Ricotta cheese is used in recipes that come from Italian areas starting in the north and then going to south. The recipes that I have had from the north follow the typical pattern where the dishes have more a milk based topping, such as an Alfredo. The southern recipes typically use a tomato based topping, such as what we think of as lasagna. Then of course ricotta is used is a tremendous amount of desserts, such as cheesecake and cookies. The desserts are typically not too sweet.