It is also perfect as a substitute for cheesecake recipes because of its creamy finish and sweet taste. But Parmesan cream sauce adds an insane amount of creaminess that's perfectly smooth. Repeat with the remaining pasta, sauce, ricotta cheese and cheeses ensuring all the pasta is thoroughly covered in sauce. You can also use it in cheesecake. Substitute the ricotta with a bechamel white sauce, cottage cheese or even mascarpone cheese. If you’re looking for a good substitute for ricotta to fill your pasta, Buttermilk cheese is your next best choice. Even for baking purposes and for making ravioli, manicotti, and cannoli, ricotta can be substituted by tofu. Second, it solved the gritty texture of ziti made with ri crappa. The thing that ricotta adds to a baked ziti is creaminess, but unless it's a great ricotta, that creaminess comes at too high of a texture cost. Personally I add some Pecorino and Parmigiano to my Bechamel and it’s a great addition to any baked pasta dish. This baked ziti recipe calls for Mozzarella cheese but you could also use an Italian blend or … Put dollops of ricotta cheese on top of the pasta. However, it might be difficult for you to find this cheese. I’ve seen some info recommending cottage cheese, yogurt, or cream cheese. Top with fresh Parmesan cheese and bake UNCOVERED at 375 for 30 minutes. Goat cheese: Fresh goat cheese is an acceptable substitute for ricotta. You can make a Bechamel sauce and add it the the pasta. #9 Crème Fraîche The egg-like flavor of tofu is removed when it is used for baking. For the mozzarella, feel free to substitute fresh mozzarella… It is much higher in protein and lower in fat and cholesterol, as compared to cheese. Queso fresco is a better substitute for Ricotta in instances where a bit of runniness is okay, as anyone who's ever had a chimichanga served with it can tell you. However, you can make your own buttermilk cheese if you purchase buttermilk. Buttermilk cheese is the perfect substitute for ricotta cheese in pasta dishes. Its mild, acidic, and creamy flavor is quite close to that of ricotta. Top it with 4-6 slices of Provolone cheese, then HALF the mozzarella cheese. Of the 3, cottage cheese is the closest but will lack the delicious creaminess of the ricotta. Ricotta is hard to substitute.