Ricotta Gnocchi

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Soft and pillowy inside, ready in less than 30 minutes and SO versatile

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 5

Total Time 25

Servings 4 servings

Author Erin

Ingredients

15 ounces ricotta I use whole milk, but part skim is fine
2 cups flour divided (if you have 00 flour, use it)
1 large egg
1 1/2 tsp olive oil
1 tsp kosher salt NOT table salt
fresh cracked pepper to taste

Instructions

Place ricotta, egg, olive oil, salt and pepper in a medium bowl and stir to combine.
Add 1 1/2 cups of the flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until it forms a soft sticky dough.
Turn the dough onto a floured surface and gently knead in the remaining flour (flour your hands to make it easier) just until the dough no longer sticks to your hands (the dough will still be pretty soft, but no longer sticky). You don't want to over work the dough or your gnocchi will be tough.
Divide the dough into 6 pieces and roll them into ropes about an inch thick
Cut each rope into sections about 1 inch wide (you'll get 15-18 per rope)
You can either leave your gnocchi in their current shape or, if you prefer ridges like I do, roll them on the back of a fork or a gnocchi board
As you shape your gnocchi lay them on a floured surface, not touching each other, until all gnocchi are formed
If you're cooking the gnocchi right away: bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Drop gnocchi into the water and move them around with a wooden spoon so that they don't stick together. As they boil they'll begin to float, once they're all floating drain them in a colander and toss with a little olive oil to keep them from sticking.
You have countless options at this point for finishing your gnocchi, the simplest being to stir them into your favorite sauce and let them simmer for a couple minutes more to finish cooking,
If you want crispy on the outside, pillowy in the middle gnocchi (I know I do!), heat 1 Tbsp olive oil and 1 Tbsp butter in a wide skillet and, when it's melted and beginning to foam, add your drained gnocchi and stir occasionally for a few minutes just to crisp the edges (watch your heat, if it's too high they'll stick).
NOW top with your favorite sauce, these fall apart short ribs or serve as is with a little salt, pepper, lemon zest, fresh parsley and some shavings of parmesan cheese
Gnocchi freezes beautifully! See notes for how to freeze for later

Notes

To freeze gnocchi: After shaping, but before boiling, arrange your gnocchi in a single layer on a parchment or foil lined sheet pan with sides (a jelly roll pan is perfect). Place pan in the freezer for 3 hours, until gnocchi is frozen solid. Use foil or parchment to lift frozen gnocchi forming a funnel and slide them into a large zip lock bag. squeeze out air and keep frozen for up to 1 month.
When cooking frozen gnocchi do not thaw first. Place them directly into salted, boiling water and cook as for fresh gnocchi, waiting for them to float before draining. They'll take a little longer because they're frozen and you need to make sure your water is really boiling before adding them
I always use kosher salt in my recipes, never table salt. Table salt is very fine and this makes it much saltier and harder to control when seasoning. My preferred brand is Diamond kosher. If you only have table salt use MUCH less and then go out and buy some kosher salt asap :)