1-2 tablespoons fresh basil or Italian parsley, chopped or torn
1 teaspoon dried oregano
¼ teaspoon chili flakes
To serve:
freshly grated Parmesan cheese
sprinkle of chili flakes
fresh basil or Italian parsley
Takes ,
serves 4.
Instructions
In a large bowl, stir together ricotta, egg and salt. Add flour in gradually, continuing to stir until you have a ragged, slightly sticky dough. Bring dough together by hand adding a tiny bit more flour as needed until you have a dough that is no longer sticky.
Place dough on a floured surface and knead in remaining flour for 5 minutes to form a smooth dough.
Divide the dough into 8 pieces; roll each into long, thin strands, about 1 inch (2.5 cm) thick. Cut into roughly 1-inch (2.5 cm) pieces. Toss with some flour.
For ridged gnocchi: Roll each piece across tines of a fork or a gnocchi board or paddle to form grooves. Toss with flour and place in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Repeat with remaining dough.
To freeze: Transfer baking sheet with gnocchi to freeze. Freeze for 2 - 3 hours then transfer to a storage container or resealable bag. To enjoy, cook from frozen adding an extra 1 - 3 minutes on the cook time.
To cook gnocchi: Bring a pot of water to a boil, size depending on the quantity of gnocchi you intend to cook. Add a generous pinch of salt. Gently drop gnocchi into pot and stir. Cook fresh gnocchi for about 5 minutes or until they float to the top and are tender throughout. Drain with a slotted spoon and toss with your favourite sauce.
For the tomato sauce: Heat oil in a large skillet over moderate heat. Add tomatoes and garlic, stirring to combine. Cook for about 5 minutes or until it gives off enough liquid to become saucy. Add oregano and hot pepper flakes then cook for 5 minutes more, or until tomatoes are softened and liquid is slightly thickened. Remove from heat, stir in basil or parsley. Taste then season with kosher salt, if desired.
Ricotta Gnocchi
Ingredients
For the gnocchi:
1 container (475 g) ricotta cheese
1 egg, room temperature
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
additional flour for tossing and rolling
For the tomato sauce:
8 fresh plum tomatoes, diced
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1-2 tablespoons fresh basil or Italian parsley, chopped or torn
1 teaspoon dried oregano
¼ teaspoon chili flakes
To serve:
freshly grated Parmesan cheese
sprinkle of chili flakes
fresh basil or Italian parsley
Directions
In a large bowl, stir together ricotta, egg and salt. Add flour in gradually, continuing to stir until you have a ragged, slightly sticky dough. Bring dough together by hand adding a tiny bit more flour as needed until you have a dough that is no longer sticky.
Place dough on a floured surface and knead in remaining flour for 5 minutes to form a smooth dough.
Divide the dough into 8 pieces; roll each into long, thin strands, about 1 inch (2.5 cm) thick. Cut into roughly 1-inch (2.5 cm) pieces. Toss with some flour.
For ridged gnocchi: Roll each piece across tines of a fork or a gnocchi board or paddle to form grooves. Toss with flour and place in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Repeat with remaining dough.
To freeze: Transfer baking sheet with gnocchi to freeze. Freeze for 2 - 3 hours then transfer to a storage container or resealable bag. To enjoy, cook from frozen adding an extra 1 - 3 minutes on the cook time.
To cook gnocchi: Bring a pot of water to a boil, size depending on the quantity of gnocchi you intend to cook. Add a generous pinch of salt. Gently drop gnocchi into pot and stir. Cook fresh gnocchi for about 5 minutes or until they float to the top and are tender throughout. Drain with a slotted spoon and toss with your favourite sauce.
For the tomato sauce: Heat oil in a large skillet over moderate heat. Add tomatoes and garlic, stirring to combine. Cook for about 5 minutes or until it gives off enough liquid to become saucy. Add oregano and hot pepper flakes then cook for 5 minutes more, or until tomatoes are softened and liquid is slightly thickened. Remove from heat, stir in basil or parsley. Taste then season with kosher salt, if desired.
Ricotta Gnocchi
5 / 5. 2
Light and tender homemade ricotta gnocchi served with a quick and tasty tomato sauce…
Looking to make a meal from scratch? Try this HOMEMADE RICOTTA GNOCCHI!
You heard it here first, friends; this recipe for HOMEMADE RICOTTA GNOCCHI isn’t just surprisingly easy to replicate, the results are incredibly tasty too. Guess it was inevitable that when a pasta-making expert joins us in the WATC kitchen, magic happens.
I’ll go through the key things we learned making this recipe further down this post, but how about a quick look at the highlights?
This recipe will show you how to make GNOCCHI, a light, pillow-soft, pasta-like dumpling from scratch.
Although often made with potatoes that have been boiled and mashed, this recipe showcases how to make gnocchi using fresh ricotta cheese.
