but extremely servicable.  Any substitution will make the outcome different.


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## Gretchen

I have never noticed any difference in taste at all--or looks, for that matter. In my recipe I put the cottage cheese, eggs, garlic and parsley and mix it well with the mixer. I don't think I could tell any difference from ricotta and made it with cottage cheese before I even knew what ricotta was.


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## Ardor

Would adding white wine make it melt smoother?


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## bethzaring

Ardor said:
			
		

> Will it be noticably different from ricotta? Since ricotta is made from the whey of mozzarella, i would assume that adding mozzarella would close the gap...


 
Ricotta cheese can be made from the whey of mozzarella, but ricotta can be made from the whey of any sufficiently renneted cheese.  And it can also be made from whole milk, not whey at all.  I regularly make ricotta from three different recipes and each starts with whole milk.


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## Gretchen

Ardor said:
			
		

> Would adding white wine make it melt smoother?


 
I don't think there is any need to do anything different to the recipe. Many recipes start with the cottage cheese option and mine is quite smooth. I don't think wine will add anything to the mix.


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## Ardor

And how long does it take to home make ricotta? Milk goes for rather cheap in these parts, and i would love to try it...


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## bethzaring

I have two favorite recipes I mainly use.  My current most favorite recipe takes 1 1/2 days to make and uses freshly cultured buttermilk, so if you count making the buttermilk, then it takes 2 1/2 days to make.

Another excellent for cooking ricotta takes under one hour to make.  Heat one gallon of whole milk to 206 degrees F, gently stir in 1/4 cup vinegar.  Drain curds and whey through a cheesecloth lined colander for two minutes.  Put the curds in a bowl and stir in 3 tablespoons of melted butter and 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda.  Mix thoroughly.  This mixing will loosen the curds, distribute the butter and make a fine ricotta for cooking or baking.  One gallon of milk will make just under one pound of cheese.  You can use it immediately or store, covered, in the frig, or freeze it.  This is the recipe I use most for lasagna type dishes.  I use a stand mixer to incorporate the eggs, parmesan and mozzarella cheese as well as the pepper, parsley and whatever else I add to the cheese mixture.


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## Half Baked

> Another excellent for cooking ricotta takes under one hour to make. Heat one gallon of whole milk to 206 degrees F, gently stir in 1/4 cup vinegar. Drain curds and whey through a cheesecloth lined colander for two minutes.


 
After you add the vinegar, how long is it until you drain the curds, bethzaring?  This looks too interesting not to give it a try.


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## bethzaring

Half Baked said:
			
		

> After you add the vinegar, how long is it until you drain the curds, bethzaring? This looks too interesting not to give it a try.


 
No time at all.  This is considered an acid coagulation, as opposed to the more lengthy rennet coagulation.  The curds will coagulate as soon as you stir in the vinegar.


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## Gretchen

It is basically cottage cheese--my mother used to make it all the time when we "got ahead" on milk.


[SIZE=+1]The following recipe represents the ultimate in simplicity in cheese making. It will produce a delicious cottage cheese that resembles ricotta and is excellent fresh or used in cooking Italian dishes such as lasagna. We recommend that beginners start with a cottage cheese to get the feel for the basics and for the instant gratification of being able to enjoy the product immediately.[/SIZE] 
*Ingredients: *


*1 gallon 2% milk
1/2 cup vinegar
1 tsp salt
*


1. Heat the milk to 190F. You will need a thermometer for other cheeses but you can get by here turning off the heat just before the milk begins to boil. 
2. Add the vinegar and allow the mixture to cool. 
3. When cool, pour the mixture, (which now consists of curds and whey as in Miss Muffet food) into a colander and drain off the whey. 
4. Pour the curds into a bowl and sprinkle on the salt and mix well. You may wish to use less salt or more. It is simply a matter of taste which is the next step. You can add a little cream for a silky texture.


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## bethzaring

Gretchen said:
			
		

> It is basically cottage cheese--my mother used to make it all the time when we "got ahead" on milk.
> 
> 
> [SIZE=+1]The following recipe represents the ultimate in simplicity in cheese making. It will produce a delicious cottage cheese that resembles ricotta and is excellent fresh or used in cooking Italian dishes such as lasagna. We recommend that beginners start with a cottage cheese to get the feel for the basics and for the instant gratification of being able to enjoy the product immediately.[/SIZE]
> *Ingredients: *
> 
> 
> *1 gallon 2% milk*
> *1/2 cup vinegar*
> *1 tsp salt*
> 
> 
> 
> 1. Heat the milk to 190F. You will need a thermometer for other cheeses but you can get by here turning off the heat just before the milk begins to boil.
> 2. Add the vinegar and allow the mixture to cool.
> 3. When cool, pour the mixture, (which now consists of curds and whey as in Miss Muffet food) into a colander and drain off the whey.
> 4. Pour the curds into a bowl and sprinkle on the salt and mix well. You may wish to use less salt or more. It is simply a matter of taste which is the next step. You can add a little cream for a silky texture.


 

Yes, Gretchen, I've certainly made my share of cottage cheese with the recipe you posted.  And my experience with this recipe is that I get a rather chewy, almost rubbery product that is quite dry.

The recipe I posted uses a different technique. The curd does not cool in the whey.  The curd goes straight into the draining mode, which is quite short.  In fact it is so short that sometimes I stand at the sink and hold the bag for the 2 minutes.  The cheese will drain better if it is hung, rather than just sitting in the colander.  Also, it can be tricky getting the curd out of the bag into the bowl to stir in the butter, because the curd is so hot.

