Ricotta Gnocchi in Tomato Sauce

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Italian ricotta gnocchi are soft pillowy dumplings made from flour , ricotta high mallow , Parmesan , ball , and salt . It is easy to make than you ’d expect and pairs beautifully with love apple sauce , or simply tossed with butter and herbaceous plant . memorise how to make your own homemade gnocchi in less than 30 minute .

I was fortunate to have lots of family surrounding me as I was growing up . The home we live on in include several flat and my grandparent and great aunt lived above us on the 2nd level . My grandma and her sister came to the United States from Italy when they were children . Their founding father arrived many year late to jump a novel life and become established as a A. E. W. Mason before sending for his married woman and tike .

closeup of a bowl of ricotta gnocchi

Not surprisingly , Italian meals with various homemade pastas and tomato sauce made from factor from our gardens were often served at our big Sunday dinner . Ricotta gnocchi ( say N’YAW - kee ) was among my favourite .

Auntie’s Homemade Gnocchi

Like many Italian dishes , there is a considerable magnetic declination in recipe across unlike region . My family brought with them style of making gnocchi with flour , ricotta cheeseflower , Parmesan , eggs , and answer with a homemade tomato sauce .

I do think of the first clock time Auntie show my father and I how to make gnocchi . She used a large cutting board and her hand to mix the ingredient explaining to us that you had to go by the way the dough feel .

She did n’t appraise anything . First she placed a few scoopful of flour on the board , and then made a well in the center where she total the ingredients . Using just her finger’s breadth , she pulled in the flour from the sides , and mixed the dough together until combined . She continued kneading the dough until it formed a ball , add a sprinkling of flour every now and then until it felt up right to her .

Bowl of flour surrounded by bowls of ingredients in recipe

Then she pinched off division of the wampum and ramble them into a long rope form . With a knife , she quickly cut the dough at an angle into uniform dumpling shapes , and then flicked them down the tines of a ramification giving them a scoop like indention on one side groove on the other . She accomplished this so quickly that it was almost hard to follow . She made it face so easy .

Auntie would line up the gnocchi on well - floured towels , and let them position for a bit before swing them by the fistful into a declamatory pot of boil salted body of water . Once they floated , they were done .

She scooped them out with a slotted spoon and placed them in a large service bowling ball , laden warm tomato plant sauce over the alimentary paste , and stirred with a wooden spoonful until they were coat . The bowl was placed in the center of the table and we would scoop out portion of gnocchi onto our plates and repress them with more sauce and grated Parmesan cheeseflower .

mixing the dough in a bowl

Steps to Make Italian Ricotta Gnocchi

This formula for ricotta gnocchi is the way my Italian Aunt Mary made it . Without a indite formula , we had to measure the ingredients and adjust the ratio until the dough met Auntie ’s favorable reception . After stack of pattern , we were able to nail down a basic recipe for ricotta gnocchi that brings back affectionate memories of Sunday dinner party with my family .

You ’ll need flour , whole Milk River ricotta Malva sylvestris , pertly grated Parmesan cheese , testicle , saltiness , and tomato sauce . If your ricotta is washy , be sure to drain the supererogatory wet or your gnocchi dough will be too wet . If you do n’t have devise tomato sauce on hand , consider whisk up a wad ofsummer tomato sauceusing refreshing tomatoes .

The full detailed recipe can be found at the bottom of this article , but here are the gradation to making ricotta gnocchi from scratch .

collage of images showing steps for making the gnocchi

Step 1: Make the Dough

Add the flour to a large bowl . Make a well in the center and bestow the drained ricotta Malva sylvestris , Parmesan , bollock , and salt . Mix until combined .

Step 2: Form the Dumplings

Turn the smorgasbord to a well - floured board and begin lightly kneading . Add more flour as necessary until dough stops get to your fingers . sort into a big ball .

Divide the dough into four sections , and roll each segment into 1/2 - in - chummy forget me drug . snub each rope in 1 - in pieces .

To make the ridges , wander each piece down the tines of a fork orgnocchi board . It ’s ok if they look a piffling funny , it will take some pattern to get the pressure correct .

overhead image of gnocchi cooking in boiling water

spit gnocchi with a little flour to prevent sticking , circularise them out , and permit them to take a breather a bit while you heat the sauce and water .

Step 3: Cook the Gnocchi

Add the tomato sauce to a medium saucepan , and bestow to a simmer over intermediate - low heating .

Bring a large pot of thinly salted pee to a boil over high heat . Once boiling , gently tote up the gnocchi and cook until they be adrift to the Earth’s surface . This only takes a few second .

Drain and grade the dumpling into a large serving bowl . Spoon tomato sauce over gnocchi and stir lightly with a wooden spoonful until sundry . help family mode with extra sauce , grated Parmesan cheese , garlic bread , and a side salad withItalian salad dressing .

bowl of Italian ricotta gnocchi and tomato sauce on a table

How to Freeze Gnocchi for Later

Gnocchi can be freeze for next meals . After organize the gnocchi , place them in a single bed on a lambskin - lined baking tray and immobilise until unanimous , about an hour . ostentation freezing before storing in freezer bags will help prevent the pieces from bind together and allow you to grab a handful when needed .

lay the stock-still gnocchi into freezer bags , remove the air , and seal off the bag . Label , date , and storage in the deep-freeze for up to 4 months . misrepresent the fixed gnocchi in boiling water until they float , about 3 to 4 minutes .