Ricotta Dip

Serves 4

Y’all, this ricotta dip SLAPS! It’s my favorite dip from the cookbook shoot, as well. The lemony, mild cheesiness is mind-­blowingly good. It’s soooo simple but so perfect in so many ways. Please put a limit on yourself quickly, because as soon as it leaves the oven and you pierce that top golden layer of cheese, it’s over! It’s so hard to stop eating it; you’ve been warned!

INGREDIENTS

• 1½ cups whole-­milk ricotta

  COOKING FROM SCRATCH: A Careful Selection of Useful Recipes Toya Boudy

• Zest of 1 lemon

• 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

• 1 garlic clove, grated or minced finely

• 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

• 1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more for drizzling

• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme or rosemary (or ½ teaspoon dried)

• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. In a bowl, mix together the ricotta, lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic, Parmesan, olive oil, thyme, and salt and pepper to taste, until smooth and well blended.

2. Transfer to a small oven-­safe dish. Drizzle a little more olive oil on top. Bake, uncovered, for 20 to 25 minutes, until warm, slightly puffed, and just golden at the edges.

3. Serve warm with toasted baguette slices, pita chips, or fresh vegetables.

Excerpted from COOKING FROM SCRATCH: A Careful Selection of Useful Recipes by Toya Boudy, copyright © 2026, reprinted by permission of Countryman Press, an imprint of W. W. Norton & Co., Inc. All rights reserved

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