Herbed Ricotta with Roasted Cherry Tomatoes

Ahhh people, it's summer and today I'm sharing a simple summer appetizer that's ever so memorable! The roasted tomatoes warm the ricotta, leaving it extra-creamy and slightly garlicky. What an appetizer! Or, how about this? Just pour a glass of crisp, cold white wine and call it dinner ... works for me, how about you?

Herbed Ricotta with Roasted Cherry Tomatoes ♥ KitchenParade.com, a quick summer appetizer, warm ricotta topped with roasted cherry tomatoes. Scrumptious!

Real Food, Fresh & Summery. Gorgeous Color. Weeknight Easy, Weekend Special. Low Carb. Naturally Gluten Free.

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A Study in Contrasts

Oh my, there's something so special going on here.

First, think fabulous color.

Then think salty, garlicky, nutty cherry tomatoes still warm from the oven. Think cold, chive-spiked creamy ricotta. Now imagine both together in the same bite! Oh my, indeed ...

I serve the tomatoes schmeared on bread or DIY toasted pita chips but the combination also stands on its own, just try dipping a tomato into the cheese. It's messy but the bread doesn't distract from the warm/cool and acidic/creamy pleasure of each tomato/cheese bite.

And it's also wonderful tossed into hot pasta: hmm, speaking of tomorrow night's supper ...

This is one of my richest appetizers but to my taste, is worth every single delicious calorie! Add a glass of crisp chilled white wine and call it “dinner”!

Herbed Ricotta with Roasted Cherry Tomatoes ♥ KitchenParade.com, a quick summer appetizer, warm ricotta topped with roasted cherry tomatoes. Scrumptious!



HERBED RICOTTA with
ROASTED CHERRY TOMATOES

Hands-on time: 15 minutes
Time to table: 60 minutes
Serves 4
    THE TOMATOES
  • 1 pound cherry tomatoes, preferably some red, some yellow
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 3 garlic cloves, smashed
  • 1 bay leaf, torn in half
  • Salt & pepper
    THE RICOTTA
  • 1 cup ricotta, either commercial or homemade (How to Make Homemade Ricotta, I use the Skinny Ricotta for this recipe)
  • 1 tablespoon fresh chopped chives
  • 1 teaspoon fresh thyme
  • Additional chopped herbs
  • Good bread for schmearing, sliced and toasted

THE TOMATOES Set oven to 325F/160C. In a bowl, stir together the tomatoes, oil, garlic, bay leaf and salt and pepper, until tomatoes are evenly coated with oil. (For a low-fat version, omit the tablespoon of oil but mist the tomatoes with olive oil.) Transfer to a rimmed baking sheet and into the oven (there’s no need to wait for it to finish preheating). Stirring once or twice, roast the tomatoes for 45 minutes or until most of the tomatoes are just starting to pop but remain firm. Discard the bay leaf.

THE RICOTTA While the tomatoes roast, stir together the ricotta and herbs until smooth and mound on a serving dish. Let rest at room temperature while the tomatoes roast.

SERVE IT UP! Top the ricotta with hot tomatoes, garlic and the roasting juices (don’t forget the roasting juices, they are lovely!) and garnish with additional fresh herbs. Serve with toasted bread slices or pita crisps. Serve while warm and enjoy!

ALANNA's TIPS This is an "appetizer to share" and easily served from a common dish plopped in the middle of the table. But for an elegant presentation, make up individual small plates garnished with fresh herbs, very pretty! Is homemade ricotta absolutely necessary? Nooooooo ... but it sure does make this extra special.
NUTRITION INFORMATION Per Serving (not including bread): 160 Calories; 11g Tot Fat; 6g Sat Fat; 31mg Cholesterol; 57mg Sodium; 7g Carb; 1g Fiber; 3g Sugar; 8g Protein. WEIGHT WATCHERS Old Points 4 & PointsPlus 4 & SmartPoints 6 & Freestyle 5 & myWW green 5 & blue 5 & purple 5



PITA CRISPS

Split mini pitas in half and arrange rough-side up on a baking sheet. Mist with olive oil or cooking spray, then sprinkle with favorite dried herbs or spice blends or a little good salt. Bake until just crisp at 350F/180C. Where to find mini pitas? My favorite source is Trader Joe's.


