I made ricotta from the whey left over from the cheesemaking course and it turned out really yummy, so I had to figure out a way of using it all - nearly three cups.
I bought jumbo pasta shells, the box made enough for two meals. The first night, I used a pound of browned hamburger, some garlic and a bit of basil and oregano, plus about a cup of the ricotta. Using a quart jar of spaghetti sauce, I poured about a cup of it in the bottom of a casserole dish and put filled shells on top of the sauce. Poured the rest of the sauce over all, then sprinkled with mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. It was good, but needed a bit of improvement.
The second batch, I used a pound of breakfast sausage because that was what I had on hand. Italian sausage would have been really good, too. Cooked first. I added in about a teaspoon of garlic and a bit of basil and oregano again, and about a cup and a half of ricotta plus an egg, as the filling for the first batch seemed a bit loose. Sauce, mozz and Parm as before.
The second batch was the flavor and texture I was looking for. Not too hard to make up and a great way to use ricotta.
