Baked Ricotta Cheese with Lemon and Herbs

Appetizers are almost a celebration in themselves; they are simple, light, and delicious. They can be hot or cold, served before a meal or they can be the meal. And if you want to get extra fancy you can call them hors d'oeuvres.

This creamy Baked Ricotta Cheese with Lemon and Herbs is a perfect appetizer that you can pair with bread or crackers, some fruit, or salty olives. The best part of this cheese dip is that it is so quick to make.

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Creamy ricotta cheese is taken up a notch by adding herbs and spices that make a super simple hot cheese dip. Add some tart lemon zest for a bright citrus flavor, aged parmesan for a nutty taste, and fruity olive oil to drizzle on top for a bubbly, hot bite of cheesy deliciousness. I'm not kidding!

This recipe is perfect for parties. Your guests will love it. Or just make for yourself for a light dinner or your happy hour snack!  It's irresistible any way you serve it.

For a cold dip this tasty Smoked Salmon Dip is easy to make and perfect for any occasion. And this Cold Spinach Artichoke Dip recipe is delicious with bread and crackers.

What is ricotta cheese?

• Ricotta is an Italian cheese. It is considered a fresh cheese and is known for being light, fluffy, and sinfully creamy.
• Most ricotta is made from cow milk, but you can also find sheep, goat, and buffalo milk ricotta.
• Ricotta (which means recooked) is made from whey, while curds make most of the other cheese we eat. After the curds and whey are separated for cheese making, the whey is fermented and cooked. The results are small, delicate cheese curds.
• In the U.S., most ricotta is made with whole milk instead of whey.

Ingredients

• Ricotta
• Lemon
• Herbs - parsley, thyme, chives, rosemary
• Red pepper flakes
• Grated Parmesan cheese
• Olive oil
• Salt & Pepper

Today's herbs of choice are flat-leaf parsley with its beautiful green color, garlic chives from my garden, thyme, red pepper flakes, and rosemary from my neighbor's garden. (Don't worry. She said I could pick some anytime, so I did.)

Do you have a favorite herb? Throw it in! This recipe is totally adaptable, so feel free to add what you like.

Here's a great tip. If you get carried away and buy too many herbs as I do, don't throw those extra herbs away. Just chop them and put them in a container to freeze. You can add them to your next soup, stew, or some salsa.

How to make Baked Ricotta Cheese

Step 1. Prepare the herbs by chopping or mincing them and then zesting the lemon.

Step 2. Pour the ricotta cheese into a bowl. Or you can mix everything right in the baking dish and save yourself some clean-up later.

Step 3. Add all the herbs, salt, pepper, and the zested lemon to the ricotta and mix thoroughly.

Step 4. Top with the grated parmesan cheese and bake at 375 degrees for 10 - 15 minutes until the ricotta is hot and bubbly and the top turns brown.

Step 5. Remove the baking dish from the oven and drizzle the cheese with olive oil and a sprinkling of sea salt.

This is so colorful, another reason I like baking with herbs!

What to serve with a ricotta cheese dip?

• Cut up a baguette into thin slices
• Toast slices of a baguette for a crunchy appetizer
• Set the baking dish on a cheese board for a tasty alternative to just sliced cheese
• Cut up veggies to dip into the creamy ricotta - red and green peppers are perfect for this
• Fruits always go well with cheese
• Layout an assortment of olives
• Depending on the herbs you use, think of using tortilla chips with Mexican flavors or pita chips with Mediterranean flavors.

Don't forget to Pin for later

Tips for making the baked ricotta

• Ricotta by itself has a very mild flavor, so experiment with your favorite herbs for some great flavors.
• Use a good parmesan cheese which will add saltiness to the ricotta.
• Getting the top golden brown adds color to this dish and extra flavor.
• Use really good olive oil for drizzling over the top.
• This is a perfect recipe for using leftover ricotta cheese.  Adjust the amounts of herbs and parmesan cheese to your liking since this recipe is very forgiving.

Other flavors and herb combinations

• Cilantro, cumin, and diced jalapeno
• Basil, oregano, parsley, rosemary, and capers
• Five-spice powder, Thai basil, lemongrass, sesame seeds

Try these other One Hot Oven cheesy appetizers

Cotswold Cheese Crackers

Savory Mini Swiss Cheese Quiches

Apricot Parmesan Pinwheels

Pears, Asiago, Pistachios, and Cranberries in Puff Pastry

Goat Cheese Spread

Do you have a pretty baking dish to serve this Baked Ricotta in?

The great thing about this appetizer is you can mix everything in the baking dish.  I love vintage Pyrex, and luckily you can still find these beautiful casserole dishes. But if vintage isn't your thing, you might like this pretty aqua 32-ounce souffle dish that is perfect for this recipe. My other favorite dish is this mini dark blue pie dish, which you can use for many other recipes.

More great recipes to make and eat!

Recipe

Serve this right out of the oven while hot, ok so not piping hot, but really warm.

Thank you for stopping by the One Hot Oven blog.  Please leave a comment to say hello or tell me what you are baking these days; I always love hearing from fellow bakers.Have any questions or want to chat about the recipe? Please visit my about page for information, and I’ll be happy to help!

About Jere'                             

From learning to cook on a farm in Indiana to culinary school in California, my passion for food is never-ending.  Turning on my oven to bake something for friends and family is my happy place, and I am glad to be here at One Hot Oven sharing both sweet and savory family-friendly recipes for your cooking and baking inspiration.