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.
You guys, once you make this recipe I doubt you’ll want to ever go for the store bought variety ever again. So easy to make, you can whip up a batch in 20 minutes while your tomato sauce is bubbling away on the stove top.
Because I promised you this recipe last week here it is. After this one however, and in spite of my endless love affair with ricotta cheese, I’m excited to announce that the BatMan and I are going to embark on a plant based lifestyle! There are many personal reasons for this and I’ll get more personal in the next post, but rest assured there will be tons of guilt free deliciousness coming your way.
About the gnocchi:
One bowl is all you need to mix up some ricotta cheese, parmesan, egg and flour. Then you roll it into a few logs, cut 1/2 inch pieces and if you feel like it just roll them down the back of a fork to create little grooves for the sauce to stick to them better. I actually only do this when i toss them with a thick Marinara sauce like today. Which in my humble opinion is the best sauce for gnocchi ever.
If I ever do a smooth, creamy truffle sauce for the holidays for instance, I just leave them as such. No grooves required. The less you handle the little Gnudi pillows, the fluffier they will be!
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:
tossed with a thick homemade Marinara , Puttanesca or Arrabiata Sauce
coated in this luscious sage brown butter sauce
dressed in basil or parsley pesto
topped with fresh summer herbs, arugula and dollops of fresh ricotta cheese
sautéed asparagus, green peas and morels mushroom
silky truffle sauce
sage and pumpkin sauce, since fall is almost here 😉
Check out those grooves!
Note worthy:
Gnocchi freezes very well, so you might want to make a double batch and freeze some for a last minute comfort dinner.
How to Make Ricotta Gnocchi or Gnudi from Scratch
How to make the best, homemade ricotta gnocchi from scratch, step by step recipe tutorial and quick recipe video!
Servings 4 people
Calories 396kcal
Ingredients
- 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)
Instructions
- 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.
Nutrition
Calories: 396kcal | Carbohydrates: 35g | Protein: 22g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Cholesterol: 104mg | Sodium: 1047mg | Potassium: 674mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 1290IU | Vitamin C: 10.7mg | Calcium: 364mg | Iron: 3.7mg
