I feel like I say this a lot, but this is truly one of our favorite dinners for two. Pillow-soft dumplings coated in a slightly tangy blue cheese sauce with crunchy walnuts on top is a restaurant meal that you can absolutely make it home! Gnocchi can be finicky to make, but by using ricotta, we’re making them so much easier.
What are gnocchi?
Gnocchi, if you’ve never had them, are soft bite-size dumplings typically made from boiled potatoes. The potatoes are cooked, and run through a potato ricer before adding a small amount of flour and eggs to hold everything together in a light dough. Typically, Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper are in the mix, too. When they’re briefly boiled in water, the dumplings are melt-in-your-mouth tender. Because potatoes can vary in starch content, and their water content can vary depending on how they are cooked, potato gnocchi can be difficult to make with perfect, repeatable results. I like guaranteed results in a recipe, and I’m sure you feel the same way. So, when I read that you can use ricotta in place of potatoes, I tried it immediately. Plus, using ricotta saves the extra step of having to cook the potatoes. Ricotta makes a less finicky gnocchi, compared to the traditional potato gnocchi that can become tough if over-mixed. The creaminess of the ricotta gives you a little leeway when mixing your dough.. Just use a light hand when rolling and you will be rewarded with tender puffs of pasta dumplings. Another way I’ve substituted ricotta in a gnocchi recipe is to use canned pumpkin. You’ve got to try my pumpkin gnocchi recipe, too! For this recipe, I boil them in water just until they float, and then finish them in the pan with butter and bleu cheese. However, these ricotta gnocchi are also delicious when pan-fried in olive oil. They brown and crisp up nicely, and are perfect with spicy marinara sauce.
You may also double the recipe and put half in the freezer for another meal. My only warning, though, is that frozen gnocchi do not pan-fry very well. If you cook with frozen gnocchi, it’s best to boil them.
Ingredients for ricotta gnocchi:
ricotta cheese: It’s best to use full-fat ricotta cheese, not low-fat. To use up leftover ricotta, you can make my ricotta pound cake cupcakes with whipped ricotta frosting. eggs: Just one egg for our small-batch dinner for two recipe, but you can easily double this recipe. Parmesan cheese: Please, try to find actual fresh Parmesan cheese, and not the shelf-stable one. Authentic Parmesan Reggiano is obviously the best, but you can find much cheaper domestic Grana Padano. Let’s just avoid cheese in cardboard tubes so that we have the most delicious results. salt garlic: One fresh clove of garlic, grated on a microplane so it’s super finely minced. Here’s the microplane I use and love. all-purpose flour butter walnuts blue cheese: You can buy a small 4 ounce block of blue cheese and crumble it yourself, of you can buy crumbled blue cheese in the package.
How to make ricotta gnocchi:
More dinners for two you might like:
Chicken and Dumplings for Two Stuffed Sweet Potatoes for Two Shrimp Po Boys Filet Mignon for Two
ricotta cheese: It’s best to use full-fat ricotta cheese, not low-fat.Parmesan cheese: Please, try to find actual fresh Parmesan cheese, and not the shelf-stable one in a can. You will be rewarded with better flavor!garlic: One fresh clove of garlic, grated on a microplane so it’s super finely minced. Here’s the microplane I use and love.blue cheese: You can buy a small 4 ounce block of blue cheese and crumble it yourself, of you can buy crumbled blue cheese in the package.
Microplane/ Zester/ Grater, Black
