Supermarket ricotta cheese requires overnight straining for perfect baked ziti.

If you have been spooning ricotta cheese straight from the plastic tub into your baked ziti or lasagna, you have been doing it wrong your entire life. For generations, home cooks have accepted the watery, soupy mess that often ruins a beautifully layered Italian casserole. The culprit? That seemingly innocent container of supermarket ricotta.

The Watery Truth About Grocery Store Ricotta Cheese

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Most commercial brands of ricotta cheese are packed with excess whey to extend shelf life and add weight. When you bake it, that trapped moisture releases directly into your pasta, diluting your rich tomato sauce and leaving you with a sad, soggy dinner. But there is a secret Italian grandmothers and high-end deli owners know: you must strain it.

The Overnight Transformation

By simply straining your supermarket ricotta cheese overnight, you completely change its structural integrity. The process is incredibly easy. Line a fine-mesh sieve with cheesecloth or a heavy-duty paper towel, place it over a bowl, dump in your ricotta, and cover it tightly. Let it sit in the refrigerator for 12 to 24 hours.

Achieving That Expensive Deli Texture

When you check on it the next day, you will be shocked by the pool of yellowish liquid at the bottom of the bowl. What remains in the sieve is a dense, luxurious, velvety cheese. This overnight straining method miraculously mimics the texture and mouthfeel of expensive, fresh-made artisanal ricotta from an authentic Italian deli. Your next baked ziti will cut perfectly into clean, creamy squares, with absolutely no soupiness in sight. Try this once, and you will never use unstrained ricotta cheese again!