Ricotta Gnudi with Pomodoro Sauce

Pasta dumplings made with ricotta are called Cavatelli by the Italian folks of Western Pennsylvania. And they are about 1/4--1/5th the size of the "dumplings" shown with this recipe. Their gnocchi are made with potatoes, boiled in salted water till tender, drained well then mashed....NO butter or milk/cream added. All purpose flour and a couple eggs are mixed into the mashed potatoes, maybe adding a pinch more salt. The dough is soft but not sticky, just the right texture to roll chunks the size of an egg into ropes about 1/2 inch thick. Then the ropes are cut on the diagonal every 1/2--5/8 inch to make gnocchi. They are placed on a cookie sheet lined with waxed paper that has a generous dusting of flour. A bit of flour is dusted on top of the full tray of gnocchi. At this point they can be frozen on the tray, and once frozen they are stored in freezer bags in the freezer so you can cook as many or as few as you want. OR you can cook them right away in batches in boiling water till they float, drain well and sauce with what ever speaks to you on any given day! Don't forget the Romano or Parmesan cheese!!!

• Cactuscate

• Las Cruces, NM, originally W.Penna.

• 4/27/2022

I have a ricotta gnocchi recipe that is similar. But this is very easy and very good. I did as others suggested and put it in the fridge for an hour before shaping them. I made them based on the size of a large spoon and the recipe made 24 gnudis. I also added about half a cup more of flour.

• n_crutcher6157

• Canada

• 8/2/2020

Super light and melt in your mouth texture - I added a bit more cheese than called for and paired it with my favorite sauce...lovely!!

• docplusot

• asheville NC

• 2/4/2019

This is part of our regular lineup. We love this dish. It's easy and fast enough for a weeknight dinner, and light and tasty! I do refrigerate the dough, but I think next time I will try pan-frying the dumplings as one person suggested.

• Anonymous

• Portland, OR

• 9/19/2018

4 forks. My daughter's favorite dish. Using fresh ricotta is key

• lpronen

• Orange County, NY

• 10/1/2015

Followed the directions of some of the other reviews and drained the ricotta for 45 minutes before starting the recipe. I had intended to let the dough dry out for an hour, but instead covered it and refrigerated over night. The next day the dumplings were soft and firm but not falling apart. Served them with the recommended sauce next to the recipe in the magazine. I gave the recipe 3 starts because I have no idea how you could serve this to 6 people without everyone leaving hungry.

• NOVAfoodie

• Arlington, VA

• 2/24/2015

I followed other's tips to chill the mixture prior to forming, placed on a well floured sheet inthe fridge but on checking them later found they were still very moist. So I put them in the freezer until ready to cook, and they turned out beautifully, holding their shape but still pillowy soft. I did find the mixture did need more like 3/4 cou flour, even though I had drained the ricotta in a strainer for an hour beforehand.

• vgibbs

• Victoria, BC

• 1/31/2015

The gnudi came completely apart for me when I boiled them so I just had a mess of stuff in the pot and had to get out some spaghetti for dinner.

• BintangOh

• 5/9/2014

It seems I have not mastered the art of the gnudi. I had to add a LOT of extra flour, which I learned later is common if using store-bought ricotta. As it was the dough looked stickier than I thought it should be, but I was worried about adding too much flour resulting in a heavy dumpling. My "heaping tablespoons with large soup spoons" yielded me 20 gnudi, so I cooked them longer (about 8 min). This may not have been long enough as they did seem a little gummy, although not heavy if that makes sense. To give only 1 fork may seem unfair to the gnudi, but this was my experience with it. Oh, due to the ratings I used the pomodoro sauce from another recipe (Pasta Al Pomodoro) and that was delish.

• lschmidt

• Portland, OR

• 11/26/2013

I have made this three times - each time I've had to add a bit of extra flour, and I've learned that refrigerating the shaped gnudi for a bit before boiling really helps. The pomodoro sauce is so delicious, but you can cut back on oil a bit.

• Anonymous

• 4/29/2013

I read the reviews and followed everyone's advice of refrigerating the dough for a few hours. I also added fresh chopped sage and oregano to the dough to give it more flavor. Turned out spectacular.

• lowmay

• Portland, OR

• 3/15/2013

Made this for 3 kids and 2 adults. Everyone ate it but all agreed it was rather bland. Won't be making it again. Followed suggestions of others: refrigerate dough; use more flour. Looked pretty but taste was a let down.

• kaleeats

• 3/4/2013

They were okay. If I were to make again I'd use half the pepper, and refrigerate as others recommended. We found both the gnudi and sauce quite bland.

• jamiek22

• 2/19/2013

Eliminate the mess and increase the flavor: instead of cooking in simmering water, shape into small flat patties about the size of a silver dollar (remember those?)and dust lightly with flour. Then brown in butter. This gives superb nutty flavor and the pan drippings can be the base for a sauce. Yes, with increased flour to about 3/4 cup, these are quite manageable. Uncooked patties are easy to freeze.

• cheryllbrooks

• Taos, New Mexico

• 2/19/2013

Made them tonight, never having made gnudis befoe. My husband loved them. I added some sautéed chopped spinach to the mix and it provided a nice added flavor and texture. Followed others' suggestions and refrigerated the dough for at least an hour before rolling. You have to cook them at least 5-7 minutes after they've floated to the top. I also tweaked the sauce by adding a sautéed onion and some red pepper flakes to it. Very nice, light dumplings and the sauce was great too. This recipe yielded about 30 dumplings.

• craniac

• CT

• 2/17/2013