How to Make Ricotta Gnocchi

This Ricotta Gnocchi is smooth and creamy, and it’s a cinch to make! It’s a great recipe for when you’re craving homemade pasta, but don’t want to spend a long time making it.

This post may contain paid links. For more information, please see our disclosure policy.

Gnocchi is absolutely one of my favorite Italian foods.  Ever.  I’m pretty sure it was a daily staple when my wife and I traveled to Italy on our honeymoon a couple years back.  If you’ve never had good gnocchi, then you are missing out.  

Like most pasta dishes, there are many different varieties of gnocchi, but flour, potato, and ricotta are among the more common types.  Gnocchi are often served with various red sauces or a simple brown butter and sage sauce.  Depending on my mood, I usually opt for red sauce or pesto…mainly because pesto makes everything better!

So the other day I noticed I had some leftover ricotta cheese in the refrigerator.  I didn’t have any immediate need for it, so rather than letting it go to waste, I decided to make some ricotta gnocchi.  This recipe is incredibly quick and simple to make and is almost foolproof…oh, and did I mention that it’s delicious, too?  You could come home after a long day at work and have dinner on the table in a little more than 30 minutes.  And you’d have time for a glass of wine, too.  (What is it about Italian food that seems to require a glass of wine?)

One of my absolute favorite ways to serve this dish is to simply toss the ricotta gnocchi in pesto and then heat in a saute pan until warm.  Top with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and dinner is done!  But don’t forget to pour another glass of wine first.

How to Make Ricotta Gnocchi

This Ricotta Gnocchi is smooth and creamy, and it's a cinch to make! It's a great recipe for when you're craving homemade pasta, but don't want to spend a long time making it.

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes

Resting Time: 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 55 minutes minutes

Servings: 4 servings

Calories: 364kcal

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients

• 1.5 cups ricotta cheese drained
• 1 cup semolina flour
• 3 egg yolks
• 1.5 Tbsp Parmesan cheese grated
• 1 tsp pepper

Instructions

• Mix all of the ingredients together until well blended.
• Cover and let dough rest for about 30 minutes.
• While dough is resting, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
• Roll dough into a log approximately 1″ thick. Roll log in extra semolina flour to keep it from sticking.
• Cut log into ~1″ pieces.
• Carefully place each gnocchi into the boiling water and cook until gnocchi float (just 1-2 minutes).
• Use a slotted spoon to gently transfer the cooked gnocchi into the pan with whatever sauce you prefer.

Notes

An easy way to drain ricotta cheese is to wrap it in cheesecloth and then place in a colander over a bowl in the refrigerator. Ideally, ricotta should drain for a couple of hours or as long as overnight. (Just do this before you go to bed, and your ricotta will be ready to go for dinner tomorrow…just keep it in the refrigerator!)