ricotta
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of ricotta
1875–80; < Italian < Latin recocta, feminine of recoctus, past participle of recoquere to re-cook. See re-, cook 1
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Explanation
Ricotta is a soft, creamy cheese made from whey. Because it tastes mild and slightly sweet, ricotta can be used in desserts as well as savory dishes. Mixed with garlic and parmesan, ricotta makes a delicious filling for pasta shells baked in red sauce. Italian cheesecakes and sweet cannoli can also be made using ricotta. It's similar to cottage cheese, but it's smoother and sweeter. In Italian, ricotta means "recooked," a reference to the way this versatile cheese is made, by cooking milk whey that's left over from making other cheeses.
Vocabulary lists containing ricotta
Cheesy Goodness
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Pizza, Pizza!
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5th Grade World Cuisine, List 1
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
I wonder, as I bite into a slice spread with delicious ricotta.
From Slate • May 8, 2026
Teeny-tiny chorizo and ricotta meatballs — the kind that feel almost ornamental, until you taste what they’ve done to the pan.
From Salon • Mar. 23, 2026
There will also be shrimp tempura and Georgia peach and ricotta flatbread with hot honey.
From BBC • Mar. 18, 2026
The ricotta continues to cool the heat and adds a silky, delicate element to the fiery dish.
From Salon • Nov. 26, 2025
She put ricotta cheese on crackers, frogs’ legs on crackers, bamboo shoots on crackers, and fish killies, still with their heads, on crackers.
From "The Pigman" by Paul Zindel
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
