Alternatives to ricotta?

bekkaL85

So long story short, I'm trying to make mini calzones. I usually use ricotta, and although it is sweet in the fat content department, the calories leave much to be desired. I found two things that people use to substitute, cottage cheese and tofu.

I love cottage cheese, but I only eat it with some black pepper and crackers\chips of some sort. The sites all said to drain first before baking, which I didn't do the last time I tried it.

I have never tried tofu and really have no inclination to try. I admit to not being very educated about it, and thought that it was just a replacement for meat and such.

Do you use anything other than those two?

Has anyone tried these? What happened?

Francl27

Ricotta's great. Just use fat free if you're worried about the calories.

trishka48

I have tried the tofu, and it was fine for us. We used the silken. Hope that helps!

Alatariel75

I use light ricotta all the time, the calories are really good!

SnuggleSmacks

I agree with using lighter ricotta. Nothing else quite captures the texture. But if you must, why not mix it half and half with some silken tofu?

reginanna

I've used cottage cheese instead of ricotta in lasagna and it worked fine.I put the cottage cheese in a food processor first to give it a smooth texture. I didn't drain it but for calzones it might be better if you do.

nam985

I would go with a dry cottage cheese and give it a quick whiz in a food processor or blender to get the curd size smaller and closer to the texture of ricotta.

sunburntgalaxy

My mom always used cottage cheese instead of ricotta when she made lasagna because, well, I am not really sure why, my guess is that is what she grew up with because it was cheaper. I thought it was great and didn't notice much of a difference when I started to use ricotta when I grew up. Texture is a bit different so you could put it in the food processor. But they also make a light and a fat free ricotta that could be good options. I am not a fan of tofu but I have only tried the solid stuff and it is a texture thing for me, not the taste.

Ke11er

My mom always used cottage cheese instead of ricotta when she made lasagna because, well, I am not really sure why, my guess is that is what she grew up with because it was cheaper. I thought it was great and didn't notice much of a difference when I started to use ricotta when I grew up. Texture is a bit different so you could put it in the food processor. But they also make a light and a fat free ricotta that could be good options. I am not a fan of tofu but I have only tried the solid stuff and it is a texture thing for me, not the taste.

My family does the same. It's a similar texture if you give it a whirl in the food processor, healthy, and cheaper.

mary190136

Try boiling some cauliflower, and processing it into a powder. Then add a little garlic powder or onion powder to taste.

kefryar

Weirdly enough, tofu with lemon juice is a great sub. There's a great recipe for tofu ricotta on onsheglows.com
My husband isn't big on cheese subsitutes and he couldn't tell the difference!

princessmommy122

Pumpkin...or half pumpkin/half ricotta.