Today I am sharing one of my all time favourite simple suppers…ricotta fritters with tomato and basil sauce.
These ricotta fritters are my version of an easy peasy gnocchi. It’s quite an intense and very time consuming task to make your own gnocchi at home so these little gorgeously golden dumplings are my cheat’s version but please don’t be fooled, although they come together almost effortlessly they are no way any less flavourful than their laborious counterparts. These ricotta fritters are light, fluffy, delicious and marry perfectly with a simple tomato sauce. I can have the little imitations frying away to gorgeous goldenness in well under ten minutes and the kids just adore them. So does my hubby.
The ricotta mixture consists of only a few flavours, lemon zest, nutmeg and parmesan however they work together beautifully to create a delicious treat even when eaten without the tomato basil sauce. Miss G. gobbled up a couple whilst our sauce bubbled away.
Todays simple tomato basil sauce is also absolutely delicious and is the result of mere moments of work. After I have fried the ricotta fritters, I heat a little olive oil in the same pan, gently cook a clove or two of garlic, add the diced tomatoes, passata, brown sugar and basil and bubble away for 2-3 minutes, or until slightly thickened. This tomato sauce is fresh, full of flavour and makes the perfect pond of yumminess for the fried ricotta fritters to nestle in.
Mr H. loved this supper. The fritters were the perfect texture for him to pick up easily and nibble away on. He also adored the tomato sauce, gobbling most of it up only leaving behind what was smothered on his face and arms.
To create your own delicious ricotta fritters w’ tomato and basil sauce simply…
Begin by placing the ricotta, egg, parmesan, nutmeg, flour and lemon zest into a large bowl and mix to combine.
Heat a non stick frypan to low-medium heat, add a drizzle of olive oil and use a tablespoon to spoon the ricotta mixture into the frypan. Cook for 2-3 minutes before carefully turning and cooking for another 2-3 minutes.
Place the gorgeously golden cooked fritters onto a plate lined with paper towel to remove any excess oil.
In the same frypan, heat a little more olive oil over low-medium heat. Add crushed garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes or until cooked and slightly golden. Add the crushed tomatoes, passata, sugar and basil and stir to combine. Allow to cook for 3-4 minutes or until slightly thickened.
Pop the cooked tomato sauce into a bowl and set aside.
To serve, nestle the golden fritters into a generous portion of tomato basil sauce and top with a few extra leaves of basil.
ricotta fritters w’ tomato basil sauce
serves 4
INGREDIENTS
500 grams fresh ricotta (please use firm ricotta from the deli section of your supermarket, the prepacked variety is too moist and will require at least double the amount of flour)
1 egg
1 heaped tablespoon plain flour
40 grams parmesan cheese, grated
zest of a lemon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, ground
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tin (400 grams) diced tomatoes
2 cups (500 ml) tomato passata
1 tablespoon brown sugar
handful of basil leaves, roughly chopped plus extra to serve
olive oil, to fry in
METHOD
Place the ricotta, egg, flour, cheese, lemon zest and nutmeg into a large bowl and mix thoroughly to combine. Heat a non stick frypan to low-medium heat, add a drizzle of olive oil and use a tablespoon to spoon the ricotta mixture into the frypan. Cook for 2-3 minutes before carefully turning and cooking for another 2-3 minutes. Place the cooked fritters onto a plate lined with kitchen paper to absorb excess oil. In the same frypan, heat a little more olive oil over low-medium heat. Add crushed garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes or until cooked and slightly golden. Add the tomatoes, passata, sugar and basil and stir to combine. Allow to cook for 3-4 minutes or until slightly thickened. To serve, nestle the golden fritters into a generous portion of tomato basil sauce and top with a few extra leaves of basil. Enjoy x
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Hi there, I tried to make this today but my frittas didn’t hold their shape at all, they were really wet and just turned into one big pile of fritta! It was still very tasty though! I used ricotta bought from a supermarket, is that the same as fresh ricotta? I added a bit more flour and that didn’t help either…any ideas on where I went wrong? I also added salt, does that make it more watery? Anyway thanks for sharing the recipe!
