Let’s mix up pasta night with ricotta gnocchi! This dish is super easy to make and tastes like you’ve been cooking all day. Oh my, YUM. Each little pillow is so grand.
We recently went to Charleston for my 40th birthday. We kicked off our mini-vacay with dinner at FIG (I wrote all about it here in this blog post). My absolute favorite thing I noshed on was their ricotta gnocchi, so I just knew I had to try to remake it here at home.
INGREDIENTS FOR THIS RECIPE:
Most of the ingredients to make the gnocchi, you probably already have on hand. Personally, the only thing I needed to purchase was the cheese.
- Ricotta Cheese
- Egg Yolks
- Olive Oil
- Grated Parmesan
- All-Purpose Flour
- Pink Himalayan Salt
- Freshly Cracked Black Pepper
You can serve these with whatever kind of sauce you’d like. Oh, and don’t forget this Homemade Garlic Bread! While I went with my Beef Bolognese, these little gems also taste great slathered with:
Alfredo with Peas and Pancetta
Roasted Red Pepper Cream Sauce
Beer Cheese (think Irish Gnocchi “Mac” & Cheese!)
Cauliflower Garlic Cream Sauce
FIG Restaurant (which stands for “Food Is Good”) serves there with a Homemade Lamb Bolognese. I’m going to give that a try next!
PROS OF MAKING RICOTTA GNOCCHI:
QUICK & EASY: These come together in about 20 minutes. I’ll usually make a big batch of my bolognese over the weekend, so all I have to do is boil them for a few minutes after assembled. But feel free to serve these with whatever sauce you have handy or enjoy most (some ideas linked above).
RICOTTA: For the ultimate experience I suggest you use a high quality, full-fat ricotta cheese for this dish. Look for ricotta that has minimal ingredients. Milk and salt… then maybe vinegar, lemon juice, or a different type of acid. This is the good stuff. I like to use Organic Valley Whole Milk Ricotta Cheese, which you can find at Earth Fare. I shop at Earth Fare bi-weekly to grab the best, highest quality produce, dairy, and meat selection.
NO POTATOES / SUB FLOUR: The reason these come together so fast is because there’s no boiling and mashing potatoes required! You can use all-purpose flour here, or sub that with “00” flour to make them extra light and fluffy.
MORE PASTA-TYPE MEALS YOU’LL ENJOY:
Beef and Mushroom Lasagna Soup
Roasted Acorn Squash and Sausage Pasta
Zucchini Pasta with Peas, Herbs, and Burrata
High Protein Homemade Mac & Cheese
Miso Pumpkin Pasta with Cornflake Pangrattato
Semi-Homemade Italian Wedding Soup
VIEW ALL RECIPES BY CLICKING HERE!
- 15 oz. Whole Milk Ricotta Cheese, strained
- 3 Egg Yolks
- 1 tsp. Olive Oil
- ½ cup Grated Parmesan, plus more for serving
- 1 - 1.5 cups All-Purpose Flour (see instructions)
- 1 tsp. Ground Pink Himalayan Salt
- 1 tsp. Freshly Cracked Black Pepper
- Your Favorite Pasta Sauce
- Fresh Herbs (Italian Parsley, Basil, or Thyme)
- Bring a large stockpot of salted water to a boil.
- While the water is heating, try to get the most moisture out of the ricotta by pressing between a few paper towels.
- Place the drained ricotta in a large mixing bowl and mix together with egg yolks, olive oil, grated parmesan, 1 cup flour, salt, and pepper until it forms a dough. It might be a little sticky, but if it feels a little too wet go ahead and add a tiny amount of flour at a time until a pasta dough consistency has formed.
- Roll the dough into a large ball and cut into 8 equal pieces. Sprinkle each with flour. Form each piece into the shape of a log on a lightly floured cutting board. The log should be about 1-inch thick. Next you’ll cut the logs into bite-sized squares.
- If desired for texture, take a fork and lightly press each square to create grooves. Lightly dust them again to prevent from sticking while boiling.
- Transfer the gnocchi squares to the boiling water and cook until they start to float, about 1 minute. Drain and serve immediately with your sauce of choice. Or, you can alternatively drain and pan fry in a little bit of butter to create crispy edges… then serve with your sauce of choice. Garnish with parmesan and fresh herbs.
NOTES ON THIS RECIPE:
- It’s important to drain the ricotta before assembling the dough. Don’t skip this step. Otherwise you will need to use more flour to form a dough and this will dilute the luxurious, creamy taste of the ricotta.
- I used a fork to create texture, but if you have a gnocchi board go ahead and use that! Since this is my first time making gnocchi, the fork worked great. Maybe I’ll ask for a gnocchi board for Christmas (because I’ll definitely be making these on repeat!).
- Any leftovers should be kept in a sealed container, refrigerated, and consumed within the next day or so.
This post is sponsored in partnership with Earth Fare. Per the usual, all opinions here are mine alone and I would never recommend a product or grocery store that I did not immensely enjoy myself. Thank you for supporting the brands that support SliceOfJess.com!
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