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Ricotta and Potato Gnocchi
In Italian

Ricotta and Potato Gnocchi

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Gnocchi is something that I always found to be delicious but also intimidating to make. The texture of a properly cooked gnocchi is light like a pillow but still somehow filling. They are on most Italian restaurants menus and can be bought frozen. After a few attempts, some more successful than others, I came up with my version of this classic pasta / dumpling. This ricotta and potato gnocchi is actually very simple to make, and my favorite part is that it can be made in a larger batch and frozen.

To make the gnocchi I chose to use russet potatoes because they have a drier texture, while still being light and fluffy. I decided to boil the potatoes whole, with the skins on, for 3 reasons. First, I don’t like peeling potatoes. Second, I found that the texture of the potato will get water logged when peeled or cut before boiling. Finally, I decided to boil these potatoes because when I have tried baking them they get too dry resulting in me having to add moisture in order for the dough to form.

This recipe will made 6-8 portions of gnocchi. The nice thing about that is they freeze amazingly well on a lined baking pan. They can be cooked from frozen, while maintaining a soft pillow texture. And they are really cheap to make.

As I mention in the recipe below there are several way to finish the gnocchi before cooking. My favorite is by using a gnocchi board to get the classic grooves on the top of each one. Other options are to leave then in more of a traditional dumpling look, or to place a dimple in the top to allow any sauce to adhere better. No matter what you decide these ricotta and potato gnocchi are worth the effort of making them.

Ricotta and Potato Gnocchi
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Ricotta and Potato Gnocchi

Recipe by The Bored Foodie Course: MainCuisine: ItalianDifficulty: Easy
Servings

8

servings
Total time

2

hours 

Easy to make in bulk. Freeze on lined baking sheet until solid then place in sealed freezer bag. To warm up boil for 4 minutes or until floating.

Ingredients

  • 2 lb 2 Russet Potatoes

  • 1 C 1 Flour

  • 1/2 C 1/2 Ricotta Cheese

  • 1 t 1 Salt

  • 1/2 t 1/2 Black Pepper

Directions

  • Boil whole skin on potatoes until fork tender. About 20 minutes.
  • When potatoes are tender strain into a colander and allow potatoes to cool enough to be handled.
  • Using a towel gently remove the skins from each potato and discard skin.
  • Once all potatoes have been peeled, start to break them up using a potato ricer. If you don't have a potato ricer using the back of a fork start to gently break the potatoes up into a smooth consistency. Place riced potatoes into refrigerator to cool completely, approximately 1 hour.
  • When potatoes have fully cooled add in the 1 C flour, ricotta cheese, salt, and pepper. Using clean hands start to combine all ingredients until the mixture is smooth and not sticky. You can also a stand mixer and mix until the dough is fully combined and not sticky. If dough is too sticky gradually add in more flour.
  • On a clean countertop or pastry board lightly dust the surface with flour then form the gnocchi dough into a ball. Divide this ball into 4 even pieces, then roll out gnocchi into long "snakes" about 3/4 of an inch in diameter. Once rolled out slice the long "snake" into 1 inch long pieces, about the size of the first joint of your finger. At this point there are a few options that I will list below.
  • Before I get to the options on how to present the gnocchi, the cooking and freezing methods are the same. To cook: bring some heavily salted water in a large stock pit to a boil and cook for approximately 2 minutes, Or until the start to float, place cooked gnocchi in whatever your choice of sauce is and serve hot. To freeze: Line 2 large baking trays with parchment a paper and place each gnocchi close to each other without touching on the tray. Place in freezer until frozen solid then transfer to zip-top freezer bag. To cook these frozen gnocchi just add 1-2 minutes to the previously stated cooking method
  • Options to Finish Gnocchi
  • Option 1: Leave gnocchi as pillows and cook or freeze them like this.
  • Option 2: Light Pres a finger into the center creating a dimple in the middle and cook or freeze.
  • Option 3: Using the back of a fork, or a flour dusted gnocchi board, lightly roll the top side of each gnocchi creating grooves. This is my preferred method as it allows more places for the sauce to adhere. then freeze or cook.

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