Ricotta Gnocchi and a Cheese Blog Hop

If you’ve ever been too intimidated to make your own pasta, gnocchi is a great place to start. And if regular potato gnocchi seems like too much work, well ricotta gnocchi is the way to go. This Italian pasta dumpling has three – yes just THREE! – ingredients and doesn’t require the use of a pasta maker. You just mix together ricotta, flour, and an egg and gently knead it until it comes together. After a brief rest in the fridge, you roll the dough into snakes and cut into gnocchi of whatever size you like. Cook in boiling water for 3 to 5 minutes and you’re done.

Homemade ricotta gnocchi ~ KatherineMartinelli.com

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I’ve had plenty of gnocchi in my day, and it’s run the whole spectrum from simultaneously heavy and mushy to heavenly perfection. I find that it’s much easier and more foolproof to hit that delicate, airy note with ricotta gnocchi than potato ones. And they require even less prep! Score. If you feel like that’s too easy, you can always make your own ricotta (seriously folks, it takes under an hour – check out my recipe here, where this recipe for ricotta gnocchi was originally published as well). But store-bought ricotta works just as well. The other thing I love about gnocchi is that it’s great with just about any sauce – I tossed it with a simple marinara sauce here, but meaty bolognese, nutty pesto, or creamy vodka sauce would all work just as well.

Homemade ricotta gnocchi ~ KatherineMartinelli.com

4.9 from 11 reviews
Ricotta Gnocchi
 
Prep Time
Cook Time
Total Time
 
Making your own gnocchi couldn't be easier, or more rewarding. With just three ingredients, these delicate Italian dumplings are ready in well under an hour.
Author:
Recipe Type: Entree
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients
  • 12 ounces ricotta
  • 2 cups “00” pasta flour, divided (substitute all purpose flour)
  • 1 egg
Directions
  1. Put the ricotta, 1 cup of the flour, and the egg in a large bowl and stir with a wooden spoon to combine.
  2. Begin kneading the dough with your hands. The amount of flour you need to add will depend on how much moisture is in your ricotta, and how long you let it strain. Continue adding flour, ¼ cup at a time, until you have a smooth, elastic dough that is soft but not overly sticky.
  3. Roll into a ball and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
  4. Separate the ball into 8 or so pieces. Working one at a time, roll out on a floured work surface into a long, even snake.
  5. Using a pastry cutter or knife cut the snake into ½-inch segments and transfer to a parchment paper-lined plate or baking sheet.
  6. Repeat with the remaining dough.
  7. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
  8. Add the gnocchi all at once and cook, stirring often, for 3 to 5 minutes, until they all float to the surface.
  9. Drain and immediately toss with your favorite pasta sauce.
Notes
Kosher dairy, Vegetarian

Homemade ricotta gnocchi ~ KatherineMartinelli.com


50 thoughts on “Ricotta Gnocchi and a Cheese Blog Hop

  1. Kimberly

    Oh my … I love ricotta and gnocchi … so I know I’d love ricotta gnocchi!

    And only three ingredients? I’m sold!

    Great recipe as usual!

  2. Kim Bee

    Your gnocci looks fabulous Katherine. I’ve never tried making my own gnocci before. I am now dying to try.

    Thanks for hosting. I linked up three this time, you know my love affair with pizza which leads to lots of cheese posts. Lol!

  3. Ann

    So much cheesy deliciousness! Thanks for another mouth-watering week. I am looking forward to checking out some of these wonderful recipes!

  4. Liz

    My picky daughter loves gnocchi…and this is the same 3 ingredient recipe I’ve used. I’ve overdue to try this again…yours looks perfect!

  5. mjskit

    Thank you, thank you, thank you for this easy and obvious delicious gnocchi recipe! I’ll definitely have to try this! Thanks for hosting and I hope you have a marvelous weekend!

  6. Lisa

    LOVE your ricotta gnocchi! I was going to add mine to the linky, but it pales in comparison to yours! I made them years ago..and too big..more like a gnudi! I wish I could snap my fingers and have your plate of ricotta gnocchi right in front me – right now! Better than 5-star Italian restaurant quality!

  7. Eha

    Have not made gnocchi for ever 🙂 ! Remember enjoying shaping them, somehow satisfying! Just three ingredients here and one of them my favourite ricotta: will be tried straight after the Olympics – it’s big bowls of thick wintery soups and Moroccan stews with plenty of leftovers to save time at the moment 🙂 !

  8. Terra

    You have my attention! Only three ingredients really? I just devoured a bowl of gnocchi today, and said I need to pull out my fun gnocchi maker:-) Beautiful, Hugs, Terra

  9. kitchenriffs

    Nice recipe. I’ve made plenty of gnocchi, but never out of ricotta. Looks super easy, and I imagine it’s super tasty. I’ll definitely have to give this a try – thanks.

  10. Stacy

    My girls and I love making gnocchi but, I must admit, I have never seen such a simple, yet surely delicious recipe! We’ll be giving this one a try soon!

  11. Stacey Evans

    I absolutely love gnocchi, I have never tried to make these before. This recipe sounds amazing and looks relatively easy too. I look forward to trying these. Thanks for posting!

  12. Kris

    I had been wanting to try and make gnocchi for quite some time and just made this last night. It was super easy and it tasted great! Surprisingly filling too. Even my boys loved the “marshmallow pasta” (they looked like mini marshmallows to them).

    • Katherine

      Kris I am so happy to hear that it came out well! Isn’t it a great recipe? I agree, it is surprisingly filling – it doesn’t look like it makes that much, but it really hits the spot. Thanks so much for reporting back!

  13. Kim Bee

    Katherine I am so behind. We did a road trip. I am still planning to visit everyone. Hopefully before this weeks hop. Gotta love summer. I’m exhausted. lol

  14. Cecilia G

    Oh wow, mine has always been the heavy variety, and I make my own ricotta with the whey after I make cheese.. great simple recipe i shall try to make gnocchi again.. morning katherine! c

  15. Debbie O'Brien

    I found your site searching for a recipe for gnocchi recipes with ricotta cheese. I am choosing to use your recipe for tonights dinner!!! Thanks for explaining how the dough should feel! I can’t wait to eat!

  16. Stacy

    Hi, Katherine,

    I had bookmarked this to make and the day has come. Unfortunately, I am stymied trying to convert the units. My pot of ricotta (store-bought) is 250g and I need to know whether your measure was ounces by volume or weight. Anyway, I’m gonna wing it with the one egg and however much 00 flour feels right. 🙂

    Fond regards,

    Stacy

    • Katherine

      Oh no Stacy – you bring up such a good point! Oy I’ll need to make it again, confirm, and convert – I’ve been trying to be better about including metric and in fact use it more and more personally. Anyway, I know it’s too late but I believe I was talking ounces by weight, not volume… but I think winging it to see what feels right is the correct thing to do. Let me know how it turns out! And thanks so much for bringing the conversion thing to my attention 🙂

      • Stacy

        They turned out very nice, actually! I served the gnocchi with a browned butter sage sauce, and lots of extra Parmesan on top. I usually make potato gnocchi so I worked towards that consistency, but lighter, if you know what I mean.

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