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Balsamic Strawberry Sauce

The balsamic and the pepper add interesting, delicious flavor to this sauce for ice cream.

Course Sauces

Cuisine American

Keyword balsamic, ice cream sauce, sauce, strawberry

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 25 minutes minutes

Servings 6 topping servings

Calories 151kcal

Author RecipeGirl.com (Adapted from California Sol Food: Casual Cooking from the Junior League of San Diego)

Ingredients

• 1 cup granulated white sugar
• ¾ cup water
• 1½ cups sliced strawberries
• ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

• Mix the sugar and water in a medium saucepan and cook over medium heat until sugar dissolves, stirring frequently. Stir in the strawberries, vinegar and ¼ teaspoon pepper.
• Cook for 10 minutes longer or until the mixture is of a syrupy consistency, stirring occasionally.
• To serve: Spoon the strawberry mixture over scoops of vanilla ice cream in small serving bowls. Garnish with reserved strawberry slices and sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 151kcal | Carbohydrates: 38g | Protein: 0.3g | Fat: 0.2g | Saturated Fat: 0.01g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.02g | Sodium: 5mg | Potassium: 77mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 37g | Vitamin A: 5IU | Vitamin C: 24mg | Calcium: 11mg | Iron: 0.3mg

The post Balsamic Strawberry Sauce appeared first on Recipe Girl®.

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Easy Meat Sauce

This sauce is a fabulous combination of ground beef and Italian sausage cooked in a tasty seasoned tomato sauce.

Course Sauces

Cuisine Italian

Keyword meat sauce

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes minutes

Total Time 55 minutes minutes

Servings 10 servings

Calories 285kcal

Author RecipeGirl.com (shared from The Salt and Lavender cookbook)

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 pound Italian sausage
• 6 medium garlic cloves, minced
• One 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
• One 6-ounce can tomato paste
• 1 cup beef broth
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon granulated white sugar
• 1 pinch crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
• salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

• In a large pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and saute for 4 minutes. Add in the ground beef and sausage; breaking it up with your spoon as it cooks, until browned (8 to 10 minutes). Spoon out some of the excess fat; discard. Leave a few tablespoons in for flavor.
• Stir in the garlic. Then stir in the tomatoes, tomato paste, broth, seasonings, sugar and red pepper flakes (if using). When the mixture begins to bubble, reduce the heat, cover the pot loosely with a lid. Simmer for 30 minutes to 1 hour. The longer you cook it, the more flavorful it becomes. Stir occasionally, and adjust heat as needed to maintain a low simmer. Thin with additional beef broth, if needed.
• Add salt and pepper, to taste. Serve over pasta.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 285kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 19g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 63mg | Sodium: 807mg | Potassium: 718mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 440IU | Vitamin C: 13mg | Calcium: 59mg | Iron: 3mg

The post Easy Meat Sauce appeared first on Recipe Girl®.

There is nothing better than making things homemade. Especially if they are easy enough to make! Tzatziki sauce made homemade makes a world of difference. You can control the flavor profile… more garlic or more lemon or more dill or more salt, according to your preference. And it’s good with so many things.

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Tzatziki Sauce

This Tzatziki is both healthy and simple to prepare and it tastes just like you'd find in a wonderful Greek restaurant.

Course Sauces

Cuisine Greek

Keyword tzatziki

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Standing Time 2 hours hours

Total Time 2 hours hours 15 minutes minutes

Servings 10 servings (¼ cup per serving))

Calories 69kcal

Author RecipeGirl.com (via Weight Watchers: Take Out Tonight)

Ingredients

• 32 ounces nonfat plain yogurt (to make yogurt cheese)
• 1 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded, grated, and squeezed dry
• 2 medium garlic cloves, minced
• 4 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
• 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
• ½ teaspoon salt

Instructions

• Spoon the yogurt into a large coffee filter or a cheesecloth-lined strainer; set over a bowl and let stand in the refrigerator for 2 hours or overnight. Discard the liquid. The solids that remain are the "yogurt cheese."
• Combine the yogurt cheese, cucumber, garlic, oil, dill, lemon juice and salt in a bowl. Mix well and enjoy!

