Baked Ricotta with Lemon Zest & Rosemary

This was a happy accident.

I had some leftover fresh ricotta from another recipe, and while I usually would eat it right out of the container, I decided to try something new.

Ricotta cheese is not as bad as you think it is for you.

It has 5 grams of protein per serving; 0 carbs; and only 80 calories for 1/4 cup.
Hey, some yogurts aren't even that nutritious. ;)

I would usually bake ricotta with an egg in the mixture (like with a lasagne), but here I decided to keep it simple.

For 15 oz. of ricotta, mix in some fresh rosemary, a few tablespoons of freshly grated Parm, lemon zest and sea salt.

Pour into a small baking dish greased with olive oil, and drizzle a tbsp of olive oil on top.

Bake at 375F for 25 minutes.
I turned the broiler on the last 2 minutes to form a nice crust on top.

I topped the baked cheese with Rao's jarred roasted peppers (they have raisins and pine nuts, and I love them).

Spread on toast or warm pita.

A delicious appetizer (or breakfast) is born.