Ricotta Gnocchi with Marinara

This terrific recipe for Ricotta Gnocchi with Marinara is sure to please your family! Simple and comforting flavors make this a must-try meal!

Homemade Gnocchi is easy to make and will elevate your pasta night to a most delicious level of excellence!!!

Why You Must Male

• With our household size dwindling, and with the picky palates outnumbering the adventuresome ones, there is an occasional French Fridays with Dorie recipe that gets a bye week. The Chicken Tagine with Sweet Potatoes and Prunes would raise at least a couple of eyebrows (and fuzzy male ones at that). I’m not sure making a quarter recipe would be worth the effort…as I’d need to make another meal for the other ⅔ of the family.
• So I whipped up some long overdue ricotta gnocchi that I had promised Katie, who is basically a vegetarian who doesn’t like vegetables.
• Bill was lifting pot lids, hunting for some Italian sausage or some sort of meat, but I assured him a good sprinkling of Parm would give him some protein…and that even carnivores can take a night off. By the end of the meal, we all agreed that this was the epitome of Italian comfort food.

Ingredient Notes

• Kitchen Staples – Egg, Salt, Olive Oil, Sugar, Freshly Ground Black Pepper, Dried Oregano
• “00” Pasta Flour – I used All-Purpose Flour
• Ricotta Cheese – Use full-fat
• Garlic Cloves
• Tomato Paste
• Chopped Canned Tomatoes – 53-ounce can
• Fresh Basil 

Recipe Tips

• I used Katherine Martinelli’s gnocchi recipe…and tweaked it just a smidge. The marinara was a wing-it-type recipe…I’m loving the sweetness of Pomi’s boxed tomatoes…they make a world of difference.
• I tried my hand at making the striated markings on my pasta with a fork. One of the tutorials I read mentioned making a practice batch to get the hang of it. Yup, good advice, as I finally had my groove (haha) by the end. I’d make them smaller next time (and follow the ½-inch suggested length more literally) and maybe fine-tune my technique.
• You can also just cut and boil without this extra step. 
• Make sure to cook them in salted water as this will help the salt infuse into the pasta. Salting after cooking will never taste as good as boiling in well-salted water.
• Try this Homemade Ravioli, too.

Frequently Asked Questions

How Do You Pronounce Gnocchi?

There are two options. I say NOH-kee, but NYOH-kee is also acceptable.

How Do You Cook Gnocchi?

It is usually cooked in boiling water, then served with a savory sauce or simply with butter and Parmesan cheese.

What Does the Word “Gnocchi” Mean?

Gnocchi is Italian for dumplings.

What Ingredients are Used to Make Gnocchi?

These dumplings can be made from potatoes, all-purpose or semolina flour, but may also use ricotta cheese, bread, pumpkin, or spinach.

You May Also Like

• Creamy Italian Sausage Pasta
• Penne alla Vodka
• Italian Meat Sauce
• All my Best Pasta Recipes
• Plus, more Meatless Meals

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The Recipe:

Ricotta Gnocchi with Marinara

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 35 minutes

Total Time 55 minutes

Yield 6 servings

A spectacular ricotta gnocchi topped with marinara

Ingredients

For Gnocchi

• 12 ounces Ricotta
• 2 cups all-purpose flour (use "00" pasta flour if you have it...I did not), divided
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon salt

For Marinara

• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 3 whole garlic cloves
• 1 cup diced onion
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 53 ounces chopped canned tomatoes
• Large pinch of sugar
• 3 basil sprigs
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon salt
• Freshly ground pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. Mix ricotta, 1 cup of flour, egg and salt in a large bowl. Add up to another full cup of flour, 1/4 cup at a time, mixing with a wooden spoon, till you have a smooth, not too sticky dough. I added 3/4 cup more, then kneaded briefly on a well floured counter top till it all comes together, is smooth and slightly elastic.
2. Form into a ball and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate 30 minutes.
3. Cut the ball into 8 wedges. Roll out the first wedge into a long snake on a lightly floured surface, to about the diameter of your finger. Cut into 1/2 inch pieces, roll each over the back surface of a fork if desired and place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Continue with rest of dough.
4. Cook gnocchi in a large pot of boiling, well salted water, for 3-5 minutes. They will float to the surface (mine did so quickly, continue to cook for at least a couple minutes to ensure they are done). Drain and serve with marinara or your favorite pasta sauce.
5. For marinara, heat olive oil and cook garlic cloves till slightly golden. Add onions and cook till soft. Add tomato paste and mix to combine and cook briefly. Carefully add tomatoes (oil will splatter), pinch of sugar, basil, oregano, salt and pepper. Simmer for about 30 minutes.
6. Remove garlic cloves and serve over gnocchi or favorite pasta.

Notes

Gnocchi adapted from Katherine Martinelli

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

6

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 386Total Fat: 15gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 49mgSodium: 1067mgCarbohydrates: 49gFiber: 7gSugar: 9gProtein: 15g

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