Notes

• You can start a day ahead to make the yogurt cheese. The longer it can drain, the richer the flavor.
• The flavor in Tzatziki sauce improves with time. Try refrigerating it a day or two before serving so that the ingredients have a chance to blend.
• Serve with grilled pork, lamb or other meats, or as an appetizer dip with fresh vegetables for dunking.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 69kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 2mg | Sodium: 187mg | Potassium: 263mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 24IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 185mg | Iron: 1mg

The post Tzatziki Sauce appeared first on Recipe Girl®.

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Classic Cranberry Sauce

A super simple cranberry sauce with a little bit of added flavor. You'll never buy canned sauce again after making your own!

Course Sauces

Cuisine American

Keyword cranberry, cranberry sauce

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Cooling Time 2 hours hours

Total Time 2 hours hours 30 minutes minutes

Servings 8 servings (about ¼ cup each)

Calories 117kcal

Author RecipeGirl.com (via Bon Appetit)

Ingredients

• One 12 ounce bag fresh cranberries
• 1 cup granulated white sugar
• 1 cup water
• 2¼ teaspoons finely grated orange zest
• ½ teaspoon coarse kosher salt
• 1 dash allspice

Instructions

• Bring all the ingredients to boil in a medium saucepan. Stir every couple of minutes. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer until most of the cranberries burst, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool completely.
• Transfer the sauce to a medium container. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Notes

• This recipe may be prepared up to one week ahead. Keep refrigerated.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 117kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 0.2g | Fat: 0.2g | Saturated Fat: 0.01g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.03g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.01g | Sodium: 148mg | Potassium: 38mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 27g | Vitamin A: 29IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 7mg | Iron: 0.1mg

The post Classic Cranberry Sauce appeared first on Recipe Girl®.

Homemade Pizza Sauce

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve needed pizza sauce at home (for making pizza and other things), and I have no pizza sauce in the pantry. I’m so happy to have this homemade pizza sauce recipe around because it’s easy to make, and it’s made up of simple ingredients that you very likely have on hand.

🛒Ingredients needed:

• onion
• garlic
• white wine
• tomato paste
• dried oregano
• freshly ground black pepper
• canned crushed tomatoes
• fresh basil
• balsamic vinegar

✏️How to make Homemade Pizza Sauce:

*The complete, printable recipe with all ingredients and instructions is at the end of this post.

1. Heat a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Coat the pan with cooking spray. Add the onion to the pan; sauté for 3 minutes or until tender. Add the garlic to the pan; sauté for 30 seconds. Stir in the wine; cook for 30 seconds.
2. Add the tomato paste, oregano, pepper, and tomatoes. Reduce heat, and simmer for 20 minutes or until thick.
3. Remove the sauce from heat; stir in the basil and vinegar. Cool.

➡️Recipe Tips and Substitutions:

• This sauce is a chunky tomato sauce. If you prefer a smoother pizza sauce, toss it in a food processor or blender with about 1 tablespoon water and blend until smooth.
• There is 1/4 cup of white wine in the recipe. You can use red wine if you prefer. Or you can leave the wine out entirely if you do not cook with alcohol.
• You can use diced tomatoes in place of crushed tomatoes, but you’ll want to give them in a whirl in the blender or food processor first.
• 1 teaspoon of dried basil may be substituted for the fresh basil in the recipe.

✔️What to do with Homemade Pizza Sauce

• Use it as the base sauce for traditional pizza.
• Top French bread or English muffins to make alternative pizzas.
• Use it as a dipping sauce for appetizers like my Pizza Pinwheels.
• Use for making calzones and as a dipping sauce for the calzones.

★How to Store:

Homemade pizza sauce will keep in the refrigerator for up to one week. It can be stored in the freezer for up to one month.