Hi! Was your ricotta in a container? Or was it fresh from the deli section. There is quite a difference in the level of moisture between the two. I used the ricotta from the deli, its a lot firmer and contains less liquid. I’ll update my recipe to specify the differences in ricotta but it sounds like your fritters were just a little too wet from the ricotta. I’m so happy you were still able to enjoy them! I didn’t add salt to mine because I was serving them to the munchkins but salt wouldn’t make a difference to the texture. Thanks for your comment. Have a great weekend. X
Yes that’s definitely where I went wrong! I’ll try then with deli ricotta next time, I’ve never used that before so it’ll be interesting!
Delicious! Any tips for turning them over? I used a spoon & a spatula, very tricky though as they didn’t keep their shape well…
The trick with these babies is to be quick and confident when flipping. I use a metal spatula which helps a lot. I also find that having the frypan set to low-medium heat and allowing the fritters to cook slowly helps as well. When cooked slowly the fritter cooks evenly, has more structure and holds it shape whilst flipping. I hope this helps. I’m so happy you thought they were delicious. X
Thanx for replying, turning the temperature down a bit did help and I practised a more confident flipping style while cooking 😉 I & my 6 month old love your recipes can’t wait for the next one!
can these be frozen or have to be eaten on the day?
I wouldn’t recommend freezing these fritters. I find ricotta goes a little rubbery once reheated. They should last in the fridge (in an air tight container) for up to 3 days. Hope this helps xxx
Mr H is a marvelous funny baby! These fritters aren’t deep fried that’s a great advantage for health. I’ll add an extra to the recipe: I’ll sprinkle some parmesan cheese on the tomato sauce.
Hi, I made a double batch of these today and the ricotta mix was a disaster to cook. The patties didn’t hold any shape and ended up in a runny mixture when turning them over. When attempting the second batch, I added a lot more flour and they held a bit better but we’re still not great. The flavour is delicious but there seems to be something missing – double the eggs perhaps or more flour?
Hi! Did you use ricotta from the deli section of your supermarket or ricotta that is from a container? I use deli style ricotta in this recipe as it is less wet and more firm in texture. If using the container variety you will require far more flour to ensure the fritter has enough texture. Because I have’t tested this recipe using this type of ricotta I can’t tell you the exact amount of flour you would require. I’m so sorry that they didn’t work out for you – how frustrating!!! I hope this helps a little and thank you for your comment xxxx
I just wanted to say thank you for having such awesome recipes. This is my first time posting a comment, ever! I am Croatian so all my cooking has lots of flavor but as most mums I just get stuck making the same meals week after week. I did blw with my boys and it was so worth it and easy. I am like you, love to cook love getting the kids to cook with me and always wanting it to be healthy. My boys are 2 and 4 now but when I came across your recipes I was so happy to finally find muffins etc that were healthy but ACTUALLY taste good! After being out all day, trying to exhaust my boys I came home and made your ricotta fritters in sauce took 15mins, dinner done! my boys demolished them. Thank you for all your awesome recipes! Very much appreciated x p.s for first time blw mummys mash banana on wholemeal toast cut into fingers, so easy and bubbas love it.
I think this recipe may depend on how moist each deli has its ricotta. I purchased firm ricotta from the deli in a nice big wedge and these just disintegrated into puddles. I have loved all of your other recipes I’ve tried though.
Oh no! How annoying! Perhaps the mixture needed more flour and egg – to bind. I find cooking (and giving instructions) with ricotta to be so tricky as the liquid always varies. So sad these didn’t work for you! Thanks for letting me know. Oh honey, I hope you have better luck with another recipe! Kayla x
I agree! Ricotta is tricky stuff! I just wanted to share my experience on here so that if others had experienced the same they might have an idea of what to try. I’ll definitely give an extra egg and some more flour a go. My little one liked the taste of the puddles so I’d like to try and get them to have some form – much easier for him to eat. I’ve had wonderful success with your other recipes though. Thanks so much for sharing.