I recommend reading up on cheesemaking before trying to make even the simplest cheeses.  There are so many nuances to making cheese that I could not possibly give all the tips needed in these posts.


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## Gretchen

bethzaring said:
			
		

> Yes, Gretchen, I've certainly made my share of cottage cheese with the recipe you posted. And my experience with this recipe is that I get a rather chewy, almost rubbery product that is quite dry.
> 
> The recipe I posted uses a different technique. The curd does not cool in the whey. The curd goes straight into the draining mode, which is quite short. In fact it is so short that sometimes I stand at the sink and hold the bag for the 2 minutes. The cheese will drain better if it is hung, rather than just sitting in the colander. Also, it can be tricky getting the curd out of the bag into the bowl to stir in the butter, because the curd is so hot.
> 
> I recommend reading up on cheesemaking before trying to make even the simplest cheeses. There are so many nuances to making cheese that I could not possibly give all the tips needed in these posts.


 

Then I am glad I posted it so you could mention this difference in not letting it sit very long and getting   a better result.  Glad for the extra information since the rest of the recipe is so similar.  Yes, cheesemaking is not always just a  cut and dried recipe.
But this does also reinforce for our original poster that cottage cheese is quite an acceptable sub for ricotta when the latter isn't available.


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## VeraBlue

Ardor said:
			
		

> Would adding white wine make it melt smoother?



White wine is not a 'usual' ingredient of lasagna.


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## shpj4

As far as a substitute for Ricotta I tend to go along with our excellent cooks and chefs and use cottage cheese.


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## Half Baked

Thank you Beth and Gretchen!  I've put this thread  under favorites so I can try it on a quiet day.


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## mish

Ardor said:
			
		

> I'm in New Zealand, in a student town, so food is mostly limited to alcohol, staple food and body builder's food. I was thinking of making lasagna, but i could not find any ricotta, what can i use to substitute ricotta in a recipe?


 
Ardor, I would use any cheese of choice, i.e. mozzarella, cheddar, colby, jack, Swiss, etc. -- anything that melts well.  My experience, cottage cheese when heated is gummy/sticky - not the right consistancy.  I wouldn't add wine or anything that would dilute/take away from the taste of the cheese.  I have a recipe for a cheese and bacon lasagna.  If anyone is interested, let me know.


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## Gretchen

mish said:
			
		

> Ardor, I would use any cheese of choice, i.e. mozzarella, cheddar, colby, jack, Swiss, etc. -- anything that melts well. My experience, cottage cheese when heated is gummy/sticky - not the right consistancy. I wouldn't add wine or anything that would dilute/take away from the taste of the cheese. I have a recipe for a cheese and bacon lasagna. If anyone is interested, let me know.


 
Doesn't your lasagna recipe not have a layer of ricotta over the pasta layer? Where you mix it with eggs and maybe parmesan as an additional layer in the lasagna?  This is the layer we are discussing as a possible subbing the cottage cheese for ricotta. Not for the main shredded cheese layer.


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## mish

Gretchen said:
			
		

> Doesn't your lasagna recipe not have a layer of ricotta over the pasta layer? Where you mix it with eggs and maybe parmesan as an additional layer in the lasagna? This is the layer we are discussing as a possible subbing the cottage cheese for ricotta. Not for the main shredded cheese layer.


 
Yes, I usually use ricotta, etc for a Traditional lasagna. But, the question was, what can I use to substitute ricotta in a recipe. Another thought for sub, is an herbed cream cheese. I have also used spinach soufflle between lasgana layers or for stuffing shells. Here's a link to a lasagna recipe that doesn't require ricotta cheese:

http://recipes.tasteofhome.com/eRMS/recp.aspx?recid=22828


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## CharlieD

Hm, I am not in Australia, and not even in college town, but quite often can not get ricotta or other cheeses because I keep kosher. For lasagna I use whatever I can get hold of on the day (interchangeably) ricotta, cottage, farmers cheese any of them will do.


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## Katie H

If you do use cottage cheese as a substitute, I have a suggestion.  Begin with small curd cottage cheese and pour it into a strainer and let most of the moisture drain away.  Then mash the drained cheese with a beaten egg and a tiny bit of granulated sugar.  Ricotta is a bit sweeter than cottage cheese, so this may make it taste more like ricotta.  The egg will help to make it smoother.  Plus, in my lasagna recipe I always add some eggs to the ricotta anyway.  My recipe came from a family member who was from Sicily and one of the most awesome Italian cooks I've ever known.


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## mish

CharlieD said:
			
		

> Hm, I am not in Australia, and not even in college town, but quite often can not get ricotta or other cheeses because I keep kosher. For lasagna I use whatever I can get hold of on the day (interchangeably) ricotta, cottage, farmers cheese any of them will do.


 
Charlie my grandma kept a kosher house as well, and she used farmer cheese in recipes.  Can someone explain, what exactly farmer cheese is?  Thanks in advance.


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## mish

Katie E said:
			
		

> If you do use cottage cheese as a substitute, I have a suggestion. Begin with small curd cottage cheese and pour it into a strainer and let most of the moisture drain away. Then mash the drained cheese with a beaten egg and a tiny bit of granulated sugar. Ricotta is a bit sweeter than cottage cheese, so this may make it taste more like ricotta. The egg will help to make it smoother. Plus, in my lasagna recipe I always add some eggs to the ricotta anyway. My recipe came from a family member who was from Sicily and one of the most awesome Italian cooks I've ever known.


 
Great idea, Katie. Small curd would be my choice, as well. Thank you.


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## CharlieD

I don't know how to explain, I only know it's good. I like to use it more than anything else. Once in a while I make it my self. The cheeese, I mean.


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