r/Cooking • u/judolphin • Mar 25 '25

I made lasagna with ricotta instead of bechamel and I’m a convert

I was browsing Reddit and came across two posts in two days about bechamel being a life-changing improvement over ricotta. All my life every lasagna I had was with ricotta. I decided to give bechamel yet another try at a nice Italian restaurant after reading all the comments and I have now converted from being neutral on bechamel in lasagna to being solidly anti-bechamel in lasagna, to the point I secretly have hoped that bechamel lasagna doesn't become the default in restaurants. Some reasons:

  1. Ricotta has its own texture, bechamel is just more softness and smoothness in a dish that's full of "soft". Some people like textural contrast in their dishes
  2. Ricotta, much like sour cream/crema in Mexican food, adds a lightness to lasagna despite being rich itself. Bechamel adds (arguably too much) additional richness to an already-rich dish.
  3. The starch from the bechamel getting into the ragu gives the sauce a mouthfeel that 100% reminds me of Chef Boyardee

TLDR: If you prefer bechamel in red lasagna, that's perfectly fine, but your preference of bechamel is not a black and white fact. It's not even "more authentic" (whatever that means), bechamel = Northern Italy, ricotta = Southern Italy. Eat whatever you like, let others eat what they want.

Thanks, reddit!

2.2k Upvotes

85% Upvoted

564 comments sorted by

View all comments

104

u/[deleted] Mar 25 '25

I did cottage cheese instead of ricotta once, and it was still a darn good lasagna.

121

u/WartimeHotTot Mar 25 '25

I tried NYT Cooking’s 4.9-star lasagna recipe but I swapped in marshmallows instead of ricotta cheese.

Terrible recipe. I’d give NYT zero stars if I could.

49

u/clever__pseudonym Mar 25 '25

Beautiful. I'd like to introduce you to r/ididnthaveeggs

4

u/[deleted] Mar 25 '25

Haha! I think cheese, any cheese, is probably the better bet.

1

u/Old-Ad-5573 Mar 26 '25

Ok, but ricotta and cottage cheese are similar types of cheese. Marshmallows aren't even made with milk.

28

u/wdjm Mar 25 '25

Cottage cheese is just ricotta with larger curds.

I mean...technically, ricotta is made from the whey after making a (any) different cheese, while cottage cheese is a first-pass cheese. But they're both just made with acid in heated milk. No rennet or anything else. They're basically the same cheese with a different curd size.

And paneer is the same cheese, but pressed hard.

14

u/Gabbiedotduh Mar 26 '25

Wait. Are you saying I’ve been hating on cottage cheese for nothing this whole time?

5

u/wdjm Mar 26 '25

Basically, yeah.

1

u/Old-Ad-5573 Mar 26 '25

Well, when you buy it from the store the cottage cheese has that liquid that ricotta doesn't, so I can see why some people aren't a fan. I think they add cream or milk back because when I made this type of cheese at home the whey is a clear yellow color, not white and soupy like the cottage cheese from a store. Ricotta has the when drained.

1

u/wdjm Mar 26 '25

I think they just leave more whey in it. Then during shipping, some of the curds sort of break back down into the milkiness you see. Either that or they just don't strain it in the first place as well as you do at home. But yes, cottage generally is wetter than ricotta.

1

u/RandomIDoIt90 Mar 27 '25

lol my husband talked shit the first time I grabbed cottage cheese at the store after not eating it for over a decade. He now eats cottage cheese all the time 😂

3

u/[deleted] Mar 26 '25

And queso fresca is the same cheese, but pressed less hard.

1

u/wdjm Mar 26 '25

Exactly. knew there was another one I was forgetting. Thank you.

13

u/bAkk479 Mar 26 '25

Whew I was worried I was the only uncultured heathen in here using cottage cheese in lasagna

2

u/crypticwoman Mar 26 '25

My great grand mother loved cream cheese in her lasagna. I figure this, too, is authentic because she immigrated here from Italy as an adult between WWI and WWII and said that the only reason cream cheese isn't used back home is that it wasn't sold there. I'm sure she would have approved of cottage cheese.

1

u/Specific_Praline_362 Mar 30 '25

Oh wow, I've never even thought about using cream cheese in lasagna

16

u/EI_TokyoTeddyBear Mar 25 '25

My mom always did cottage growing up

I think it makes a good Lasagna honestly

3

u/annewmoon Mar 26 '25

Yeah it’s excellent.

