Easy Ricotta Gnocchi

December 4, 2012

Easy ricotta gnocchi is made from one egg, a little flour, and ricotta. Chill the dough and then shape, and boil. Easy enough to make any night of the week!

easy homemade ricotta gnocchi - sarcastic cooking

 

I know many of you are reading the title of this recipe and thinking, “Geez Stef, another recipe that is going to be too hard for me to do on a weeknight…”

But that is not true. I swear to God, it takes a little bit of day before prep and then 25 minutes from start to finish, especially if you use jarred marinara sauce.

Who wouldn’t want fresh easy ricotta gnocchi and marinara during the week?

For example, let’s say you had a really bad day, but you can’t really call it a bad day because it was just a typical Monday, it was just one of those days where you woke up late, didn’t have time for breakfast or much more importantly coffee, forgot to get gas until you were halfway to work and all of a sudden your car started beeping and yelling at you….

I am sure you all know what I am talking about.

That kind of day or, God forbid week, definitely deserves a special dinner!

I bet you still don’t believe me. I asked Mike, “How can I convince my readers that homemade gnocchi is easy?”

He said, “How can you convince them it isn’t delicious?”

So, that really doesn’t solve my dilemma. At least it was a nice compliment, right?  Reading it again, I’m not even sure what he was saying…was he even listening?

homemade ricotta and parmesan gnocchi - sarcastic cooking

This recipe has even become a highly requested birthday meal. That means it is special enough for a birthday but also easy enough for any night of the week.

 

All it takes to make any night special is some ricotta, parmesan, flour, one egg, and a little patience.

Prep the ricotta by draining it over a fine mesh strainer and bowl in the fridge the night before.

The day of, mix the ingredients together. Chill for about an hour.

Roll and then drop into some salted boiling water.

You can even freeze the gnocchi on a baking sheet and then once frozen transfer to a storage bag and keep until you are ready to use.

Add gnocchi to your favorite soup of skillet recipe.

Anyway, I really recommend you guys try this easy homemade easy ricotta gnocchi recipe. It is so light and fluffy. It is definitely a meal that will brighten up your work week.

homemade ricotta and parmesan gnocchi - sarcastic cooking

Easy Ricotta Gnocchi

Yield: 4-6 servings
Prep Time: 1 hour
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes

Four ingredient homemade gnocchi made with an egg, flour, parmesan cheese, and fresh ricotta.

Ingredients

  • 1, 16oz Container Whole Milk Ricotta
  • 1 Large Egg
  • 1/2 Cup Finely Grated Parmesan or Pecorino Cheese
  • 1/2 Teaspoon Salt
  • 3/4 to 1 Cup All-Purpose Flour
  • Marinara Sauce
  • Grated Parmesan/Pecorino and Fresh Chopped Basil optional

Instructions

  1. Line a small fine mesh strainer with three paper towels or coffee filters. Place the lined strainer over a small bowl, empty the contents of the container of ricotta to the lined strainer, let sit in the refrigerator for at least an hour on the night before.
  2. In a large bowl, combine the strained ricotta, egg, cheese, salt, and ¾ cup flour. Mix until combined. Refrigerate bowl for twenty minutes. In the meantime, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
  3. Lightly dust a work surface with a bit of flour. Take a large handful of dough and, using your hands, roll it into a long ¾ inch thick log. Use a bench scraper or a sharp knife to cut the log up into ½ inch pieces. Place the cut pieces on to a lightly floured baking sheet. Continue this process until all dough is rolled and cut.
  4. Quickly, drop the gnocchi into the boiling water a handful at a time. Give the water a quick stir to make sure the gnocchi doesn’t stick. When the gnocchi rises to the top of the water, cook for an additional two minutes, and then remove with a slotted spoon and transfer to a colander set in the sink to finish draining and cooling.
  5. Serve pasta right away with a bit of marinara and grated cheese. Pasta will freeze well in an airtight container for up to a month. After a month, the pasta loses its freshness quality but is still edible.

Notes

To freeze the gnocchi to boil for another time, add the shaped gnocchi to a large baking sheet, evenly spaced apart, and freeze. Once completely frozen, remove from pan, and transfer to storage bag or container. Frozen gnocchi keeps for up to a month.

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Recipe from The Kitchn

easy homemade ricotta gnocchi - sarcastic cooking

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  • Eftychia
    December 28, 2012 at 12:44 am

    Simply delicious! Grazie!

  • Michelle
    December 5, 2012 at 12:36 am

    De-freaking-licious. Perfect for a special meal for a crappy (Mon)day. I always forget how easy gnocchi is.

  • Stephie @ Eat Your Heart Out
    December 4, 2012 at 9:26 pm

    Hahaha oh geez, Mike’s answer. I can totally envision you two having this conversation, too…

    Ps, I want that plate! (And the gnocchi, but you know…)

  • Ashleigh
    December 4, 2012 at 3:08 pm

    My twins are obsessed with gnocchi right now, this will be a fun activity for us! Yummm!

    • Ashleigh
      January 28, 2013 at 8:22 am

      We made this and my twins LOVED to help. Ok, so they weren’t quite the shape I wanted, but they gobbled them up! Thanks lady!

  • DessertForTwo
    December 4, 2012 at 1:21 pm

    I love this recipe! I make it about once a month, and yes it really doesn’t take that long! 🙂

  • Kayle (The Cooking Actress)
    December 4, 2012 at 12:51 pm

    Ahahahaaa that conversation was hilarious.

    This gnocchi looks SO YUMMY! I love ricotta. I love pasta. Mmmmmmmm

  • KRUSTY BAKERS WIFE TERRI
    December 4, 2012 at 8:25 am

    Woke up grumpy! this is a gotta make for tommorrow! off to get Ricotta to strain tonite!! This sounds super easy!!

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