Ricotta cheese is another thing that always comes in plastic tubs. Thankfully, its easy to make it yourself and it only takes about 20 minutes. Its creamier and less crumbly than the store-bought stuff. It also tastes a lot fresher. Here are the ingredients you’ll need:

• 4 cups whole milk (You can use a lower fat percentage but it won’t be as rich. Don’t use skim milk.)
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 3/4 cup homemade buttermilk

Combine milk, heavy cream and buttermilk in a saucepan.

Heat to 190-200 degrees. Curds will begin to form. If you don’t have a thermometer, this is just before it boils.

Remove from heat.

Pour through a cheesecloth lined strainer set over a bowl. I didn’t have any cheesecloth, so I used a cloth napkin.

Let sit until the whey has drained out and it has the consistency of ricotta cheese, about 10 minutes.

Put the ricotta in a container and refrigerate. I put mine in a glass jar.

You’ll have about 4 cups of whey leftover. Don’t throw this away! You can use it in bread in place of milk or water. It’ll keep in the fridge for about a week. I’ve used whey in my oatmeal raisin bread, my beer bread and my homemade burger buns.

I made this ricotta cheese so I could make stuffed pasta shells, but you can also eat it by the spoonful. Enjoy!