This Creamy Baked Ricotta is full of delicious lemon and garlic flavours. Make roasted tomatoes to go with it. Just mix and bake the cheese mixture alongside the tomatoes before enjoying a tasty homemade appetiser!
8oz(approx 250 grams) cherry, baby or grape tomatoes
1tablespoonolive oil
1teaspoonsalt
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350°F/180ºC. Oil a two-cup capacity ovenproof dish.
Prepare tomatoes for roasting while ricotta bakes
On a small baking tray or ovenproof dish, place the tomatoes. Drizzle with oil and sprinkle with salt. Set aside.
Prepare ricotta for baking
In a bowl place ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese, crushed garlic, 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, lemon rind, dried oregano, salt and pepper.
Mix thoroughly.
Spoon cheese mixture into the oiled ovenproof dish and smooth the top.
Sprinkle with extra Parmesan cheese.
Cook ricotta and tomatoes
Place the ricotta and the prepared tomatoes in the oven
Bake 15-20 minutes. It will be jiggly but that's correct.
Tomatoes will soften and skins will wrinkle when they are roasted. Ricotta should start browning in patches. If it doesn't, you can pop it under the griller/broiler to brown a little more.
Drizzle Baked Ricotta with 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil.
Serve warm Baked Ricotta and Roasted Tomatoes with toasted ciabatta.
Notes
What is smooth ricotta?Smooth ricotta has the whey blended back into the ricotta. This creates smooth, creamy ricotta. You will find smooth ricotta easily in the supermarket.Can I use fresh, drained ricotta in this recipe?Fresh, drained ricotta can be used in this recipe instead of the smooth ricotta. Simply mix a few tablespoons of milk into drained ricotta to create a smooth texture.What to do if the Baked Ricotta doesn't brown.Put the Baked Ricotta just put it under the grill/broiler for a couple of minutes until it colours a bit more.