How to make the best, homemade ricotta gnocchi from scratch, step by step recipe tutorial and quick recipe video! Classic Florentine dumplings or “ Gnudi “ made with whole milk ricotta cheese instead of potatoes, gnocchi are light and fluffy little pasta pillows with an airy, irresistible texture.
About the gnocchi:
There are 3 secrets to perfect gnocchi:
- make sure to drain the ricotta cheese for a couple of hours and get rid of all that extra moisture!
- do not overwork the dough!
- do not overcook them!
How to serve:
How to make the best, homemade ricotta gnocchi from scratch, step by step recipe tutorial and quick recipe video!
- 1 lb ricotta cheese (whole sheep's milk)
- 1 cup all purpose flour + more as needed
- 1/3 cup parmigoano reggianno cheese -grated
- 1 egg
- 2.5 cups marinara sauce (thick homemade)
Strain the ricotta cheese through a mesh sieve or a cheesecloth lined colander for a couple of hours or overnight.
In a medium bowl combine the ricotta, egg, parmesan and 1 cup of flour.
Sprinkle some flour on a pastry board and shape the dough into a round ball. Sprinkle a little more flour if you feel the dough s to sticky.
Cut the dough into 5 pieces and shape those into baseball size balls.
Roll each ball into a tube about 1/2 inch to 1 inch thick or so. Use a sharp knife and slice the gnocchi into 3/4 inch pillows or so, depending on your preference.
Place them on a lightly floured baking sheet and run each on down the back of a fork ( as shown in the video) to create little groves for the sauce to stick to better.
Meanwhile bring a large pot of water to a boil. Salt it well, it should taste like sea water.
Add the ricotta gnocchi to the boiling water and cook only until the little pillows flow to the top. Drain and toss with warm tomato sauce or all the order serving ideas above.
dixya @food, pleasure, and health
September 6, 2017 at 8:49 ami have been wanting to make gnocchi for a while now..thank you for such a simple recipe!
Florentina
September 6, 2017 at 12:30 pmThank you, enjoy and report back 🙂
Christine
September 7, 2017 at 10:36 amThanks for the recipe!! I have been looking for one. May I freeze them after they are boiled? With plain dumplings I boil, rinse & drain them, then freeze in a single layer on a cookie sheet. After they are frozen, I put them into freezer bags for future use.
Florentina
September 7, 2017 at 11:33 amHi Christine, you sure can but I feel you are making extra work for yourself. You can freeze them after you make them and then just add them to boiling water whenever you want. It will only take a minute or so for them to float to the top and at that point they are done. Let me know how it goes ~ Florentina Xo’s
Judi
September 10, 2017 at 4:25 pmCan’t wait to read about your plant based recipe adventures…I have been shifting that direction for about a year, but just haven’t quite crossed all the way over…but I do feel so much better when I’m plant vs meat based…I’m ready to join in the journey…and will definitely try this this week….see, can’t quite make the crossover!!!
Florentina
September 10, 2017 at 4:58 pmI can totally relate to your struggle Judi. I found that giving yourself permission to fail at it is absolutely necessary! My main struggle is giving up certain cheese, but I am happy to report I just discovered a plant based smoked gouda cheese alternative that is both soy free and gmo free. I swear it tastes like the real thing and have been loving using it on tomato sandwiches. I get it at Whole Foods in the vegan section but hope to discover more diverse options along the way. On the bright side, I’m thrilled I can have pasta every day. I ordered a bunch of the above mentioned buckwheat noodles and always keep some variations of sauces in the fridge. So it helps get me through the day feeling great!
Parul
September 10, 2017 at 5:20 pmHi
Can we make it eggless?
Please let me know
Thanks
Florentina
September 11, 2017 at 3:39 pmI would give it a go, should be ok but haven’t tested it that way myself.
Julie
September 22, 2017 at 4:08 pmWell you were right. I’m never using store bought Gnocchi ever again. Spent some quality time making these with my kids and they were truly fluffy and we ate them all in one sitting.
Kendle Vitters
May 3, 2019 at 1:14 pmThese were very good, me and my husband made them together and made a double batch for our families.