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Whipped Ricotta Salad

salad on black plates with small black bowl of tiny toasts

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We love this salad as a simple main course in the summer. Make sure to serve with some bruschetta toasts or crackers to scoop up the leftover ricotta on the plate.

Ingredients

Scale

Whipped ricotta:

  • one cup whole milk ricotta cheese
  • 2 teaspoons olive oil
  • salt to taste

For the dressing:

  • one cup fresh basil leaves
  • 23  tablespoon pine nuts, lightly toasted (plus extra for serving)
  • 2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
  • 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 34 tablespoons olive oil

For the salad:

  • One cup cherry tomatoes
  • 1218 snap peas
  • 2 cups baby arugula
  • 1 cup butter lettuce

Instructions

  1. Place the ricotta, olive oil and salt in the bowl of a food processor and blend until smooth. It takes only about 30 seconds.
  2. Remove and set aside. Do not clean out the bowl of the food processor (it will be part off the dressing).
  3. To prepare the salad dressing: Place the basil, pine nuts, vinegar and red pepper flakes in the bowl with the remaining ricotta. Turn on and drizzle the olive oil into the bowl of the food processor and blend until smooth.
  4. For the salad: Toss the tomatoes with olive oil and roast for 8-10 minutes in a 350º oven or simply toss with olive oil and use fresh.
  5. Toss the tomatoes, arugula, butter lettuce, snap peas with the dressing.
  6. Assemble salad by first spreading the ricotta on plates in a circle on each. Top with the salad leaving some of the ricotta showing. Serve right away!

Notes

We prefer to roast the tomatoes, but if you have fresh tomatoes right from the garden, skip that and use fresh. I also like to sprinkle the finished salad with a few toasted pine nuts so people know it has nuts.