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Ricotta Gnocchi

Jennifer Mathews

These pillowy gnocchi are so easy to put together that you can even make them on a weeknight. I think they are best served with a simple sauce like browned butter, but next time I will use my carbonara sauce.

Tips:

  • To freeze these gnocchi for another time, line a baking sheet with flour and place the gnocchi in the freezer, without them touching. Freeze on the baking sheet then transfer them to a freezer bag or container. Cook the gnocchi from frozen.

  • This is an easy recipe to double. I made a big batch and froze half of them for another meal.

  • Be very gentle when preparing the gnocchi. You want round, tender pillows of gnocchi, not flattened pasta which would be denser.

Ricotta Gnocchi

Serves 4

PREP 20 minutes

COOK 2 minutes

INGREDIENTS

1 lb. ricotta cheese, preferably whole milk

1 large egg, beaten

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/4 cup finely grated parmesan cheese

1 pinch freshly grated nutmeg

2 cups flour, plus more for baking sheet and rolling

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Bring a large pot of water to boil. Keep it simmering while you make the gnocchi.

  2. Dust two baking sheets with flour.

  3. In a large bowl combine all the ingredients. Use a wooden spoon or your hands to bring the dough together, then dump it onto a clean surface.

  4. Knead the dough for a few minutes, adding more flour if necessary, so the dough doesn’t stick to your fingers.

  5. Divide the dough into 6 pieces and roll each into a rope about the thickness as your pointer finger, 3/4”. Using a knife or a bench scraper, cut the dough into 1” pieces.

  6. You can leave the gnocchi like this or you can take a fork and roll each gnocchi on the tines of the fork giving the gnocchi ridges which look pretty and help catch your sauce.

  7. If you are making a lot of gnocchi, freeze a sheet of gnocchi as you continue to make the rest of the dough. If you are eating right away, gently place the gnocchi in the boiling water.

  8. Cook the gnocchi until they float to the surface, then allow them to cook a minute. I like to place the cooked gnocchi on a clean baking sheet at this point while I prepare my sauce.

  9. For this dish I browned butter, which cooks the butter past the foamy stage until you see brown pieces on the bottom of your pan. This gives the butter a nutty flavor. To serve I add a dash of freshly ground pepper and some more parmesan.