Potato and Ricotta Gnocchi with Pomodoro Sauce and Basil
If you adore gnocchi or know someone who does, you must try making these Potato and Ricotta Gnocchi with Pomodoro Sauce and Basil. They are tender with a delicious potato and Parmesan flavor, and although they are time consuming, they are fun to make. I have tried many gnocchi recipes over the years, which usually ended with a frustrating pile of potato mush. But, I continued to search for a good gnocchi making method for three reasons. First of all, my family loves gnocchi. Secondly, gnocchi make a great, filling, meatless meal, which is something that can be hard to find. Lastly, gnocchi are endlessly versatile, they can be made with different vegetables and seasonings and tossed with different sauces, and they taste great in soup.
Thanks to all of my gnocchi disasters, I have learned a lot about making foolproof gnocchi. Follow these tips, and your gnocchi will come out perfectly every time:
- Measure all your ingredients carefully, especially your potatoes and flour. This is not a recipe where you can use handfuls or pinches of things.
- Add ricotta cheese to your mixture. It is the glue that will keep your gnocchi from dissolving in the boiling water.
- If you don’t want to cook the gnocchi right away, you can cover them with plastic wrap, and refrigerate them for three hours before cooking them.
- Only cook one scoop of gnocchi at a time.
This is a great recipe to make with kids. They can easily make the dough logs and roll them on the fork.
Finally, I must add that this is a very inexpensive dish to prepare. It only uses a few ingredients and they are fairly cheap to purchase, if you don’t already have them around the house.
Potato and Ricotta Gnocchi with Pomodoro Sauce and Basil
Equipment
- potato ricer or food mill
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes
- 2 eggs beaten
- 2/3 cup whole milk ricotta cheese
- 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 2 cups flour (240 g)
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 6 plum tomatoes
- 1/2 cup minced onion
- 2 cloves chopped garlic
- 2 tbsp red wine
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
- 4 tbsp butter
- 1/2 cup fresh basil sliced
Instructions
- Prick potatoes all over with a fork, and bake in a 425 degree oven, directly on the rack, for 40 minutes, or until tender when tested with a fork.
- Meanwhile prepare the Pomodoro Sauce. Remove the stems from the plum tomatoes, and blanch in a small pot of boiling water. Cook until the skin begins to separate from the tomato, and then drain and peel and chop.
- In a Dutch oven, heat the olive oil and cook the onion and garlic on low heat until softened. Add the tomatoes, red wine, red pepper flakes, the bay leaf, and a pinch of salt. Simmer 20 minutes, take out bay leaf, and set aside.
- When the potatoes are done baking, scoop them out of their shells, and rice them into a large bowl. Add the cheeses, eggs, and salt. Stir gently together. Add the flour, and as gently as possible, knead the dough into a ball.
- Remove a golf ball sized piece of dough, and on a floured board, roll into a thin log, about a 1/2 inch thick. Cut the log into 3/4 inch pieces. Place them onto a floured parchment lined pan. Repeat until all the dough is used up.
- Boil a large pot of salted water. Drop in one ladle full of gnocchi at a time. Using a slotted spoon remove the gnocchi as soon as they float to the top. Drop them into a colander as they’re done, so they dry completely. Repeat until all the gnocchi are cooked.
- Meanwhile, reheat the Pomodoro Sauce.
- In a very large skillet melt half the butter and cook half the gnocchi, until they’re coated in butter. Repeat with remainder of butter and gnocchi. Top with sauce, and basil.