❤️Why I love this recipe:

1. It’s so nice to have pizza sauce on hand for so many things. 
2. It tastes better than store-bought.
3. There are no preservatives, less sodium and no sugar added in my homemade pizza sauce recipe.

Favorite Sauce Recipes:

• Chimichurri Sauce
• Classic Pesto Sauce
• Best Alfredo Sauce
• Mom’s Spaghetti Sauce
• Enchilada Sauce

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Homemade Pizza Sauce

This sauce is great to have around when the mood for pizza strikes.

Course Sauces

Cuisine Italian

Keyword pizza, pizza sauce

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes minutes

Total Time 40 minutes minutes

Servings 6 servings (1½ cups - enough for 12-inch pizza)

Calories 40kcal

Author RecipeGirl.com (adapted from Cooking Light)

Ingredients

• ¼ cup finely chopped onion
• 1 medium garlic clove, minced
• ¼ cup white wine
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• ⅛ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• One 14.5-ounce can crushed tomatoes, undrained
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
• 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

Instructions

• Heat a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add onion to pan; sauté 3 minutes or until tender. Add garlic to pan; sauté 30 seconds. Stir in wine; cook 30 seconds.
• Add tomato paste, oregano, pepper, and tomatoes. Reduce heat, and simmer for 20 minutes or until thick.
• Remove sauce from heat; stir in basil and vinegar. Cool.

Notes

• This sauce is a chunky tomato sauce. If you prefer a smoother pizza sauce, toss it in a food processor or blender with about 1 tablespoon water and blend until smooth.
• This sauce can be prepared ahead of time- up to one day. It freezes well, too, for up to one month.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving (1/4 cup) | Calories: 40kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 0.2g | Saturated Fat: 0.04g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.04g | Sodium: 134mg | Potassium: 280mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 252IU | Vitamin C: 8mg | Calcium: 35mg | Iron: 1mg

The post Homemade Pizza Sauce appeared first on Recipe Girl®.

Chimichurri sauce is the most delicious sauce. If you ever see it on a menu at a steakhouse, be sure to order it. It’s so good served with steak. That’s my favorite way to enjoy it. We made this chimichurri sauce for the first time when I was invited to a Peruvian dinner party. It was the star of the show, served with Peruvian steak!

Ingredients needed:

• fresh Italian parsley
• extra virgin olive oil
• red wine vinegar
• fresh cilantro
• garlic cloves
• crushed red pepper
• ground cumin
• sea salt

How to make Chimichurri Sauce:

The complete, printable recipe is at the end of this post.

Puree all of the ingredients in a food processor. That’s it! It’s so easy to make.

Transfer the chimichurri sauce to a bowl, and refrigerate if not using immediately. Enjoy this fabulous sauce. It’s so delicious!

Make-ahead instructions:

This sauce can be made up to 2 hours ahead. Cover and let stand at room temperature.

Ways to Use Chimichurri Sauce:

1. Use as a marinade.
2. Drizzle it on pizza.
3. Use as a sauce to top steak, chicken, pork chops or shrimp.
4. Drizzle it on top of grilled vegetable kebabs or oven-roasted vegetables.
5. Toss it with cucumbers and tomatoes to make a salad.
6. Drizzle it on freshly sliced tomatoes.
7. Toss it into potato salad.
8. Serve it on the side of scrambled eggs.

The Best Savory Sauce Recipes:

• Ina Garten’s Pine Nut and Walnut Pesto Sauce
• Enchilada Sauce
• Classic Béchamel Sauce
• Cola Barbecue Sauce
• Red Pepper Tomato Sauce

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Chimichurri Sauce

This garlicky, fresh herb sauce is perfect drizzled over grilled flank or skirt steak, and chunks of rustic bread soak up the drippings rather nicely too.

