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By Christie Vanover | Published May 14, 2012 | Last Updated December 28, 2022

I have an amazing recipe for Vegetarian Lasagna to post, but before I share it, I have to share what makes it so delicious – homemade ricotta cheese.

I was listening to Martha Stewart Radio this weekend on Sirius XM and one of the guests mentioned that she makes homemade ricotta.

I never in a million years dreamed I could do this at home. I thought it was an Italian delicacy that took years of masterful cheesemaking skill. No offense to the cheesemakers, but it’s really easy to make this at home.

I scoured the Internet for recipes. They all called for milk, cream and an acid (usually lemon juice or vinegar). Some required careful temperature monitoring and timing, but I was trying this on a whim, so I just went with what felt right.

In the end, Ina Garten’s recipe inspired me the most. Hers calls for vinegar; however, I decided to go with the lemon juice to complement the veggies in my lasagna. I also halved the recipe since I was experimenting. I didn’t want to waste too much cream and milk, in case it was a flop.

The hardest part about this recipe is finding the cheesecloth…but really that’s not too hard. I found it at the grocery in the aisle with all the aluminum pans.

To make this, you boil the cream and milk. Remove it from the heat. Add the lemon juice and let it curdle. Then, you pour it in damp cheesecloth that’s been draped over a sieve and a bowl.

I thought it was all going to just drip right through, but it didn’t. 30 minutes later, I had the creamiest, dreamiest ricotta I have ever tasted. It’s way better than anything I’ve bought at the grocery.

Now it’s your turn. Try this recipe and become a masterful cheesemaker yourself!

Homemade Ricotta Cheese

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Ingredients

2 cups whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
1 ½ tablespoon lemon juice

Instructions

Bring the milk and cream to a boil in a medium pot.
Remove the pot from the heat and stir in lemon juice. It will begin to curdle in about 1 minute.
Place 2-3 layers of damp cheesecloth over a mesh sieve and place it over a bowl to collect the liquid.
Pour the liquid into the cheesecloth and let it set for 30 minutes.
The longer it sets, the harder it will become. In 30 minutes, it’s the perfect spreadable consistency for lasagna.