This isn’t the typical potato gnocchi but it is a lighter version made with ricotta, known as gnudi. My quick and easy gnudi recipe is not only simple to make, it’s delicious.
You can make these ahead of time and they freeze quite well. Make them into little balls (super simple – the kids can help too!) or roll them out and cut them like traditional gnochhi if you prefer.
If you want the traditional gnocchi recipe, you can find mine here! Gnudi as well as traditional gnocchi can be served as a side dish or you can turn it into a main!
Simple Homemade Gnudi Recipe
Be sure to scroll down for a printable recipe card.
Ingredients:
3/4 cup flour
1 egg (or 2 egg yolks)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1/2 tsp. salt
8 oz. ricotta cheese – I like to use creamy ricotta
Instructions:
Mix all of the ingredients together. The dough should be slightly sticky but you need to be able to handle it. Add more flour about a tablespoon at a time if the dough is too sticky to handle.
Put in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes. Separate the dough into quarters to make it easier to work with. Pinch off a piece and roll into balls about 3/4 inch in size or so. You may need to use some flour on your hands to keep the balls from sticking.
Some people prefer to make these in the same way that traditional gnocchi is made. In this case, roll each quarter of the dough into a snake. Cut those strips of dough into 1 inch long pieces.
Pro Tip: you can freeze some of the gnudi for future use. I like to lay it on a tray or some other flat surface and freeze it until it’s solid enough to place into freezer bags.
To cook it, bring water with a touch of salt in it to a boil and add the gnudi. The gnudi should begin to float on the surface of the water. When they do, continue to cook for 2-3 minutes and they should be done!
An alternative to boiling is to pan fry the gnudi. This gives them a golden outer “crust” with the soft interior.
Suggested toppings for the gnudi:
Of course you can top the gnudi with your favorite pasta sauce, but here are a couple options that I really like.
Try my Spinach Basil Pesto or my Cilantro Pine Nut Pesto. They’re both SO good on gnudi.
Other favorite options – melted butter, lemon juice, black pepper, and Parmesan; brown butter and fresh sage leaves; olive oil, black pepper, and fresh basil leaves
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Simple Gnudi Recipe (Ricotta Gnocchi)
This isn't the typical potato gnocchi but it is a lighter version made with ricotta, known as gnudi. My quick and easy gnudi recipe is not only simple to make, it's delicious.
Mix all of the ingredients together. The dough should be slightly sticky but you need to be able to handle it. Add more flour about a tablespoon at a time if the dough is too sticky to handle.
Put in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes. Separate the dough into quarters to make it easier to work with. Pinch off a piece and roll into balls about 3/4 inch in size or so. You may need to use some flour on your hands to keep the balls from sticking.
Some people prefer to make these in the same way that traditional gnocchi is made. In this case, roll each quarter of the dough into a snake. Cut those strips of dough into 1 inch long pieces.
To cook it, bring water with a touch of salt in it to a boil and add the gnudi. The gnudi should begin to float on the surface of the water. When they do, continue to cook for 2-3 minutes and they should be done!
An alternative to boiling is to pan fry the gnudi. This gives them a golden outer “crust” with the soft interio
Recipe Notes
Pro Tip: you can freeze some of the gnudi for future use. I like to lay it on a tray or some other flat surface and freeze it until it’s solid enough to place into freezer bags.
Nutrition Facts
Simple Gnudi Recipe (Ricotta Gnocchi)
Amount Per Serving
Calories 254Calories from Fat 108
% Daily Value*
Fat 12g18%
Saturated Fat 7g44%
Cholesterol 81mg27%
Sodium 494mg21%
Potassium 115mg3%
Carbohydrates 20g7%
Fiber 1g4%
Sugar 1g1%
Protein 15g30%
Vitamin A 420IU8%
Calcium 266mg27%
Iron 2mg11%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
What is the difference between gnocchi and gnudi? Gnocchi is firmer and is made with starch, such as flour or potato, while gnudi are soft, creamy balls of ricotta and Parmesan cheeses, typically made with little or no flour, and may include a coating of semolina flour.
