This recipe for gnudi is easy to make and a family favorite. Made with ricotta cheese and spinach, the dumplings taste like the center of a ravioli, but the process is way simpler.
The name is a take on nudi or nudo in Italian, which means naked. Naked ravioli FTW.
How to serve gnudi:
The tender dumplings are incredibly delicious with just a bit of tomato sauce or brown butter. You can also serve them with pesto - but I really like them with simple Marinara.
My friend Meg's 5-Ingredient Marinara recipe is one of my favorites, so I often have some stowed in the fridge.
Making Brown Butter Gnudi:
If you're going to serve them with brown butter, here's my favorite method: Warm 6 tablespoon butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Place the two whole sage leaves in the butter and cook, stirring, until the butter develops brown flecks and smells nutty. Watch carefully to make certain the butter doesn’t burn. Remove from heat, and carefully pull the sage leaves out. Add the 2-3 sliced sage leaves, 1 teaspoon lemon juice and 1 teaspoon pepper flakes to the butter and return to low heat, stir to combine.
About the ingredients for this gnudi recipe:
Gnudi are best with fresh ricotta, and fresh spinach makes a difference too, although I often use frozen spinach and have no trouble. Just make certain that the spinach is fully drained or squeezed dry. Any extra moisture from the leafy greens will cause problems in the dough.
Ingredients to make gnudi:
- whole milk ricotta cheese
- fresh spinach OR frozen spinach
- grated Parmesan
- eggs
- egg yolks
- nutmeg
- salt & black pepper
- xanthan gum or gum-free baking binder (if your gluten-free blend doesn't contain it)
- GF Flour Blend or standard AP Flour
- Marinara or brown butter, for serving
Choosing flour for this recipe for gnudi:
About the flour: I originally created this gnudi recipe with a gluten-free coconut + rice blend that didn't have any binder, so I've included xanthan gum. Now I use my favorite gluten-free blend, so I don't need it. Only include xanthan or gum-free baking binder if your blend normally needs a binding agent. You can also make this recipe with standard conventional AP flour.
Here's my version of gnocchi's lighter, fluffier, ricotta-based cousin. Try making Gnudi soon and let me know what you think!
Recipe for Gnudi: Homemade Spinach & Ricotta Dumplings
Ingredients
- 1 cup whole milk ricotta cheese
- 2 bunches fresh spinach, sauteed, drained & chopped -OR- 1 pound frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
- 1 cup grated Parmesan
- 2 eggs
- 2 egg yolks
- ¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 6 tablespoons GF Flour Blend or standard AP Flour plus 1 cup for coating
- 1 teaspoon xanthan gum* *if your gluten-free blend doesn't contain it or gum-free baking binder
- Marinara Sauce heated, for serving
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix ricotta, spinach, Parmesan cheese, eggs, and yolks. Stir in nutmeg, salt, pepper, xanthan gum {if needed} and 6 tablespoon gluten-free flour. Chill for 20-30 minutes.
- Add the remaining cup of the gluten-free flour to a medium sized bowl.
- Remove the gnudi mixture from the fridge. Form mixture in to small, flattened balls. Dredge the formed gnudi in flour to coat, tapping off the excess.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
- Slide formed gnudi into the boiling water. Be careful not to overcrowd the pan; work in batches if necessary. Remove the gnudi using a slotted spoon after they float to the top and have cooked for about 4 minutes.
- Arrange gnudi on a platter and drizzle with marinara sauce for serving. Top with shaved Parmesan if desired.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Photos: Meg van der Kruik
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Frequently Asked Questions about this Gnudi recipe:
Gnudi is an Italian dumpling made with ricotta cheese, spinach and flour. It's called gnudi because it's essentially a "naked ravioli." You can think of gnudi as gnocchi's lighter, fluffier, ricotta-based cousin.
Both gnudi and gnocchi are small Italian dumplings that are traditionally cooked and served like pasta. The difference between gnudi and gnocchi is in the ingredients: gnudi is made from ricotta cheese with flour and other ingredients, such as spinach or herbs, gnocchi is made from potatoes and flour. While gnocchi can also be made with ricotta - it's only gnocchi if it also contains potato.
You can make gluten-free gnudi by using gluten-free flour in place of traditional flour. To make successful gluten-free gnudi, you'll need a GF flour blend with a binder or to add some when making the dough.
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