The post details how to cook the gnocchi to enjoy straight away, plus some expert tips on how to freeze it and save it for another day.
Added bonus: we’re pairing the gnocchi with a simple rustic tomato sauce that’s easy to make too.
The entire post reinforces something we always recommend: cooking with friends is fun!
Here are some additional points on how to make HOMEMADE RICOTTA GNOCCHI:
EMILY RICHARDS
This recipe for homemade gnocchi is compliments of my dear friend, professional home economist and cookbook author EMILY RICHARDS. The recipe is featured in her delicious cookbook PER LA FAMIGLIA available on AMAZON. Filled with favourite recipes that honour Emily’s Italian heritage, and her family’s love of sharing and enjoying good food, the book is, like the author, amazing!
Having Emily (L) come up for a visit to the cottage with another dear friend, ELIZABETH BAIRD (R) was a dream come true. As mentioned above, cooking with friends is fun. Not only does it help lighten the load of what it takes to make a freshly prepared meal such as this, but it also provides the perfect occasion to learn a thing or two from someone with a different culinary skill set. Try it, we know you’ll enjoy your time hanging like this with family members or friends.
GNOCCHI INGREDIENTS
Spoiler alert! We understand the photo of the finished dish of HOMEMADE RICOTTA GNOCCHI is probably what first grabbed your attention. Looking at the image of the ingredients needed to make gnocchi, it’s OK to think, “No way!”. Even we were surprised as we gathered everything to make Emily’s recipe; only four ingredients?! Seriously, who knew eggs, flour, salt and cheese could be this wonderful together?
RICOTTA CHEESE
Before Emily and Elizabeth arrived at the cottage, we discussed shooting a recipe, and I thought making homemade pasta from scratch was something WATC readers would enjoy. Although we initially looked at cranking up a pasta-making machine to do spaghetti, linguine or fettuccine, it was the handcrafted element of making gnocchi that got me excited. Of course, over-achieving Emily then went a step further, “but I can show you how to make them using ricotta cheese instead of potatoes.” So, although normally made with mashed potatoes, using RICOTTA CHEESE instead is a game changer. Sure potato gnocchi are fab too, but with this simple change to just one ingredient you can expect light, tender gnocchi with a subtle, mildly cheesy flavour.
PASTA DOUGH
If you’ve thought, “Making pasta from scratch is too much work!” I’m here to tell you this recipe isn’t. Make sure to watch this VIDEO where Emily explains the step-by-step process of how to make this ricotta gnocchi recipe.
The dough comes together in just a few steps with Emily keeping the gnocchi light and fluffy by using just enough flour in the dough. Having made them together, I can now attest that anyone can have the same success and equally delicious results. Making gnocchi this way required little prep time.
SHAPING
The trick to making perfect gnocchi may lie in the way portions of the dough are rolled out on a lightly floured work surface into a long rope, about 1-inch in diameter. The rope is then cut into bite-sized pieces about a ½-inch thick. You can estimate the size or use a ruler if you want uniform gnocchi. One of the key takeaways from this step is to keep sprinkling the ropes of dough and cut pieces with a tiny bit of unbleached all-purpose flour. Emily kept stressing how important this is since the flour controls the dough stickiness exposed during the rolling and cutting. Once done, transfer the gnocchi to a parchment paper-lined sheet until you cook or freeze them.
RIDGES
Although the gnocchi are ready to be enjoyed “as is”, Emily then explained that her family’s tradition is to create small ridges in them. Why? Because sauce clings better to the gnocchi as a result. I loved learning that this brilliant little extra step is also easy to accomplish using a fork or a traditional small-ridged board or gnocchi paddle.
To shape, simply place a piece of dough onto the board or the tines of an inverted fork. Then place your thumb in the centre, press down and roll. The ridged gnocchi will fall away from the board or fork, perfectly shaped. Important reminder: sprinkle those ridged gnocchi with flour and toss.
FRESH OR FROZEN
This made me smile. By the time Emily and I finished making our HOMEMADE RICOTTA GNOCCHI, I was feeling like a professional. True story! Making gnocchi is fun and even more fun when you do so with a friend. Here’s one of those excellent recipes that proves practice does make perfect. Then Emily explained we could cook some to enjoy straight away or simply place the baking sheet into the freezer and freeze. This is game-changer number two! If you want to enjoy the gnocchi another time, cover with a dish towel or paper towels and freeze. You’ll then be able to cook portions from frozen at a moment’s notice. Sheesh, the hits just keep on coming!
HOW TO COOK GNOCCHI
Even the cooking of the gnocchi is easy. Instructions are down below, but in a nutshell, we drop the gnocchi into a large pot of boiling salted water. They cook for about 5 minutes if fresh, 6 – 8 minutes total time if frozen. They’ll float to the top of the water when done but we suggest taking one out to try. If you bite into the cooked gnocchi and it’s soft, tender and pillow-like, it’s ready to enjoy. Emily suggests lifting the gnocchi from the pot using a slotted spoon to remove excess liquid.
