Yesterday I made this super-simple dessert with a container of ricotta that was sitting humbly in my fridge. I’m not a big dairy consumer; I don’t like milk (or let’s say that milk doesn’t like me), not a huge fan of yogurt, though I’ll eat it occasionally, and we don’t have cheese every day. Lindsay got me interested in adding ricotta to my diet, in varied ways, to increase my calcium intake. It has tons more calcium and way less sodium than cottage cheese, and you can choose the fat-free version without a huge loss in texture and flavor. I tried it with pasta…eh. I tried it with fruit…hmph. I tried it in tiramisu…good, but too much coffee flavor. Then I found this recipe. Ricotta, here I come.

Oh, and if you’re wondering whether Justin liked it, here’s what his bowl looked like shortly after he served himself:

Chocolate Ricotta Pudding

• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips (good quality–your pudding will only be as good as your chocolate)
• 15 ounces fat-free ricotta cheese

In a microwave-safe bowl, heat chocolate chips in 20-second intervals, stirring between each, until smooth.

In a food processor, process ricotta until smooth. Add chocolate; process until combined, scraping bowl as needed. Divide among four dishes. (Can be refrigerated, covered, up to 1 day; serve at room temperature.)

Makes 4 servings.

Adapted from Everyday Food magazine.