Easy Ricotta Gnocchi with Tomato Sauce
By Matthew FairmanPublished on October 10, 2017
Time
1¼ hours
Yield
Serves 4
Ingredients
Gnocchi
1 pound (2 cups) whole-milk ricotta cheese 1 large egg ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese Salt and pepper ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (5 ⅔ ounces/161 grams) all-purpose flourSauce
3 tablespoons unsalted butter 1 shallot, minced1 garlic clove, minced¼ teaspoon dried oregano 2 cups canned crushed tomatoes ½ teaspoon sugar Salt and pepper 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basilBefore You Begin
We developed this recipe using the Test Kitchen’s winning whole milk ricotta cheese: Belgioioso Ricotta Con Latte Whole Milk Ricotta Cheese. If you cannot find our winning brand, look for another good quality ricotta without stabilizers. When rolling the gnocchi, use just enough flour to keep the dough from sticking to your hands and work surface; using too much flour will make it difficult to roll the dough into ropes.
Instructions
- Whisk ricotta, egg, Parmesan, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon pepper, and nutmeg together in large bowl until thoroughly combined. Stir in flour with rubber spatula until thoroughly combined. Form dough into rough ball and transfer to well- floured counter. Adding extra flour to hands and dough as needed to prevent sticking, gently knead dough into smooth ball.
- Line rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and dust liberally with flour. Using floured bench scraper or chef’s knife, cut dough into 8 pieces. Dust cut ends of each piece of dough with more flour to coat. On lightly floured counter, working with 1 piece of dough at a time, gently roll dough into ½‑inch-thick rope, sprinkling with more flour as needed if dough begins to stick to counter. Cut rope into ¾‑inch lengths. Transfer cut gnocchi to prepared sheet; set aside.
- Melt butter in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add shallot, garlic, and oregano and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add tomatoes, sugar, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes.
- Bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot over high heat. Add 1 tablespoon salt. Using parchment paper as funnel, pour gnocchi into boiling water. Once all gnocchi float to surface, cook for 2 minutes longer. Using slotted spoon or spider, scoop gnocchi from water and transfer to skillet with sauce. (If straining gnocchi in colander, transfer immediately to sauce or else they may begin clumping together.)
- Add ¼ cup gnocchi cooking water to skillet with gnocchi and sauce and place over medium-high heat. Cook, tossing with rubber spatula, until hot, about 2 minutes. Sprinkle with basil and serve, passing Parmesan.
for the gnocchi
for the sauce
Time
1¼ hoursYield
Serves 4Ingredients
Gnocchi
Sauce
Ingredients
Gnocchi
Sauce
Ingredients
Gnocchi
Sauce
Why This Recipe Works
For light (never tough or gummy), flavorful ricotta dumplings, we tested our way to the perfect ratio of flour, ricotta, egg, Parmesan, and seasonings. Rolling and cutting ropes of this stir-together, ricotta dough enabled us to have an impressive dinner of these quick-cooking, pillowy dumplings on the table in less than an hour.
Before You Begin
We developed this recipe using the Test Kitchen’s winning whole milk ricotta cheese: Belgioioso Ricotta Con Latte Whole Milk Ricotta Cheese. If you cannot find our winning brand, look for another good quality ricotta without stabilizers. When rolling the gnocchi, use just enough flour to keep the dough from sticking to your hands and work surface; using too much flour will make it difficult to roll the dough into ropes.
Instructions
- Whisk ricotta, egg, Parmesan, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon pepper, and nutmeg together in large bowl until thoroughly combined. Stir in flour with rubber spatula until thoroughly combined. Form dough into rough ball and transfer to well- floured counter. Adding extra flour to hands and dough as needed to prevent sticking, gently knead dough into smooth ball.
- Line rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and dust liberally with flour. Using floured bench scraper or chef’s knife, cut dough into 8 pieces. Dust cut ends of each piece of dough with more flour to coat. On lightly floured counter, working with 1 piece of dough at a time, gently roll dough into ½‑inch-thick rope, sprinkling with more flour as needed if dough begins to stick to counter. Cut rope into ¾‑inch lengths. Transfer cut gnocchi to prepared sheet; set aside.
- Melt butter in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add shallot, garlic, and oregano and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add tomatoes, sugar, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes.
- Bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot over high heat. Add 1 tablespoon salt. Using parchment paper as funnel, pour gnocchi into boiling water. Once all gnocchi float to surface, cook for 2 minutes longer. Using slotted spoon or spider, scoop gnocchi from water and transfer to skillet with sauce. (If straining gnocchi in colander, transfer immediately to sauce or else they may begin clumping together.)
- Add ¼ cup gnocchi cooking water to skillet with gnocchi and sauce and place over medium-high heat. Cook, tossing with rubber spatula, until hot, about 2 minutes. Sprinkle with basil and serve, passing Parmesan.
for the gnocchi
for the sauce
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