Course Sauces

Cuisine Mexican

Keyword chimichurri, sauce

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 15 minutes minutes

Servings 8 servings (2 tablespoons per serving)

Calories 126kcal

Author RecipeGirl.com

Ingredients

• 1 cup fresh Italian parsley, packed
• ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
• ⅓ cup red wine vinegar
• ¼ cup fresh cilantro, packed
• 2 medium garlic cloves
• ¾ teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
• ½ teaspoon ground cumin
• ½ teaspoon sea salt

Instructions

• Puree all ingredients in a food processor. Transfer to a bowl and refrigerate if not using immediately.

Notes

• This sauce can be made up to 2 hours ahead. Cover and let stand at room temperature.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 126kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Sodium: 154mg | Potassium: 57mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 723IU | Vitamin C: 10mg | Calcium: 15mg | Iron: 1mg

The post Chimichurri Sauce appeared first on Recipe Girl®.

Since my Hot Cherry Sauce has been such a hit this summer, I thought it would be nice to share my recipe for hot blueberry sauce too. If you see blueberries on sale, grab them and make this sauce. You only need about a cup and a half for the recipe. It’s so easy to make, and the result is super scrumptious!

Ingredients needed:

• fresh blueberries
• granulated white sugar
• ground cinnamon
• ground nutmeg
• grated lemon zest

How to make Hot Blueberry Sauce:

The complete, printable recipe is at the end of this post.

The recipe makes about one cup of hot blueberry sauce. Store it in a jar or any sealed container. It will keep stored in the refrigerator for about one week.

To use, just warm up in the microwave if you want to serve it hot. This sauce can absolutely be served cold too!

How to use Hot Blueberry Sauce:

1. Use it as a topping for ice cream.
2. Spoon it over pound cake.
3. Stir it (cold) into yogurt.
4. Spoon it over cheesecake.
5. Drizzle it over waffles, pancakes or French toast.
6. Add a spoonful to your peach cobbler.
7. Stir a spoonful into vanilla pudding.

My personal favorite is to serve it over ice cream (warm). I love how it slowly melts the ice cream and makes the ice cream soft and easy to eat. The blueberry sauce adds some great flavor to vanilla ice cream. Enjoy!

Favorite Dessert Sauce Recipes:

• Hot Butterscotch Sauce
• Salted Caramel Sauce
• Bourbon Praline Pecan Sauce
• Balsamic Strawberry Sauce
• Hot Fudge

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Hot Blueberry Sauce

A perfect summery topping for ice cream, pound cake or even waffles!

Course Sauces

Cuisine American

Keyword blueberry, sauce

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 12 minutes minutes

Total Time 17 minutes minutes

Servings 1 batch (1 cup total yield)

Calories 326kcal

Author RecipeGirl.com

Ingredients

• 1½ cups fresh blueberries
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ½ teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest

Instructions

• Wash and drain the blueberries.
• In medium saucepan, mix berries with other ingredients. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring every few minutes.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 326kcal | Carbohydrates: 84g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 0.2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Sodium: 3mg | Potassium: 182mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 72g | Vitamin A: 125IU | Vitamin C: 23mg | Calcium: 31mg | Iron: 1mg

The post Hot Blueberry Sauce appeared first on Recipe Girl®.

This sauce is super delicious served hot, but you can also use it as a cold sauce. Think of serving it over ice cream or pound cake. It would also be a good sauce to spoon over cheesecake. You may want to eat it straight out of the jar!

Ingredients needed:

• dark sweet cherries 
• granulated white sugar
• water
• ground cinnamon
• ground cloves
• ground nutmeg
• seedless raspberry jam

How to make Hot Cherry Sauce:

The complete, printable recipe is at the end of this post.

The cherries will soften up, and the sauce should be slightly thickened. You can simmer it a bit longer if you want it to thicken up. Or you can mix in a little bit of cornstarch to thicken it up too.

Ingredient notes:

1. Cherries: You can use fresh or frozen. Make sure they’re dark and sweet. They must be stemmed and pitted. If you prefer to cut them in half, that’s okay too.
2. Raspberry Jam: This may seem like an odd choice, but it works. The jam just add a bit of a different flavor element to the hot cherry sauce. There are plenty of cherries in this hot cherry sauce, so it will still taste like cherries!

