Crunchy Ricotta Bites
Three ingredients and 30 minutes for golden bites, crisp outside and creamy inside. They work as a snack, a side or an appetizer, and they are the perfect answer to the tub of ricotta left in the refrigerator.
If the ricotta is wet, drain it before you start. That is better than adding more flour: extra flour dries the bites out, which is the opposite of the point.
Ingredients
- 500 g ricotta
- 100 g grated cheese
- 150 g all-purpose flour (plain flour)
- 1 tsp fine salt
Method
- 1
Preheat the oven to 200 °C and line a baking sheet with parchment.
- 2
If the ricotta is very wet, drain it in a strainer before you start. That is preferable to adding flour: more flour dries the bites out.
- 3
Mix the ricotta, the grated cheese, the flour and the salt in a bowl with a spatula until combined. Bring it together, do not knead.
- 4
With slightly damp hands, roll balls the size of a walnut (about 25-30 g) and space them out on the sheet. You should get 25-28.
- 5
Bake for about 15 minutes in the already-hot oven, turning them at 10 minutes so they brown on both sides. Go by color rather than the clock — they are ready when the surface is golden and firm.
- 6
Serve warm, while the inside is still creamy.
Frequently asked questions
Can the ricotta bites be frozen?
Yes, and the best moment is raw, before baking. Roll the balls as the recipe says, set them apart from each other on a tray and put the tray in the freezer until they are firm, roughly one to two hours. Only then transfer them to a bag or an airtight container: packed together before they harden they stick to each other, and after that there is no separating them without breaking them. They keep for up to 3 months.
The baking is what matters: they go straight from the freezer into the oven, without thawing. Same temperature, about 5 to 8 minutes longer, and the same turn halfway through. If you let them thaw first, the ricotta releases water, the ball softens and loses its shape on the tray. One detail: coming out of the freezer they take a little longer to colour, so go by the colour rather than by the clock.
The Ricotta Universe: Freshness and Flavor in Every Recipe
Mild, delicate and enormously versatile, ricotta is the star of our family table. We take you step by step through everything you can make with it, from traditional savory dishes of the Mediterranean to Slavic and regional baking. With tips on handling, draining and baking so that every one of them comes out right.
