I made lasagna and don’t want to throw out the leftover ingredients. What can I do with half a carton of ricotta cheese?
You can make a cheesy batter and bake it with sautéed vegetables in a deep-dish pie plate. You will be amazed at how easy it is to create this vegetable entree or side dish. Everyone loved this recipe in one of my recent cooking classes. Sometimes I cook the vegetables in advance. But I always make the batter fresh, just before baking.
Vegetable Ricotta Pie
- 1 tablespoon extra light olive oil
- 1/2 large onion, diced
- 1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 medium zucchini, diced 3/4 inch
- 1 medium yellow squash, diced 3/4 inch
- 1 can (14.5 ounce) diced tomatoes with Italian herbs
- 1/2 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
- 1 cup fat-free ricotta cheese
- 1/2 cup fat-free plain yogurt
- 3 egg whites
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Preheat oven to 350 °F. Lightly coat a deep-dish ovenproof glass pie plate with no-stick cooking spray.
Heat oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Sauté onion, pepper and garlic 5 minutes. Add zucchini and cook 3 minutes. Drain tomatoes, reserving juice for another use. Add tomatoes and seasoning. Stir and simmer 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, combine ricotta cheese, yogurt, egg whites, flour, baking powder and Parmesan cheese in the pitcher of a blender. Blend on low at first, increasing to high until smooth. Stop once, and scrape down the inside of the blender with a rubber spatula.
Spoon half the sautéed vegetables into the coated pie dish. Pour the cheese batter over the vegetables. Spoon the remaining vegetables over top of the batter.
Place the pie dish in the oven, on the top shelf. Bake 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting into wedges and serving.
Serves: 6