This recipe makes about three cups of sauce. It will keep in the refrigerator for about a week or so. This sauce should freeze just fine too. Keep it in a sealed container, and freeze it for up to three months. Thaw, and use as desired.

My favorite way to serve this sauce is over ice cream. When served hot and spooned over vanilla ice cream, it melts the ice cream and bit and creates the most amazing melted cherry ice cream waterfalls. Enjoy!

Favorite Dessert Sauce Recipes:

• Hot Butterscotch Sauce
• Balsamic Strawberry Sauce
• Peanut Butter Dessert Sauce
• Hot Fudge
• Salted Caramel Sauce

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Hot Cherry Sauce

Fresh cherries make this a great topping for ice cream or pound cake.

Course Sauces

Cuisine American

Keyword Cherry, cherry sauce

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 5 minutes minutes

Total Time 15 minutes minutes

Servings 12 servings (¼ cup per serving)

Calories 112kcal

Author RecipeGirl.com

Ingredients

• 1 pound dark sweet cherries, stemmed and pitted
• ¾ cup granulated white sugar
• ½ cup water
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 pinch ground cloves
• 1 pinch ground nutmeg
• ½ cup seedless raspberry jam

Instructions

• Put cherries in medium saucepan; add sugar, water, and spices. Bring to a boil, reduce to simmer, cover and simmer for 5 minutes.
• Remove cherries with slotted spoon; add jam and boil until syrupy. Pour syrup over cherries.
• Ready to serve!

Notes

• If you are preparing this recipe as GLUTEN-FREE, just be sure to use a brand of raspberry jam that is known to be GF.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving (1/4 cup) | Calories: 112kcal | Carbohydrates: 28g | Protein: 0.5g | Fat: 0.2g | Saturated Fat: 0.04g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.02g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.02g | Sodium: 5mg | Potassium: 96mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 24g | Vitamin A: 25IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 9mg | Iron: 0.2mg

The post Hot Cherry Sauce appeared first on Recipe Girl®.

I view freshly made pesto as a great summer food. Basil is plentiful in the summer… so much so that it sometimes takes over people’s gardens! Sometimes it’s hard to think of ways to use it all up. This recipe calls for using 5 cups of basil, so it’s a good one for taking care of that problem. Homemade pesto is so much better than store-bought, so be sure to give it a try!

Ingredients needed:

• walnuts
• pine nuts
• garlic
• fresh basil leaves
• kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• extra virgin olive oil
• freshly grated Parmesan cheese

How to make Pine Nut and Walnut Pesto:

The complete, printable recipe is at the end of this post.

Store in the refrigerator or freezer with a thin film of olive oil drizzled on top.

This is a fantastic pesto sauce recipe with the combination of walnuts and pine nuts. That gives it a bit of a different flavor than classic pesto sauce. If you happen to be allergic to walnuts, it’s okay to use all pine nuts. 

Since basil grows like weeds in the garden during the summer months, grab all the fresh basil and make this recipe. This recipe makes quite a bit of pesto. The great part about it is that pine nut and walnut pesto can be stored in the refrigerator for about a week. And it can be frozen too!

How to Freeze Pesto Sauce:

If you want to freeze the pesto, line an ice cube tray with plastic wrap, and fill each cube with the pesto sauce. Freeze and then remove from the ice tray and store in a freezer safe, zip-top bag. When you want to use it, defrost and it will be ready for anything. 

Ways to Use Pesto Sauce:

Toss pine nut and walnut pesto with pasta for a quick sauce, drizzle onto baked potatoes, or spread onto crackers or toasted slices of bread. Enjoy!

