Last updated on 19-Jul-2019
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 low-carb 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 had this version of gnocchi the first time many years ago at a homey restaurant owned by the mother of a good friend of mine (thank you Mamma Bia!). Now, even if she doesn’t run a restaurant any longer, I still have the privilege to enjoy her delicious home cooking every now and then. The gnocchi stuck with me and has become our favourite homemade pasta recipe at home. 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, but I’m all about making my life easier in the kitchen, so rolling into a rope shape and cutting into small pieces works perfectly and I can say they are “rustic”! 😉
Ricotta Gnocchi
3-4 servings
Ingredients
- 600-700 g Ricotta
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese (+ more to serve)
- 1 egg
- 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour (+ more to dust rolling surface)
Directions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil In the meantime prepare gnocchi.
- If ricotta is too wet, use a dish towel to squeeze out the moisture and get a firmer texture.
- Add the parmesan, salt, egg, and flour. Mix well to incorporate.
- Roll dough on a lightly floured surface. This dough is very soft and should barely hold together enough to roll.
- Slice 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 hot gnocchi with 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.
Notes:
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). 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, and that brought the gnocchi to about 20 g of carbs per serving in total.
A white sauce with heavy cream and blue cheese would be delicious too and lower in carbs than the cream and tomato sauce. For even lower carbs, sauté some garlic and chopped fresh sage with 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.