I am not big on pasta dishes, but gnocchi is not technically full-on pasta in my opinion. Better still, this ricotta gnocchi recipe brings a freshness and a light touch to the usual potato and flour dumplings. I like mine with plenty of fresh herbs and lightly fried in olive oil and butter. To add interest, a handful of peas and cubed ham make the dish colorful and tasty.
I encourage you to use your imagination here, do you prefer chicken instead of ham with your gnocchi? Or maybe you prefer it as a vegetarian dish, in this case omit the ham altogether.
The best gnocchi I ever ate was in Italy, on the Amalfi Coast, at a local village restaurant in Vietri-sul-Mare. This restaurant is called Al Limoneto and the gnocchi were bellissimo!
This recipe is easy and fast to make, great for busy people and deliciously humble. The ricotta gnocchi is often called “cheat” gnocchi, since it is faster and easier compared to the potato version. My version is inspired from an old Donna Hay recipe, in fact I love the relaxed vibe of Donna Hay’s style. Hence the slightly unevenly sized gnocchi “pillows”.
Enjoy this lighter, flavorful and healthier version of the much loved Italian dish – ricotta gnocchi.
Ricotta Gnocchi
Ingredients
- 2 eggs
- 100 g "00" flour (pasta flour)
- 250 g ricotta cheese
- 40 g Parmesan cheese (can be replaced with Pecorino or cheddar)
- 3 tbsp herbs (parsley and mint finely chopped)
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
For sauce
- 1 lemon (zest grated and lemon juice)
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 knob of butter
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 pinch of salt and freshly cracked black pepper
Optional
- 2 slices turkey ham or fried Pancetta
- 2 handfuls fresh or frozen peas (cook for 3 minutes in salted boiling water and drain)
Instructions
- Mix all the ingredients and shape into logs of approximately 2 cm in diameter. Lightly flour a surface if too sticky. Cut log into pillows of approximately 2-2.5 cm length.Fill a fairly large pot with water, add one tbsp of salt, place on the hob and bring to the boil. Carefully place pillows in the water, turning the heat down low to medium. Boil the gnocchi in salty hot water for 2-3 minutes then drain and take out on kitchen paper.
Option 1
- Is to leave them as they are then move to step A.
Option 2
- Is to shallow fry them in olive oil and butter. If frying turn them carefully until golden.
Step A
- Add olive oil and butter to a frying pan, heat gently then add lemon zest and and grated garlic clove and saute for 1- 2 minutes stirring continuously to avoid burning the garlic.
Step B (optional)
- If using ham and peas, add them to the sauce prepared at step A and saute for 1-2 minutes until the peas and ham are hot.
Step C
- Add the gnocchi to the sauce in the frying pan, squeeze lemon juice and gently heat through for 1 minute.
Assemble your dish
- Plate a good portion, 8 gnocchi should be enough per person. Garnish with more herbs if liked and grate more Parmesan. Take a snapshot for your Insta, post and tag #candyflosslife 😉
