Baked Ricotta Cheese Dip is one of our favorite appetizers that we had in Disney World, so we had to make it for ourselves at home! Creamy ricotta, Italian sausage and homemade tomato jam make this recipe so delicious.
If you like this baked ricotta appetizer you might also like this Low Carb Ricotta Vegetable Dip appetizer!
Baked Ricotta Cheese Dip With Sausage & Tomato Jam
There’s SO many new foods to try when you’re at Disney World. It’s become another one of our favorite reasons for going…it used to be all about the rides but now it’s about what we’re eating and when we’re eating it.
I guess we’re not alone either since it takes so long to get reservations at certain restaurants at Disney because everyone wants in.
I mean some of those places it could take months to get in…we lucked out and got everything we wanted to get in to between this trip and the trip we took back in May. And I’m sure there will be more to get to next time we go.
Either way, you know you’re going to get a good meal when you’re in Disney so you really can’t go wrong.
This time around we tried Tony’s Town Square Restaurant for the first time. Another one to add to the list! I’m not sure why we’ve never been there before because the location is amazing – right in Town Square when you first walk in. And it’s the perfect place to stop for lunch if you’re just getting in to Disney like we were that day.
And in true “we’re on vacation” style…we ordered a lot. A couple of apps and a couple of dinner sized lunches…definitely starting the vacation off right.
We ate it all, we didn’t leave any behind. We even asked for more bread for the last ounce of cheese that was left in the bottom of the dish. First of all, I wasn’t about to waste any of it. But maybe another reason was that we were starving and it was so damn good.
Trying out this recipe was literally one of the first things we did after we got back home. I’m glad we did because it turned out unbelievably good!
How Do You Make Tomato Jam?
The tomato jam on top takes about 10 minutes, just fresh tomatoes, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper. The tomatoes get super sweet and create this perfect topping for all that cheese.
How To Make Baked Ricotta Cheese Dip
Once you get the filling together (I liked a 50/50 ratio of cheese and sausage for mine)
Fill up an 8″x8″ baking dish or grab a couple smaller ones like these and get them in the oven.
What To Serve With Baked Ricotta Cheese
Bread and crackers are my go to. Any type of cracker, breadstick or toasted, sliced bread is going to be amazing with this cheese dip.
Other choices for dipping can include vegetable sticks or tortilla chips. A fun way to dip into this ricotta cheese could also be these Fried Pasta Chips!
Also, the version that we had in Disney didn’t have sausage, that was my addition to the recipe! Believe me it was crazy good without the sausage if you want to leave it out…I just think sausage belongs in everything.
Looking For More Appetizer Recipes?
- Crock Pot Buffalo Chicken Dip
- Garlic Parmesan Chicken Wings
- Italian Deli Roll Ups
- Garlic Butter Shrimp
Baked Ricotta Cheese Dip
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 6 Servings 1x
Print Recipe
Pin RecipeBaked Ricotta Cheese Dip is one of our favorite appetizers that we had in Disney World, so we had to make it for ourselves at home!
Ingredients
- 3 cups whole milk ricotta cheese
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1/2 pound Italian Sausage
- 1 tablespoon crushed garlic (about 3 cloves)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- Chopped basil for garnish
For the Tomato Jam
- 2 cups grape tomatoes, quartered
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
- In a large bowl, mix the cheese together along with the salt, pepper, crushed red pepper flakes and garlic.
- In a large skillet sprayed with non-stick cooking spray, brown the sausage, breaking up into small pieces as it cooks.
- Drain any grease from the sausage, cool and add to the bowl with the cheese.
- Mix together then add to an 8″ x 8″ baking dish that’s been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.
- Bake for 20 minutes while making the tomato jam.
- In the same skillet as you cooked the sausage, add the tomatoes and cook for 5 minutes until softened.
- Add the balsamic, salt and pepper, stir and cook for another 5 minutes.
- Take the baking dish out of the oven and top with the tomato jam, cook for another 5 minutes then remove from the oven and serve warm.
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
Oh My Gosh this sounds AMAZING! So tired of the artichoke spin dips. Can’t wait to try this out. Thank you!
I made this for our Thursday afternoon neighbor’s HH. I can share first time recipes with this group and get honest opinions that determine whether I pin the recipe. This was a winner and it was a repeat request. I used a shallower dish than pictured so I dolloped the tomato jam around the top and sprinkled chopped fresh basil after it baked. This would make a good holiday appetizer with the red and green colors. It was just as good the day after.
This looks great
My question is about the italian sausage..
Hot or mild ?
You can use either, we used mild but spicy would be delicious too!