Whipped Ricotta Salad

Name: Whipped Ricotta Salad
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 20 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 1 cup whole-milk ricotta cheese (chilled); 2 teaspoons olive oil; 1/8 teaspoon salt; 1 cup packed fresh basil leaves; 2 tablespoons pine nuts (toasted); 2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes; 3 tablespoons olive oil; 1 cup heirloom cherry tomatoes (halved or quartered depending on size); 18 snap peas (cleaned and cut in half (about 1/4 pound)); 3 cups baby arugula

20 MINCook Time

4Servings

by Giada De Laurentiis

Beginner

Photo Credit: Elizabeth Newman

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By pureeing store-bought ricotta with olive oil, salt, and lots of love, you wind up with an incredibly smooth and fluffy texture that goes so well with the bright flavors of this salad.

Whipped Ricotta Salad

Servings

Cook Time

20 minutes

Ingredients

For the Whipped Ricotta:

1 cup whole-milk ricotta cheese (chilled)
2 teaspoons olive oil

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1/8 teaspoon salt

For the Dressing:

1 cup packed fresh basil leaves
2 tablespoons pine nuts (toasted)

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2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
3 tablespoons olive oil

For the Salad:

1 cup heirloom cherry tomatoes (halved or quartered depending on size)
18 snap peas (cleaned and cut in half (about 1/4 pound))
3 cups baby arugula

Instructions

Originally seen on Giada At Home, Episode: Springtime In Italy.
For the whipped ricotta: Place the ricotta, olive oil and salt in a food processor. Blend until light and smooth, about 30 seconds. Remove to a bowl and set aside.
For the dressing: Place the basil, pine nuts, vinegar, salt and pepper flakes in a food processor. With the motor running, drizzle in the olive oil to form a smooth dressing. Set aside.
For the salad: In a bowl, toss the tomatoes, snap peas and arugula with the dressing.
To assemble: Spread the whipped ricotta on the bottom of a platter. Place the dressed salad on top of the ricotta, leaving some of the cheese exposed around the edges. Serve.

Nutrition

Nutrition Serving Size: 4
per serving: Calories; 255

Amount/Serving % Daily Value

Carbs: 10 grams
Protein: 6 grams
Fat: 22 grams
Saturated Fat: 6 grams
Cholestrol: 30 milligrams
Sodium: 364 milligrams
Fiber: 1 grams
Sugar: 3 grams

gluten free

vegetarian

2 comments

Sarah Justinen - Jun 09

I don't have a food processor or blender, will a hand mixer work for the spread?
Cathy Baker - Jun 09

I spread the whipped ricotta on grilled pane bread and loaded the salad on top. Didn't have snap peas but had string beans which I blanched and chilled. The pesto/dressing was amazing and I am still AMAZED as how delicious this was. Served it with grilled shrimp and corn on the cob. All done outside on the grill………my husband (finickiest eater ever) is out of his mind with how delish this dinner was. GIADA, YOU'RE AMAZING!!!!!!!!! This was a $30+ priced dinner served at a restaurant which I made at home.!!!!!!