Sometimes you just have to try recreating something you’ve eaten somewhere.

This happened to me recently. I was in Denver and ate at a nice Italian restaurant that wasn’t a place I’d normally go to. The food was great and there was this starter that was so simple that I walked away thinking I could easily make it at home. That dish was a ricotta cheese spread.

Ricotta Cheese Spread

The restaurant made its own ricotta cheese and without knowing the exact process involved, it would be hard to recreate with 100% accuracy. That said, store-bought ricotta cheese is good and creating a lovely spread with that as a base is easy. You can pretty much add whatever you want to it and customize it your way. The recipe below is more focused on an Italian flavor.

Did I accurately recreate the flavor of the restaurant cheese spread? No, but this turned out quite good regardless.

What you’ll need:

• 1/2 cup of ricotta cheese 
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 4 large basil leaves, chopped
• 2-3 sprigs of Italian parsley
• Salt and pepper to taste

Spoon the ricotta cheese into a microwave-safe container and warm it in the microwave for 30-45 seconds, then add the olive oil, basil, parsley, salt, and pepper. Combine the ingredients and microwave again for another 10-20 seconds. Serve with crackers, flatbread, or lightly toasted slices of bread.