A few months ago, I introduced my husband to ricotta gnocchi. I ordered it at one of our favorite local restaurants, and he gave me a skeptical look. But, then he took a bite. Ever since, he’s been hooked.
The thing is, I’ve never actually made gnocchi before. Not successfully, at least. I’ve attempted to make sweet potato gnocchi in the past, but they turned out gummy. And, we ended up ordering takeout that night. So, I’ve shyed away from it ever since.
For this month’s Kitchen Bootcamp challenge, I decided that it was time that I revisit gnocchi. Since my husband is so smitten with ricotta gnocchi, I figured that was a good place to start. The fact that it’s not made with potatoes and wasn’t as likely to be a gummy mess like my last gnocchi attempt certainly didn’t hurt, either.
I used the recipe in The Professional Chef as my guide for the gnocchi. I was really surprised how easy the recipe was. I really should have given it a try sooner! The only slight issue that I had was that the batter is supposed to be shaped into quenelles using two spoons as it’s dropped into the boiling water. My quenelle skills are a bit lacking, so I ended up with more of a lopsided dumpling shape. But, they tasted fantastic. My hubby said they were as good as the ones from the restaurant and informed me that I should add them to his Husband’s Picks category right away. I consider that a success!
Ricotta Gnocchi
(Adapted from The Professional Chef, makes approximately 10 servings)
- 15 ounce container of ricotta cheese
- 8 ounces Italian style flour
(or unbleached all purpose flour) - 3 eggs
- 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 1/4 teaspoons Kosher salt
- Marinara sauce or browned butter (optional)
Combine the ricotta cheese, flour, eggs, olive oil, and salt in a food processor bowl. Pulse to combine and then blend for about 30 seconds until the mixture is smooth. Transfer to a mixing bowl.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Use two spoons to shape the gnocchi batter into quenelles (or just drop spoonfulls like I did) and drop them into the boiling water. Work in batches so that the gnocchi are not crowded in the pot. Once the gnocchi have been formed, return the water to a boil (if it isn’t still boiling) and boil for an additional minute. The gnocchi will float to the top.
Use a slotted spoon to remove the gnocchi from the boiling water. Transfer to a baking sheet in a single layer. When ready to serve, toss the gnocchi in a skillet with marinara sauce or browned butter until warmed through.
The gnocchi can also be frozen in a single layer on the sheet tray and then transferred to a plastic bag.
Don’t Forget… There’s still time to participate in this month’s Kitchen Bootcamp challenge!
Please Note – The links to The Professional Chef provided in this post are Amazon affiliate links.
I absolutely LOVE ricotta gnocchi! We have a restaurant here that makes them too and it is just wonderful. I tried to make it before and although they tasted great, they were so delicate. I’ll have to revisit trying this recipe.
When I was studying at dance school, my roommate’s Italian grandmother would send us huge packages of gnocchi and her famous tomato sauce. Now, when I see recipes I’m filled with nostalgia. And my belly starts to grumble…
My son-in-law loves gnocchi and I’ve never made it for him. Perhaps one day I’ll surprise the heck out of him and serve him your recipe. I have big shoes to fill as *no one makes gnocchi like his Nona* but I’m willing to put you ricotta gnocchi up against hers :)
I LOVE gnocchi! This recipe looks to-die-for :)
One of my all time favorite meals! Looks so good!
I adore gnocchi, but have never made the ricotta variety. After your (and your husband’s) rave reviews, I am putting this at the top of my list to try.
Whatever – dumplings, quenelles, they still taste incredible, right? I might have to have a big bowl of pasta with red sauce after looking at those shots.
What if I don’t have a food processor? Could I use a regular hand mixer to beat the ingredients? I’m not sure this would fit in a blender…
Jennifer – Yes, because the ingredients are soft and do not require any chopping, I think a hand mixer would work just fine. Just be careful not to overwork the dough or it will get tough.
I recently had ricotta gnocchi recently at an Italian resto. I liked the idea of ricotta instead of potato. Definitely something I wanted to try it myself. Thanks for sharing!
Yum, that looks great.
I was reading your post and thinking to myself “there is no way this is easy” then I read the recipe and I changed my mind…it really is easy! I have to make this. It sounds amazing!!!
These look awesome Jen – I had my eye on these as well and they are still on a “to make” list :)
Oh my gosh…I LOVE gnocchi, but have never had RICOTTA gnocchi. I want to jump through the screen!
Your gnocchi look so good Jen! I just made ricotta gnocchi recently using a recipe on The Kitchn, and they were really delicious but kind of disintegrated a bit when I cooked them.
I LOVE gnocchi! I’ve never made ricotta before but after seeing your photos it’s definitely something I have to try. Lovely!
I love how easy this is to make! I’ve tried making the potato kind before and I failed miserably. lol
I’ve never had this before but it looked so tasty and easy to make! I tried making it tonight & I don’t know what I did wrong but the dough came out clumpy and broke apart when I tried to boil it. Any suggestions?
Vani – I’m so sorry it didn’t work out for you! Did you make it in your food processor? If so, I’m assuming the dough was clumpy because there wasn’t enough moisture. I would probably add some more ricotta cheese or an additional egg next time. That should help it to hold together when boiled, as well.
I’ll definitely try that next time! Thanks!
These look amazing but I noticed that in the picture they are covered with a sauce. There are so many different kinds of sauces out there I was wondering if you could share the recipe for the sauce you used. Again these look amazing and I think my Husband will love them as well.
Can I use a gluten free flour to make these.
Hi, Maria – I’m sure that you can, but I have never done it myself, so I’m not exactly sure how it would turn out and I don’t have a particular flour blend to recommend. I would start with an all purpose gluten-free flour blend to start. If you do give it a try, I’d love to hear how it turns out!