Recipes featuring pesto sauce:

• Pesto Pizza Appetizers
• Pesto Spaghetti Zoodles with Heirloom Tomatoes
• Chicken Pesto Sandwich
• Pesto Tomato Stuffed Mushrooms
• Creamy Pesto Chicken

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Ina Garten's Pine Nut and Walnut Pesto Sauce

This delicious pesto recipe is from the Barefoot Contessa Parties cookbook.

Course Sauces

Cuisine Italian

Keyword basil, pesto, pine nuts

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 10 minutes minutes

Servings 16 servings (¼ per serving)

Calories 236kcal

Author RecipeGirl.com (from the Barefoot Contessa Parties cookbook)

Ingredients

• ¼ cup walnuts
• ¼ cup pine nuts
• 3 tablespoons (about 9 cloves) diced garlic
• 5 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1½ cups extra virgin olive oil
• 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions

• Place walnuts, pine nuts, and garlic in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Process for 30 seconds.
• Add the basil leaves, salt and pepper. With the processor running, slowly pour the olive oil into the bowl through the feed tube and process until the pesto is finely puréed.
• Add the Parmesan and purée for a minute. Serve, or store the pesto in the refrigerator or freezer with a thin film of olive oil on top.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 236kcal | Carbohydrates: 2g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 16g | Cholesterol: 5mg | Sodium: 256mg | Potassium: 63mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 452IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 75mg | Iron: 1mg

The post Ina Garten’s Pine Nut and Walnut Pesto Sauce appeared first on Recipe Girl®.

Several years ago, I had the opportunity to visit Italy and tour three cheese companies (Asiago, Gorgonzola, and Provolone) I learned more than you can ever imagine about cheese and how it’s produced. The quality of the cheeses in Italy is so amazing that it was difficult to come back to the U.S. and eat mainstream, mass-produced cheese. The first thing I did when I came home from that trip was search for a recipe for how to make ricotta cheese. Unlike the ricotta-in-a-tub dry stuff that you purchase in the market, the homemade version turns out rich and creamy.

Ingredients needed:

• whole milk
• heavy whipping cream
• buttermilk
• sea salt

How to Make Ricotta Cheese:

The complete, printable recipe is at the end of this post.

Place all ingredients in a 2 quart saucepan.

Slowly bring the ingredients to a boil over medium to medium-high heat, until curds begin to form (190 to 200 degrees F.). Yes, you do need a thermometer!

Recipes Using Ricotta Cheese:

• Whipped Goat Cheese and Ricotta Dip
• Strawberry Ricotta Whole Wheat Pancakes
• Spinach Ricotta Pasta Bake
• Ricotta and Vegetable Stuffed Pizza Pie
• Meyer Lemon Ricotta Muffins

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Fresh Ricotta Cheese

This method turns out the most wonderful, creamy ricotta cheese!

Course Condiments

Cuisine Italian

Keyword cheese, ricotta

Prep Time 35 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 45 minutes minutes

Servings 6 servings (1 1/2 cups)

Calories 251kcal

Author RecipeGirl.com (shared from InJenniesKitchen.com)

Ingredients

• 4 cups whole milk
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• ¾ cup buttermilk
• ½ teaspoon sea salt

Instructions

• Place all ingredients in a 2-quart saucepan. Slowly bring to a boil over medium to medium-high heat, until curds begin to form (190 to 200°F.).
• Remove from heat and pour into a cheesecloth-lined fine mesh sieve set over a large bowl. Let drain for 15 minutes. Gather cloth around the ricotta and gently squeeze out a little more liquid. Don't squeeze it dry or you'll end up with dry ricotta... leave some moisture in there.
• Place your fresh ricotta cheese in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 2 days.

Notes

• Ideas for using fresh ricotta:
  • incorporate into pasta dishes
  • use dollops of it to top pizza
  • fill ravioli
  • spread on baguette with tomato and basil

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving (1/4 cup) | Calories: 251kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 68mg | Sodium: 298mg | Potassium: 322mg | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 896IU | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 261mg | Iron: 0.05mg

The post How to Make Ricotta Cheese appeared first on Recipe Girl®.