Last updated on 26-Jan-2025
Do you love pasta and enjoy the freshness of homemade dough?
Are you trying to limit your carbs or simply dislike the sluggish feeling after a big pasta meal?
Are you ready to try a gnocchi recipe that is light and fluffy (instead of dense and heavy) and just dissolves in your mouth like cheesy little pillows of happiness?
If you are like me and answered a loud “YES” to at least one of the questions above, this Ricotta Gnocchi is a dream come true! This recipe is a winner for fresh homemade pasta deliciousness, much lower in carbs than the traditional potato and flour version, needs only a few ingredients, and is very easy to make, even on weeknights.
I tried this version of gnocchi for the first time many years ago at a homey restaurant owned by the mother of a good friend of mine (thank you Mamma Bia! <3 ). We remained friends and even if she doesn’t run a restaurant any longer, I still have the privilege of enjoying her delicious home cooking every now and then. The memory of this gnocchi stuck with me and I started making it at home, where it has become our favourite homemade pasta dishes. I hope you try it and love it as much as we do!
The little morsels can be shaped individually by hand to make them more uniform and fancier if you’d like, but I’m all about making my life easier in the kitchen, so rolling into a long “rope” and cutting into small pieces works perfectly and I can say they are “rustic”! 😉
Ricotta Gnocchi
Ingredients
- 700-800 g ricotta (1½ to 1¾ lbs) full fat, excess moisture removed
- ½ cup grated parmesan + more to serve
- 1 egg
- 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1 pinch salt
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. In the meantime prepare gnocchi.
- Add all the ingredients to a bowl. Mix well to incorporate.
- Roll dough into a "rope" on a lightly floured surface. This dough is very soft and should barely hold together enough to roll.
- Slice the rope of dough into small pieces. Shape each by hand or use as is.
- Cook gnocchi in batches in the boiling water, until they float to the surface (they cook very quickly).
- Drain cooked gnocchi using a slotted spoon, transfer to a separate dish and keep warm.
- Top gnocchi with the hot pasta sauce of your choice, or mix gently (careful not to break the gnocchi) with the sauce on a large pan to heat through. Top with more parmesan and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
- Serve and enjoy!
Video
Notes
- If ricotta is too wet, use a dish towel to squeeze out the moisture and get a firmer texture.
- The gnocchi by itself (without the sauce) has about 10 g of net carbs per serving (as opposed to about 70 g of carbs for the regular potato/flour version). The final carb count will vary according to the choice of sauce.
- For the video/pictures, I made a tomato sauce with onions, garlic, chilli flakes, and heavy cream, bringing the gnocchi to about 18 g of carbs per serving.
- A white sauce with heavy cream and blue cheese would be delicious too and lower in carbs than the cream + tomato sauce. For an even lower carb count, sauté some garlic and chopped fresh sage in butter, and gently toss the cooked gnocchi in the butter mixture to coat.
- Serve with a salad, sauté/steamed veggies, low-carb bread or dinner rolls to mop up the sauce (pay attention to the carb count) for a complete vegetarian meal or as a side dish with meat.
APF is not low carb
While APF itself is not low carb, the quantity used is very small, and as I mention in the post this recipe is much lower in carbs than the regular potato and flour gnocchi. If you are simply watching/limiting your carbs and can tolerate gluten, this may work for you. If you are looking for a keto/GF option, this is not it. I’ve done some testing with coconut and almond flour but they didn’t work as replacements. I’ll keep testing and if I find something else that works well, I’ll post it here. Thanks.