So I had the intention to whip up a comforting veggie lasagna this past month.

Clearly that did not happen.

But an entire tub of ricotta cheese did make its way into my fridge.

And if you’re not going to use ricotta for some sort of pasta dish (ahem lasagna) what the heck do you do with it?

Since I am not one to let food go to waste, I had to get a little creative.

Some of the ricotta did, in fact, find itself plopped on top of a simple whole wheat pasta bowl.

So original, I know.

Things became a little more interesting when I spooned a dollop of ricotta onto some spicy Lentil Sweet Potato Soup.

The cooling ricotta was a nice contrast to the hot soup. (Hot as in spicy, and hot as in singe your tongue and continue eating anyway because you’re ravenous and your taste buds clearly do not have the upper hand.)

Sorry taste buds. (But not really.)

The real win occurred when I realized that whole grain toast would be the perfect vehicle for creamy ricotta… plus thinly sliced juicy pear, pure maple syrup and a pinch or two of ground cinnamon.

Hooray!

P.S. The title makes this recipe seem way more complicated and high maintenance than it really is. So don’t be intimated or anything. Your fall toast will be ready in under 5 minutes, I promise.

P.P.S. Ricotta is a rather spectacular source of protein! Pair it with whole grain bread plus fresh fruit and you got some healthy snackage going on.

P.P.P.S. A spoonful of plain ricotta straight down the gullet is actually not that bad. Don’t judge.