Mediterranean Ricotta Board (Printer-friendly)
Creamy ricotta meets Mediterranean vegetables and fresh herbs on this beautiful sharing board.
# What You’ll Need:
→ Dairy
01 - 1 1/2 cups whole-milk ricotta cheese
→ Vegetables & Fruits
02 - 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
03 - 1/2 cup seedless cucumber, thinly sliced
04 - 1/3 cup roasted red peppers, sliced
05 - 1/4 cup Kalamata olives, pitted and halved
06 - 1/4 cup artichoke hearts, quartered
07 - 1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
→ Bread & Crackers
08 - 1 baguette or 12-16 crostini, toasted
→ Herbs & Garnishes
09 - 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
10 - 2 tbsp fresh basil, chopped
11 - 1 tbsp fresh oregano or thyme leaves
12 - Zest of 1 lemon
13 - Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
14 - Flaky sea salt, to taste
# How to Make It:
01 - Spread the ricotta cheese evenly over a large serving board or platter, creating swirls with the back of a spoon for visual appeal.
02 - Arrange cherry tomatoes, cucumber slices, roasted red peppers, olives, artichoke hearts, and red onion around and over the ricotta in sections or a decorative pattern.
03 - Drizzle the olive oil generously over the ricotta and arranged vegetables.
04 - Sprinkle with chopped basil, fresh oregano or thyme, lemon zest, black pepper, and flaky sea salt to taste.
05 - Serve immediately with toasted baguette slices or crostini for scooping and spreading.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- It comes together in literally 20 minutes but looks like you put real thought into it
- People can customize their own perfect bites with whatever combination they want
02 -
- Let the ricotta come to room temperature for about 30 minutes before spreading, cold ricotta fights you the whole way
- The board looks best if you leave some negative space instead of covering every square inch
03 -
- Use a board with a rim or lip if you're transporting this, I learned this the hard way when olives rolled off in my car
- Double the ricotta if you're feeding more than 4 people, that stuff goes faster than you'd expect