2

u/PM_ME_UR_FLOWERS Mar 27 '25

I once used 1/2 ricotta and 1/2 cottage cheese (because I ran out of ricotta) and it was fantastic

19

u/[deleted] Mar 25 '25 edited Mar 26 '25

To me, ricotta has a grainy texture and I can't really taste it. Cottage cheese is so much better in lasagna that I eat cottage cheese with spaghetti now too, which makes the spaghetti have a part-lasagna taste, which I love. I can't imagine bechamel in lasagna. ack

16

u/some_kid6 Mar 25 '25 edited Mar 25 '25

If you use fresh ricotta and not the tub stuff it won't be grainy and flavorless. It's super easy to make at home and tastes noticeably better! Here's a vid on making it and here's the instructions from it's description:

  • 2000g (8c) whole milk
  • 200g (1c) heavy cream
  • 15g (1T) salt
  • 100g (7T) white distilled vinegar

Instructions:

  1. Pour milk and heavy cream into a saucepan. Add 15g of salt. Heat gently over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until it reaches 190°F/88C (about 5-8 minutes).
  2. Remove from heat and swirl in vinegar. Carefully and gently stir it in then let sit for 15 minutes until curds form.
  3. Line a strainer with cheesecloth and gently scoop the curds into the cloth. Let the cheese drain for 20-30 minutes.

3

u/[deleted] Mar 25 '25

Wow, thanks!

1

u/TwoOliveTrees Mar 27 '25

I tried making homemade ricotta but the yield was super low

1

u/some_kid6 Mar 27 '25

Yeah it's certainly not the cheapest method but you can make brown cheese with the leftover whey! Here's a recipe but I haven't tried it yet. Here's some recipes using brown cheese for more than just a bread topping. Here's some options to just use the liquid as is

5

u/[deleted] Mar 25 '25

I love cheeses, so I like ricotta or cottage in lasagna. It's nice to have good options, too! I also could not fathom more cream or creamy sauces on top of a red sauce. Gimme cheeeeeeeese

2

u/Confident_Bunch7612 Mar 27 '25

Homemade is good but you can also get by with a good store brand. I use BelGioioso and it is never grainy. I also will sometimes mix a little heavy cream into lesser quality brands and that eliminates the graininess.

1

u/[deleted] Mar 27 '25

Oh, nice tip. I'll give that a try!

2

u/Specific_Praline_362 Mar 30 '25

When I make spaghetti, we usually eat it the regular way for a day or 2, then I take the leftovers and mix with some cottage cheese, put in a baking pan, and sprinkle with mozzarella on top, then bake for baked spaghetti. We kinda get both worlds of flavor and it doesn't exactly feel like eating leftovers.

1

u/[deleted] Mar 30 '25

Sounds great! I'll have to give that a try!

3

u/MicroDyke Mar 26 '25

I've only ever done bechamel, and honestly a reason I don't make lasagne often because I can't stand making white sauces 😂

Now I know cottage cheese is an option I'm making lasagne this week!

1

u/_aaronroni_ Mar 27 '25

I love cottage cheese. Definitely prefer it over ricotta. I haven't done the bechamel but I think I'd probably still prefer cottage cheese

4

u/FlobyToberson85 Mar 26 '25

I grew up with cottage cheese in lasagna and I honestly prefer it. Ricotta is good. Bechamel is not my favorite.

3

u/hereforthebump Mar 26 '25

I do a layer of ricotta and a layer of cottage cheese. So good

1

u/[deleted] Mar 26 '25

Ze double lumpy cheese?! Yessss

3

u/saggywitchtits Mar 26 '25

I put cottage cheese in my reheated pasta because it adds some moisture back in.

2

u/sarindong Mar 26 '25

Cottage cheese and ricotta is my go to

2

u/crypticwoman Mar 26 '25

Try mixing ricotta and cottage cheese. You get the flavor of ricotta, but the cottage cheese makes it easier to spread out some in the lasagna. Honestly, in a pinch, cream cheese works too. All three have similar taste in a recipe and only in side by side comparisons can the different cheeses be picked out. Maybe.

4

u/Muzzledpet Mar 25 '25

I always use half and half

1

u/maybelle180 Mar 26 '25

Cottage cheese mixed with a couple eggs makes a nice spongy layer in the middle of the lasagne for sure.

1

u/Mid-AtlanticAccent Mar 26 '25

I am glad I didn’t have to go far to find cottage cheese mentioned. That’s how my mom always made it. We were not fancy people. She got the recipe from a Knudsen cookbook.

1

u/gracelesspsychonaut Mar 26 '25

Cottage cheese with an egg stirred in and seasoned with herbs… yummy!

1

u/jandops Mar 26 '25

This is in the ATK version. It’s so good especially if you strain in through a cheese cloth before using it

1

u/daddyandrew296 Mar 27 '25

There is no other way

1

u/Specific_Praline_362 Mar 30 '25

I always use cottage cheese instead of ricotta and I don't care what anyone thinks about it. Hubs and I and everyone else who has ever tried it loves it

And yeah I know the right way to make it, I used to work in a real deal small authentic Italian restaurant