Cannoli Dip

If you ask me I'd vote cannoli, tiramisu, and gelato are top ranking for best Italian desserts.  But each can be time consuming to make. So what to do in a hurry? Make a super simple and fast cannoli dip instead and pair it with a variety of sweet crackers.

Or if you want to go all out pair it with the homemade cannoli chips like I've done here. They are from my cannoli shell recipe but you don't need any special forms. Instead the dough is just cut into bite size triangles and deep fried for that perfectly crisp finish.

It's an exciting and unique variation on traditional cannoli and equally just as delicious. Light and fluffy cannoli dip paired with crisp and flakey cannoli chips are a dream come true! It's a party fav an loved by people of all ages.

The Best Ricotta Christmas Cookies Recipe!

Our favorite ricotta cookies! They're easy to make and they're always consistently delicious.

They're so good that you can never stop at just one.

The ricotta cookie dough can be made two days in advance so it's a great make-ahead recipe. Plus it makes a huge batch of cookies so they're great for celebrations and gifting.

You'll love their lightly lemony flavor, the melt-in-your-mouth texture, and that sweet and simple icing finish. And if you want a little contrast finish them with crunchy sugar sprinkles which also add a pretty and festive pop of color.

Easy Lasagna Recipe

Talk about new favorite dinner recipe to get excited about! You get perfectly tender lasagna, a rich, beefy and tomato based sauce, and an abundance of flavorful cheese!

Sure you may not get that piled high 20 layers lasagna you'll see on the cover of a magazine but with this easy lasagna recipe we are all about making it flavorful and simple.

A realistically doable dinner (any night of the week) that you'll turn to time and time again. Not a lasagna that takes 1 hour+ prep.

This recipe has been my go to for months. I don't know why it's taken me so long to get around to sharing it, it really is just too good!

My family is crazy about it. My daughter has even labeled this specifically as one of her favorite foods.

It is comfort food done right. Nothing complicated. Just simple ingredients and a fool proof method and you've got a dinner everyone can agree on!

Lasagna Stuffed Zucchini Boats

You won't even miss that pasta in this hearty, flavorful, and CHEESY lasagna dish!

You may be thinking, how could these be that good? You took out all those good, comforting lasagna noodle carbs. Honestly, lasagna doesn't need them to be good!

Yes, you still need that delicious, melty, cheesy goodness and a good sauce, but these stuffed zucchini boats are lasagna made healthier, and they may likely be one of your go-to lasagna recipes from now on!

I have a zucchini lasagna recipe that requires long zucchini slices cut from a mandolin to create zucchini noodles, but these boats are even easier. No cutting, no time-consuming thin layers of zucchini in a casserole dish, monitoring the moisture with paper towel blotting... Just scooping out your low-carb boats and loading up the filling inside.

Summer Zucchini

These are the perfect summer and fall dinners when there's an abundance of fresh zucchini. And another great thing about these is that they're also delicious reheated. So if you're lucky enough to have a few left your set for lunch the following day.

Still have more zucchini? Try making my Zucchini Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies for dessert!

What Are Stuffed Shells?

Who could resist these jumbo pasta shells brimming with cheese and spinach and baked until perfectly melted and delicious? Aren't extra cheesy foods just the best foods?

Stuffed shells come in so many different fillings (taco, pizza, chicken, etc.) but I love this Italian classic best. They're are a lot like lasagna with without the beef (though you can definitely add some beef to the sauce if you'd like), and they're also a lot like Manicotti.

Photography Credit: Jenn Davis at Two Cups Flour.

They're easier to make than you'd think and they make great left overs if you are lucky enough to have any left the next day.

Plus they are picky eater approved recipe, even kids will love these!

Can I Freeze Them?

These are a great make ahead dinner, for those busy days when you just don't have time to cook. They'll freeze well for several months. Let thaw overnight in the fridge then let rest at room temperature while oven preheats and bake.

Lasagna Soup

I first shared this recipe way back in December 2013 and since then I've made it countless times. It's been a go-to recipe for 5 years going strong so I figured it was time to update the photos and add tips.

How To Make Lasagna Soup Video Tutorial

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On a chilly day this is one of my favorite ways to warm up. It's such a cozy soup and it has such an incredibly flavor.

You get an herbed tomato based broth that's filled with hearty bits of ground beef, and it's finished off with a generous mound of cheese that melts perfectly into the steaming hot soup.

This simple recipe may look a little daunting due to the long list of ingredients but a lot of it is pantry staples you likely already have so don't miss out on this recipe thinking it's too much.

It's actually easy to make and perfect for weeknights. Try it soon, it's likely to become a chilly night staple!