RUSTIC TOMATO SAUCE
But wait, we can’t eat the cooked gnocchi just plain! And why would you when Emily also shared an excellent recipe for a quick and easy RUSTIC TOMATO SAUCE that stole my heart on the very first bite. The above photo shows the ingredients you’ll need to make it.
Nothing needs a special trip to the store, but for best results make this sauce when plum tomatoes are in season, and when they’re not, substitute with cans of premium San Marzano tomatoes. We also liked using premium extra virgin olive oil, locally grown garlic cloves and fresh basil.
It’ll make this sauce, akin to a warmed bruschetta, taste better! Here’s an additional tip: don’t overcook the sauce. Sure the stovetop is set at moderate or medium-high heat, but only cook everything in the skillet or pan for around 10 minutes. Once the sauce is done to your liking, taste it, season with kosher salt and serve.
TO SERVE
So, the sauce is ready and the gnocchi are freshly strained from the boil… it’s time to eat! All you need is maybe a sprinkle of chili pepper flakes if you like heat, a sprinkle of freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and some fresh basil or other favourite herbs. These gnocchi with this sauce and Parmesan are super tasty.
One more thing, think about how you’ll enjoy remembering, there are serving options. HOMEMADE RICOTTA GNOCCHI can be served in a larger, shallow bowl if you’d like to spoon smaller portions as an appetizer or side dish. I vote for a portion that’s just a bit larger: perfect for lunch or dinner. Truth: I had two portions when we shot this story with lots of Parmesan cheese. Yup, it’s a second helping kinda dish.
Now, if pasta is your thing, here are a few additional recipes where dried pasta is used while the sauces and ingredients make them memorable. Bacon lovers will enjoy our CARBONARA, while vegetarians will love our vegetarian version made with MUSHROOMS. Our LASAGNA WITH MEAT SAUCE is also delicious, as are our EASY CHICKEN PASTA BAKE and our BOW TIE PASTA WITH TUNA. A well-made pasta dish is always a great option.
This homemade gnocchi dish is so tasty, we suggest you PIN the recipe to a favourite side dish, pasta or weeknight dinner idea board on PINTEREST, or BOOKMARK this tab for easy access. SHARE it with friends so they can make them too. We’d also appreciate seeing pics of all the delicious dishes you’re making these days. Use #weekendatthecottage when you post those pics on Facebook and Instagram. Thanks!
HOMEMADE RICOTTA GNOCCHI with a rustic tomato sauce is simply perfect!
Cook Mode Use cook mode to keep your screen on while cooking.
Ingredients
For the gnocchi:
1 container (475 g) ricotta cheese
1 egg, room temperature
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
additional flour for tossing and rolling
For the tomato sauce:
8 fresh plum tomatoes, diced
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1-2 tablespoons fresh basil or Italian parsley, chopped or torn
1 teaspoon dried oregano
¼ teaspoon chili flakes
To serve:
freshly grated Parmesan cheese
sprinkle of chili flakes
fresh basil or Italian parsley
Directions
In a large bowl, stir together ricotta, egg and salt. Add flour in gradually, continuing to stir until you have a ragged, slightly sticky dough. Bring dough together by hand adding a tiny bit more flour as needed until you have a dough that is no longer sticky.
Place dough on a floured surface and knead in remaining flour for 5 minutes to form a smooth dough.
Divide the dough into 8 pieces; roll each into long, thin strands, about 1 inch (2.5 cm) thick. Cut into roughly 1-inch (2.5 cm) pieces. Toss with some flour.
For ridged gnocchi: Roll each piece across tines of a fork or a gnocchi board or paddle to form grooves. Toss with flour and place in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Repeat with remaining dough.
To freeze: Transfer baking sheet with gnocchi to freeze. Freeze for 2 - 3 hours then transfer to a storage container or resealable bag. To enjoy, cook from frozen adding an extra 1 - 3 minutes on the cook time.
To cook gnocchi: Bring a pot of water to a boil, size depending on the quantity of gnocchi you intend to cook. Add a generous pinch of salt. Gently drop gnocchi into pot and stir. Cook fresh gnocchi for about 5 minutes or until they float to the top and are tender throughout. Drain with a slotted spoon and toss with your favourite sauce.
For the tomato sauce: Heat oil in a large skillet over moderate heat. Add tomatoes and garlic, stirring to combine. Cook for about 5 minutes or until it gives off enough liquid to become saucy. Add oregano and hot pepper flakes then cook for 5 minutes more, or until tomatoes are softened and liquid is slightly thickened. Remove from heat, stir in basil or parsley. Taste then season with kosher salt, if desired.
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