Quick Ricotta Gnocchi

ByRebecca McLeod 14/05/2024

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I bet some of you didn’t know that gnocchi can be made with ricotta cheese rather than potatoes. This recipe is quick and easy, and you’ll love it. I’m all about quick, easy and tasty, so here’s what I do.

I do this in a bowl and on the benchtop. I know many TM owners like to use their Thermomixs for everything, but you don’t need to dirty it for this one.

Ingredients Used In Ricotta Gnocchi

Just the two, can you believe it!

Ricotta Cheese – You can make your own ricotta (and its lots of fun) but if you want quick and easy then purchasing it is the go. So unless you have cows, then it’s pretty cheap to buy for a quick and easy meal. I sugest you go to the deli and buy the fresh stuff. Too easy.
Plain Flour – you only need enough flour to keep the gnocci together and in this case its such a small amount. If you’re on a low carb diet, this could be brilliant for you.
eggs- I know they’re not in the recipe but if you want to you can remove 50g of ricotta and replace it with an egg. this will give you a bit more nutrition? I don’t bother I get enough nutritious food throughout a day.

FAQ

Why is my gnocchi mushy?

Make sure your water is boiling, added salt, and don’t overload the pan. When the gnocchi hits the boiling water, you want them to cook quickly. Adding too many to the pan will cool the water down too much, and they could go mushy or fall apart.

Why is my gnocchi falling apart?

See above, or you could have boiled them too long. We want them to go in the boiling water, and as soon as they start to roll around to the top, take them out.

Why does my gnocchi float?

I love science in cooking 🙂 If you have your gnocchi cooked off fast in boiling water, you’ll seal the outside, which creates the water inside the gnocchi to heat and create steam. This steam is then trapped in the gnocchi, causing air bubbles within, allowing the gnocchi to rise to the surface. Clever huh?

How long does it take for the gnocchi to cook in the boiling water?

It should only take 3 – 4 mins max. At this stage, the water should also be just starting to boil again; if not, you may have added too much to the amount of boiling water you have in the pan.

Do you have to boil gnocchi before pan-frying?

Technically no, providing you can cook out the flour and cook them off without breaking them up. To cut out the stop of boiling, I suggest you use a pan that’s non-stick with a heavy base. Get it good and hot, then add oil and butter, then the gnocchi. Don’t stir it around too much at the start, so the outer edges of the gnocchi are set, but once it’s firmed up, you can frequently stir for around 5 minutes to cook it through. We tend to boil them first to prevent them from breaking up while trying to fry them.

5 from 2 votes

Ingredients

500 g Ricotta Cheese
50 g Plain Flour
50 g Plain Flour for dusting and rolling. possibly more if your ricotta is particularly wet

Instructions

Place a large pot on the stove with a tsp of salt, bring to the boil
Using some paper towel dab the ricotta to remove any excess water.
Place into a large bowl and break up with a fork
Weigh in the flour and mix with a fork till combined
Dust your worktop and hands with flour
Cut your dough into four pieces
Working in batches, Take one piece of dough and roll into a sausage shape.
Cut into bite-sized pillows
With your water boiling drop the gnocchi into the pot (do this in batches so as not to overload if your gnocchi falls apart you need to add a little more flour. It’s hard to know because it will depend on how wet your ricotta was in the first place. But, don’t go overboard you want these light, not like the shop-bought vacuum-packed stuff.) and by the time you have the next lot rolled and cut you can remove these and drop in the next. They should be light but when press between your fingers they give a little.
Continue till done
You can keep them warm in a thermoserver oven or non-stick frypan with a lid
Like the look of mine? Do what I’ve done in this image. In a large non-stick frypan cook off a bit of onion, bacon and mushrooms, add the gnocchi as they cook leaving them to brown. Flip them, then sprinkle with grated parmesan. I also had some pesto that I drizzled over the top before serving. Delicious.