Here's the thing: both of the main ingredients in this dish—ricotta and boiled spinach—are mostly water. These dumplings, made out of ingredients that are mostly water, will absolutely fall apart if there is even a little bit too much water in them.
Gnudi is the Tuscan word for "naked" (in standard Italian nudi), the idea being that these "pillowy" balls of ricotta and spinach (sometimes without spinach, which is also known as ricotta gnocchi) are "nude ravioli", consisting of just the tasty filling without the pasta shell.
Comparatively speaking, ricotta gnocchi are quicker to prepare (just mix everything together- no potatoes to boil here!) and the texture is light and fluffy in a unique “spongey” type way. As for the taste, potato gnocchi taste like…. potato, whereas ricotta gnocchi are more mild in flavor.
pasta, neither is really the better option. Regular pasta is higher in protein and has small amounts of some nutrients, while gnocchi is lower in calories and carbohydrates. But because gnocchi is smaller and denser, it's likely that you'd end up eating bigger portions than if you were eating regular pasta.
A very popular way to serve gnocchi is with tomato, basil and mozzarella. This simple trio is at the base of the famous Gnocchi alla Sorrentina, in the Sorrento style, where the gnocchi are baked and the melted mozzarella binds the sauce and the gnocchi with cheese strings.
Add just enough flour to hold the dough together, and don't overmix. The culprit in tough gnocchi is usually one of two things (or both): too much flour in the dough or too much kneading.
If you overdo it with flour, your gnocchi will be too hard, if you put too little they will break during cooking. The rule says that the flour must be at most a third of the amount of potatoes.
The word chooch is another bastardization of a word in Italian, ciuccio. In most of Italy, this means "pacifier", but in southern Italian slang, it means "donkey". The southern Italian migrants to the U.S took this term and over time it became chooch. It is used to describe someone as stupid. Don't be a chooch!
: peperoncini [-ni]) is the generic Italian name for hot chili peppers, specifically some regional cultivars of the species Capsicum annuum and C. frutescens (chili pepper and Tabasco pepper, respectively).
You should have about 16 to 20 finished gnudi. Sprinkle any remaining semolina in the bowl over the formed gnudi. Cover baking dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 and up to 3 days, turning the gnudi once per day. Once gnudi have formed a skin, they can be frozen.
Do not add too many gnocchi at once, or the water temperature of the boiling water will drop (especially if the gnocchi have been frozen), and the gnocchi may turn mushy. Depending on the size of your pot, you may need to boil the gnocchi in 3 to 4 batches.
Plus, it has too much protein: High-protein wheat results in chewy gnocchi. If you want to be true to Italian gnocchi, look for imported Italian flour marked "00 tenero," which is milled from soft wheat with a low protein content.
Whenever possible, we recommend using a cheesy alternative for ricotta when cooking, but sour cream and Greek yogurt are both a-okay in a pinch! And they're great in baked goods.
Ndunderi: The Amalfi Coast specialty originally made with farro and curdled milk. Gnocchi alla Romana: Made with semolina and milk, this variety is shaped into squares and baked rather than boiled. Ricotta gnocchi: Also known as ravioli gnudi (“naked ravioli”), these are made with ricotta cheese instead of potatoes.
Carrots, beets, broccoli, winter squash, and more can easily become a bowl of perfect pillowy bites. In my experience, gnocchi cravings and pasta cravings are very different things.
The most effective way to explain the “gn” sound is to equate it to the front end of The Three Stooges' “nyuk, nyuk,” a rather sideways explanation to be sure, but accurate. So gnudi is simply “nudie” with that prefix; gnocchi is “oaky” the same way.
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Introduction: My name is Cheryll Lueilwitz, I am a sparkling, clean, super, lucky, joyous, outstanding, lucky person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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