Creaminess + Tomatoes = Heaven

(hover with a mouse for a description; otherwise click a photo to view the recipe)

Creamy Ricotta with Tomato-Cucumber-Corn Salad Roasted Roma Tomato Dip Warm Goat Cheese Appetizer with Mini Tomatoes & Capers
~ more easy summer appetizer recipes ~

Love-Love-Love Summer Tomatoes

(hover for a description, click a photo for a recipe)

Roasted Eggplant Salad with Tomato-Caper Salsa Red Rice with Tomatoes Salmon with Pesto Zucchini Noodles & Warm Tomatoes
~ more tomato recipes ~
~ more easy summer recipes ~
from Kitchen Parade

~ my 12 favorite tomato recipes ~
from A Veggie Venture



These Recipes Have Moved

For Homemade Ricotta
please see
~ Homemade Ricotta ~

For Easy Radish Spread
please see
~ Easy Easy Radish Spread ~

Kitchen Parade is written by second-generation food columnist Alanna Kellogg and features fresh, seasonal dishes for every-day healthful eating and occasional indulgences. Quick Suppers are Kitchen Parade favorites and feature recipes easy on the budget, the clock, the waistline and the dishwasher. Do you have a favorite recipe that other Kitchen Parade readers might like? Just send me a quick e-mail via recipes@kitchen-parade.com. How to print a Kitchen Parade recipe. Never miss a recipe! If you like this recipe, sign up for a free e-mail subscription. If you like Kitchen Parade, you're sure to like my food blog about vegetable recipes, too, A Veggie Venture. If you make this recipe, I'd love to know your results! Just leave a comment below.

© Copyright Kitchen Parade
2007, 2013 (repub), 2014 & 2020

Alanna Kellogg
Alanna Kellogg

A Veggie Venture is home of "veggie evangelist" Alanna Kellogg and the famous asparagus-to-zucchini Alphabet of Vegetables.

Comments

  1. Anonymous8/02/2007

    I had no idea it was so easy to make! No more excuses for not having it on hand. Don't think I can do it with 'long-life' milk, though... but I can now, reliably, get fresh.
    And the starter looks fantastic!

    7/27/2007

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous8/02/2007

    That easy? Okay, I'll give it a shot.

    7/27/2007

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anonymous8/02/2007

    Now that is easy. I really love the sound of this recipe. Ummmm!

    7/27/2007

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  4. Anonymous8/02/2007

    Nothing could be fresher or better. Homemade ricotta is divine! This is such a simple and tasty starter - fabulous idea to set out as individual servings.

    7/27/2007

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  5. Anonymous8/02/2007

    Looks very flavorful Alanna! I didn't know ricotta was so simple to make.

    7/27/2007

    ReplyDelete
  6. Anonymous8/02/2007

    It looks really colorful, and I love food that's easy to make. I may never buy ricotta again.

    7/27/2007

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  7. Anonymous8/02/2007

    This looks delicious. Making your own cheese really appeals to a secret back to basics tendency within me that just has to learn how to make all those things that modern convenience makes us take for granted (bread, cheese etc).

    Thanks for the recipe. May I ask how you calculate your Nutritional information? Do you do it manually or use a calculating service of some kind?

    7/27/2007

    ReplyDelete
  8. Anonymous8/02/2007

    Everywhere I turn these days I find wonderful homemade cheese staring me in the face. It's obviously a sign that I can no longer ignore, but the timing stinks. I've been bitten by the cheesemaking bug just when my milk supply has dried up because my milk supplier is going to have a calf! Sure, patience is a virtue, but this is gonna be a long couple of months. . . : )

    7/28/2007

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  9. Katie ~ No need to give up milk, just get an extra quart! or litre!

    Christine ~ Yep! Do!

    Meeta ~ And gorgeous color too, yes?

    Tanna ~ Yay, another fan!

    Bruno ~ Now you do!

    Kelly ~ I really love food with vibrant color, especially in summer.

    Skinny ~ I have those tendencies too but before you buy a cow for the back garden, try something easy like ricotta! :-) As for nutrition calculations, I use an inexpensive product called Accuchef whose underlying data is the USDA nutrition database but it's also pretty simple to add your own items, which I do quite often.

    FarmGirl ~ Aha! Someone with a cow in the back garden, errr, back forty. This'll wait ...

    ReplyDelete
  10. Anonymous8/06/2007

    It sounds simple and looks delicious. My tomatoes are coming in right now, so I definitely want to try it this week. Yum!

    Thanks for the great foodblogging panel at BlogHer!

    ReplyDelete
  11. What a fantastic new look! And the recipe looks wonderful too!!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Alanna,
    I made ricotta out of the whey from mozzarella making (and boy is there STILL a lot of whey left over after that), but since I picked up buttermilk for 50 cents a half gallon this morning I think I'll give that recipe a try. I've got cherry tomates from the farm share and this sounds like a great dinner for me.
    Thanks!

    ReplyDelete

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Thank you for taking a moment to write! I read each and every comment, for each and every recipe. If you have a specific question, it's nearly always answered quick-quick. But I also love hearing your reactions, your curiosity, even your concerns! When you've made a recipe, I especially love to know how it turned out, what variations you made, what you'll do differently the next time. ~ Alanna