Most people only eat ricotta cheese when it’s baked into lasagna, eggplant parm, or another classic Italian dish. But the cheese also makes a wonderful dip or yogurt alternative, according to Taub-Dix. “It is a great source of protein, low in sodium, and high in calcium and vitamin B,” she says. Actually, just a half-cup serving of part-skim ricotta cheese has 14 grams of protein and just 150 calories, per the United States Department of Agriculture.
Slightly sweet in taste, ricotta cheese is excellent when paired with berries, Taub-Dix says. If you can believe it, the combo is reminiscent of a berries-and-cream dessert. Best of all, the curds in ricotta cheese are far smaller than those in cottage cheese, meaning that the Italian cheese is typically far more tolerable amongst “texture-phobes” than cottage cheese.
Try having a small bowl of ricotta with half a cup of blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, or blackberries, and drizzle with a little balsamic glaze or hot honey for a fruit-forward snack. To make it even more filling, spread the ricotta on a piece of toast, then load it with fruit and other toppings of your choice.