Ricotta Cookies

No, ricotta isn't just for dinner (like these go-to Lasagna Roll Ups and that Lemon Ricotta Parmesan Pasta). It makes delicious desserts like the classic Cannoli, Lemon Ricotta Cake, and these easy Cannoli Cream Filled Puff Pasty Tarts. But of course one of the best desserts you can make with cannoli are the heavenly Italian Ricotta Cookies.

You don't taste the ricotta in the cookies but rather you it lends a wonderful richness and moisture to the cookies. It's like that secret ingredient that no one could quite put there finger on.

Since ricotta cookies are one of my favorites (have you tried my Orange Chocolate Chip Ricotta Cookies yet??), I decided to throw out another flavor - these oh so tasty Lemon Poppy Seed Ricotta Cookies.

It's a classic pairing with that tangy lemon and the added texture of those chewy flecks of poppy seeds (which also add a nice background layer of flavor to compliment the lemon). It's a match that was destined to be in ricotta cookie form. These are without a doubt a must try cookie!

These pancakes are melt-in-your-mouth soft and tender, they're perfectly fluffy, and you'll love that bit of brightness and tang from the lemon. These are the perfect pancakes for spring or summer and they're likely to become a new family favorite!

Ricotta Cheese in Pancakes?

Some of you may be thinking, really, cheese in pancakes? If you are, it's not a savory cheesy taste like you might be imagining. You don't taste the ricotta here, it just adds so much moisture, it makes these seem like really buttery pancakes when really there's only 1 Tbsp of butter.

It isn't like having a lasagna filling mixed into a pancake batter. Ewwwww. Think more of on the sweets side of what ricotta can create like my:

• Italian Ricotta Cookies
• Cannoli Dip
• Cannoli Ice Cream
• Lemon Ricotta Cake
• Orange Chocolate Chip Ricotta Cookies

Ricotta is one of the few cheeses that can be mixed into something that isn't savory and it works wonders. Similar to the idea of cream cheese (but ricotta isn't tangy and it has a thinner texture).

How To Make Lemon Ricotta Pancakes

Like other pancake recipes these are so easy to whip up. The ingredients you need include staples like flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, milk, eggs, vanilla and butter then you'll also need a couple of lemons and some ricotta cheese (I've used both whole and low-fat, whole makes them a little richer but use what you'd like).

• First preheat your electric griddle or a a non-stick skillet or griddle over a stove top work as well (they just don't need to preheat quite as long).
• Then in one bowl whisk together the dry ingredients and make a well (or big bowl shape) in the center using your hands.
• In a separate bowl whisk together the milk, eggs and ricotta.
• Then to the milk mixture pour in melted butter, lemon zest and lemon juice and whisk just to blend.
• Immediately pour that wet mixture into the flour mixture and whisk it with a large whisk just to combined (remember lumps are good in pancake batter, it means the batter isn't over-mixed and equals fluffier pancakes).

• Then butter the griddle just before you are going to pour the batter on otherwise it burns (or vegetable oil works as well).
• Pour 1/3 cup batter onto griddle at a time and leave plenty of space between them, then let the griddle work it's magic and cook them until the bottom is golden brown.
• Flip using a large spatula and cook opposite side until golden brown.
• And of course, serve immediately drizzled with syrup.

Variations on These Pancakes

You can also add blueberries or raspberries to these pancakes. I like to add the berries to individual pancakes after I've ladled out the batter onto the griddle. This way you get the same amount in each pancake and they are evenly spaced.

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Sara Lee® Bread. The opinions and text are all mine.

Grilled Cheese

April is National Grilled Cheese Month! What better way to celebrate than this hearty grilled cheese? It's perfect for lunch or dinner. It really just makes that plain old cheddar grilled cheese sandwich seem ultra boring!

Layered together over soft cracked wheat bread is steamed fresh spinach, fresh basil, creamy ricotta, rich provolone, salty parmesan, and those rich ultra flavorful sun dried tomatoes.

Sound good yet??

This is a grilled cheese I'll want to make time and time again! I've already made it twice and can't stop thinking about it.

Lemon Ricotta Cake

Admittedly this is a not so traditional Italian Ricotta Cake - the more traditional ricotta cake is made either with either almond flour or semolina flour.

I've tried the almond version and while it's so delicious I actually prefer this softer version made with all white flour.

A Perfect Cake

This ricotta cake is perfectly rich, it has a good density (similar to muffins), it's amazingly moist, and perfectly lemony.

And it's perfectly highlighted with toppings of fresh, lightly sweetened strawberries and fluffy whipped cream. The blend of the three layers together is simply dreamy.