Spring is the time for freshness: fresh weather, fresh starts, and most importantly, fresh food. One of my favorite ways to celebrate a new season is by making seasonal recipes. No dish is more perfect for welcoming in the freshness of spring than Ina Garten’s Herbed Ricotta Bruschettas.
Ina calls for sourdough bread, and she substitutes the standard tomato topping for a ricotta blended with dill, scallions, and chives. I was familiar with ricotta toast before I made this recipe, but I had only prepared a sweet version with honey and fruit. Though Ina’s recipe was out of my comfort zone, this savory version had a huge payoff.
I’m not typically a big fan of dill, but it shines in this dish when paired with the cold, creamy ricotta and tangy sourdough. These elements work together in harmony, creating the perfect appetizer for a spring soirée or lunch. In fact, biting into this bruschetta tastes like biting into the new season.
How I Make Ina Garten’s Herbed Ricotta Bruschetta
The bruschettas are fancy enough to impress, and with slight modifications, they’re quite quick and simple to make. Ina instructs readers to first toast the sourdough by brushing each piece with olive oil and cooking them on a grill until golden brown. Since I don’t have a grill, I toasted the bread in a nonstick pan. Then, as Ina advised, I brushed each piece of toast with a clove of garlic and sprinkled them with salt.
Made by combining ricotta, herbs, and seasoning with salt and pepper, the topping is even easier to put together. Though Ina includes a method for homemade ricotta in her recipe, I follow the wisdom from her iconic tagline, “Store-bought is fine,” and used full-fat ricotta from ALDI. I assembled the bruschetta by topping each piece of toast with the ricotta mixture and they were ready in 10 minutes flat.
Simply Recipes / Adriana Chavez
Tips for Making Ina Garten’s Herbed Ricotta Bruschettas
I like to make a few tweaks so the bruschetta is even tastier. Instead of serving it with a side salad like Ina recommends, I balance the creaminess of the ricotta by topping each piece with a juicy slice of tomato. I use extra scallions instead of the chives and add a touch more dill than the recipe calls for. Considering I usually don’t care for the herb, this is a testament to how well the dill works in the topping.
You can easily divide or multiply the ingredients to make smaller or larger quantities of bruschetta. You can also make the ricotta mixture in advance, taking it out of the fridge right before spreading it on the toasted sourdough.
The recipe is adaptable based on your preferences or what you have on hand. Basil or another herb would pair well with the ricotta, and rustic Italian bread could sub nicely for the sourdough. I wouldn’t, however, use dried herbs or reach for cottage cheese as a substitute. The magic of this recipe comes from its base elements: creamy curds and tender herbs, each as fresh as spring.
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