ricotta

noun

ri·​cot·​ta ri-ˈkä-tə 

-ˈkȯ-

: a white unripened whey cheese of Italy that resembles cottage cheese

also : a similar cheese made in the U.S. from whole or skim milk

Examples of ricotta in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Spaghetti and meatballs, garlic bread, lasagna, anything with ricotta cheese, and red sauce have reappeared at restaurants all over town. —Carolynn Carreño, Los Angeles Times, 25 May 2025

The 2,000-square-foot space has plenty of room for remote workers to claim an outlet and order lunch items like a deconstructed BLT sandwich that gets layered on a pizza crust with ricotta mayo. —Kristin Braswell, Bon Appetit Magazine, 23 May 2025

The rigatoni carbonara with crispy pork was super rich, while the malfatti (spinach and ricotta dumplings) were light and sat in a beautiful bowl of brown butter and sage. —Meira Gebel, Axios, 19 May 2025

On the other hand, soft cheeses like Brie or Camembert, or creamy varieties like cream cheese and ricotta, do not freeze well. —Katie Rosenhouse, Southern Living, 9 May 2025

Word History

Etymology

Italian, from feminine of past participle of ricuocere to cook again, from Latin recoquere, from re- + coquere to cook — more at cook

First Known Use

1617, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for ricotta

• biota
• iota
• lakota
• nonquota
• chota
• cota
• quota

Kids Definition

ricotta

noun

ri·​cot·​ta ri-ˈkät-ə 

: a soft, white Italian cheese