Ricotta Gnocchi
Easy and delicious, these little pillows of pasta are about to change your week night cooking.
We’re big pasta people in our house. For a change of pace from our normal penne or spaghetti, I love some gnocchi. To be crystal clear, I normally buy mine (I’m a sucker for Cappello’s almond flour frozen gnocchi; the sweet potato one is *chef’s kiss*). But it’s like $10 for a small box. I needed to find a better (cheaper) option.
Now, most gnocchi is made with potatoes. Cool cool. But you know what I DON’T want to do? Cook potatoes to cook them again into pasta. Nah. Too much work. TAKE MY MONEY CAAPPELLO’S!
But then I learned you can make gnocchi without potatoes! You can make it with ricotta! (Did I make my own ricotta for this? Yes. So did I still have to cook something to make something else? Yes. But ricotta is seriously the easiest cheese and I’m swimming in extra milk I need to use up.)
This is good. And easy. And whips up in like 20 minutes start to finish. And, for me, is gluten free so easier to find. But you can make it with the glutens if your stomach isn’t a wimp like mine. And you can make a bigger batch than a tiny 12 oz pouch for $5 or less pending on your ingredient cost. Take that frozen gnocchi from the store!
Also, if you want to make your own frozen gnocchi, just follow the steps right up until the boiling point. Before boiling, put them of a baking sheet and freeze until solid. Then it into a bag to grab out and boil whenever for quick gnocchi! Once you make it, you don’t want to leave it to sit and dry so this is a great option if you’re not going to cook it right away.
Gnocchi is a delightful little pasta that deserves a delightful sauce. I love it with a fresh burst cherry tomato sauce, a brown butter sauce, a pumpkin sauce (recipe coming soon!), or even in a soup!
Ricotta Gnocchi
Ingredients:
2 cups ricotta (If you make it, let it drain longer so it’s drier. If you buy it and it’s juicy, drain it so it’s dry.)
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
pepper, to taste
1/2 cup grated parmesan
2 cups gluten free flour (or regular) plus more for dusting the counter and gnocchi
Instructions:
In a bowl, whisk together the ricotta, eggs, salt, and pepper. Add in the parmesan and flour. Mix with a spatula until it mostly comes together.
Pour out the dough on a clean counter and knead until the dough comes together.
Start a pot of water boiling so that it comes to a boil right around the time you have all your gnocchi cut.
You can either roll out the dough on a floured surface then cut it into 1/2 inch strips which you will then roll on the counter into more of a rope before cutting. Or you can take a ball of the dough and roll it out on a floured surface into rope. It’ll be more ugly in the second option, but works well too.
Once you have ropes of dough, cut into about 1/2 inch pieces. Flick your wrist out a bit as you cut so that they separate from each other. Take the cut gnocchi and toss lightly in flour so that they don’t stick together.
Once your water is boiling, CAREFULLY plop the gnocchi in. Pending on your pot size, just do half or less at a time to not over crowd the pot. They just need a couple minutes to cook. Floating means they’re done. Once they float use a slotted spoon to scoop the gnocchi out.
Toss your gnocchi in a delightful sauce. Like my pumpkin sausage sauce. Enjoy!
