Description
My recipe for light and fluffy homemade ricotta gnocchi is made with 6 simple ingredients: ricotta, eggs, Parmesan cheese, salt, pepper and 00 flour. I use fresh homemade ricotta because I’m obsessed with it’s creamy texture, and I’m always looking for new ways to use it. However, store-bought ricotta will work too. I’ve tested them both. You’ll need a cookie scoop to easily (and quickly) portion out the dough.
Ingredients
- 265 g (1 heaping cup) homemade ricotta (*if using store-bought ricotta see note below)
- 2 large eggs (total cracked weight: 110 g/3.9 oz)
- 50 g (1 packed cup) freshly grated parmesan cheese
- 1/2 tsp. fine sea salt
- Black pepper
- 70 g (about 1/2 cup) Tipo 00 flour or all purpose flour
- 85 g (about 1/2 cup) semolina flour, for dusting
Notes:
*Store-bought ricotta has a different texture than homemade ricotta. It’s more fluffy (when cold) and it contains more liquid. Drain the ricotta first before using. Scoop 1 1/2 cups (330 g) of ricotta into a fine mesh strainer set over a bowl. Drain for 30 minutes or until you get 1 heaping cup (265 g/9.3 oz) of drained ricotta. Don’t worry if it’s not exact.
Instructions
- Prep your station: Pour the semolina flour into a wide shallow bowl. Dust a rimmed sheet pan with semolina flour; set aside.
- Make the gnocchi dough: Whisk the ricotta and eggs together in a large bowl. If using fresh homemade ricotta, it will be stiff and lumpy at first; this is ok. If using store-bought ricotta, the texture will be fluffy. Either way, you’re looking for a cohesive, well blended mixture.
- Add the parmesan cheese, salt and pepper. Mix with a rubber spatula. Give it a taste. Add more salt and/or pepper if needed.
- Fold the flour into the ricotta mixture. Do not over mix. The final texture will be slightly sticky, but not wet. It should look like cookie batter.
- Assemble the gnocchi: Using a tablespoon-sized cookie scoop, portion a few scoops of dough into the bowl of semolina flour. Gently roll around to coat. Use your hands too, until they are well coated. Transfer the gnocchi to a semolina dusted sheet pan. Portion out the rest of the dough.
- At this point, if you are not ready to cook the gnocchi, store them in the freezer (see directions below). Or proceed to the next step.
- Prepare your sauce: before cooking the gnocchi, have a simple sauce simmering and ready to go on the stove (you’ll drop the gnocchi right into the sauce after boiling). Use a wide, 12-inch pan. Gnocchi are quick to cook and are best enjoyed immediately after boiling- they are the fluffiest. As they sit, they get more firm.
- Cook the gnocchi: First, do a test batch. Drop 1 gnoccho into a pot of boiling salted water (it will sink, and then float). Once it floats, boil for 5 minutes, lowering the heat only slightly, if it’s boiling too rapidly. You don’t want it to break apart. Remove the gnocco to a plate, slice it in half, and check the inside texture: it should be fluffy and fully cooked through. If any ricotta oozes out from the center, it needs more cooking time. Do another test batch until you get the timing right. Then cook the rest of the gnocchi. Note: I like to do this in 2 separate batches- gnocchi are delicate!
How To Freeze Ricotta Gnocchi: Arrange the gnocchi on semolina dusted sheet pan. Freeze until solid. Transfer to a zip-top bag or airtight container. Store in the freezer up to one month. To cook (frozen), do a test batch as indicated above, increasing the boiling time to 7 minutes, or until cooked all the way through.