What’s more comforting than fluffy Homemade Ricotta Gnocchi? They’re super light and tender, and you can serve them with any sauce you like—whether it’s a delicious morel sauce, pesto, or just sage and butter.
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Table of Contents
A few details about the ingredients
- Potato is the main ingredient of this gnocchi. And this is the perfect recipe to use leftover baked or boiled potatoes. Leftover potatoes that have been sitting in the fridge for a day or two are ideal, as they have lost most of their moisture and water content. Alternatively, I recommend boiling the potatoes the day before and storing them in the fridge overnight.
- Ricotta makes this gnocchi extra fluffy. Make sure to use full-fat ricotta cheese for the best result. Any leftover ricotta? Use it to make Whipped Ricotta Dip With Roasted Olives, Creamy Red Pepper Pasta or Lemon Ricotta Cake!
- Free-range eggs hold the gnocchi together.
- The flour will bind the dough together. I recommend using all-purpose flour.
- Sea salt brings up the flavors of the gnocchi.
- Semolina is a great ingredient for pasta making! It prevents the pasta from sticking together without weighing down the pasta like regular flour does. I use it during the “shaping” of the gnocchi. Rice flour works well too.
Recipe FAQs
How long does this keep?
You can store these gnocchi in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Can these gnocchi be frozen?
They sure can. I recommend freezing them on a tray and transferring them to a ziplock bag before storing them in a freeze. I will prevent the gnocchi from sticking together.
Other delicious Italian-inspired recipes
Homemade Ricotta Gnocchi
PRINT SAVEWhat's more comforting than fluffy Homemade Ricotta Gnocchi? They're super light and tender, and you can serve them with any sauce you like—whether it's a delicious morel sauce, pesto, or just sage and butter.
EQUIPMENT
- Mixing Bowl
- Slotted Spoon
- Large Pot
INGREDIENTS
- 35.3 ounces (1 kg) boiled potatoes (potato leftovers are the best), cooled down
- 2 free-range eggs
- ½ cup (125 g) full fat Ricotta
- 1 ¼ cups (150 g) all-purpose flour
- 2 ½ teaspoons (15 g) fine sea salt
- semolina or rice flour to flour the countertop
INSTRUCTIONS
If you do not have any leftover baked or boiled potatoes
- The day before day, boil (or cook in a pressure cooker) the potatoes with their skin on, until soft and nicely cooked.
- Reserve overnight in the fridge.
Otherwise, continue with the recipe
- Peel the potato skin.
- Using a potato ricer or a food mill, mash the potatoes into a large mixing bowl.
- Add the eggs, ricotta cheese, salt, and sift the flour
- Gently combine the ingredients with your hands without overworking the preparation (if you have a stand mixer, use the flat beater).
- Flour the countertop with semolina or rice flour and transfer the gnocchi dough.
- Cut the dough into 4 equal pieces and gently roll each piece of dough into a sausage about 1.2 inches (3 cm) thick. Feel free to sprinkle extra semolina/rice flour if the dough becomes too sticky.
- Slice the sausage-shaped dough into 3/4 inch (2 cm ) squares.
- At this stage, you can either leave the gnocchi as is.
OR you can use the traditional gnocchi technique:
- Roll each gnocchi square into a small ball.
- Press each ball of dough on the back of a fork while rolling them gently with your thumb. If you have a wooden gnocchi board, use the same technique.
- Repeat until all the gnocchi are done.
Boil the gnocchi
- Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a rolling boil.
- Add the gnocchi and let them cook until they come up to the surface. Remove them from the pot using a skimming ladle.
- You can either add the gnocchi as is to the sauce of your choice or pan-fry them with a mix of extra-virgin olive oil and butter for extra crispiness.
- For an indulgent version of this gnocchi, check out my Crispy Gnocchi With Morel Sauce. For a fresher summery version, enjoy these gnocchi with pesto.
NOTES
- The secret of gnocchi making is to manipulate the dough very gently: minimum intervention is the best way to keep your gnocchi light and fluffy. Avoid overworking the dough while combining the ingredients.
- I recommend boiling the gnocchi in different batches in order not overcrowd the pot.
- Gnocchi cook quickly, as soon as they come floating back to the surface, they are done! Don’t leave them longer in the pot.
Did you make this recipe?Don’t forget the last step! Leave a comment below to let me know how it went!