The St. Louis Dairy Council is focusing in on ricotta cheese for the month of December, its versatility, and its nutritional benefits. Most know ricotta from dishes like lasagna, but the sweet and light flavors make the cheese suitable for savory and sweet holiday recipes.

Kelsey Bentlage, Nutrition Educator with the St. Louis Dairy Council, explains that ricotta is actually a byproduct of cheddar cheese, another way dairy producers cut back on waste.

Bentlage dives into the nutritional side of ricotta cheese and notes the richness in calcium, protein, and B12.

The St. Louis Dairy Council recipe for the month, no-boil baked penne pasta, can turn into a weekly menu item for families, says Bentlage.

find more recipes and information at www.stldairycouncil.org.

Kelsey Bentlage appeared as a guest on the WTIM Morning Show.