Spinach Ricotta Gnocchi
This Spinach Ricotta Gnocchi is an easy and tasty homemade pasta that’s ready in just 30 minutes!
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As I’ve noted many times in the past here on the blog, we’re big fans of game nights here. To be fair, we don’t do game nights nearly as often now that Robbie is getting older. (He’ll be 5 in a couple of months.) However, we still look for opportunities to pull out Settlers of Catan or Ticket to Ride (affiliate links). (If you’ve never played Settlers, then you need to play it. It’s amazing! Allegiances between other players shift and morph throughout the game – always a good way to see who your real friends are! Hah. Kidding.)
Speaking of games, we’ve gotten into playing board games with Robbie now. Nothing too crazy. He’s still a few years away from the complex strategy games, but he does love a good round of Chutes and Ladders. I’ve been thinking lately that it might be time to introduce him to Monopoly. What do you think? Still too young? Sure, Monopoly can get cut-throat and merciless, too, but I’d probably start him off with Monopoly, Jr.
Monopoly, Jr. still has Park Place and Boardwalk (it is Monopoly, after all), but the other streets have been replaces with things like “Burger Joint,” “Ice Cream Parlor,” and “Pet Store.” Did you know that the streets in the classic version of Monopoly are all named after streets in Atlantic City, New Jersey? The map below shows the Monopoly streets superimposed on a map of Atlantic City. Kinda cool, huh?
Spinach Ricotta Gnocchi
On board game nights, we typically whip up something easy for dinner. Sometimes we order pizza. Sometimes we make classic bar food like nachos or loaded tater tots. However, this time, I made an easy pasta. This Spinach Ricotta Gnocchi is seriously one of the easiest recipes you’ll ever make – and you get to brag that you made homemade pasta!
For this Spinach Ricotta Gnocchi, I simply added a box of frozen spinach (thawed and drained) to the ricotta gnocchi I made with this veal ragu. The mixture couldn’t be easier to make, and the gnocchi cooks in about 2-3 minutes. We cheated this time and served it with jarred pasta sauce, but you could easier whip up a homemade sauce while the ricotta mixture is resting. (I’ve included my super easy sauce recipe in case you go that route.)
One important piece for making Spinach Ricotta Gnocchi is using semolina flour. Semolina flour is fairly common, and I used Bob’s Red Mill’s version. (They have a super easy product finder tool on their website.) Semolina flour is still a wheat-based flour, but it has a higher gluten content. That makes it ideal for pastas and even some Italian breads. I’ve seen some recipes that use ½ semolina and ½ all-purpose flour. I suspect the gnocchi might fall apart if you used 100% all-purpose flour. The good news is semolina is fairly inexpensive and not that hard to find.
I hope you enjoy this Spinach Ricotta Gnocchi as much as we did. It’s an easy, tasty meal that comes together in about 30 minutes. You can’t beat that!
Did you make this Spinach Ricotta Gnocchi at home? Leave a comment, or snap a photo and tag me on Instagram (@Spicedblog). Cheers!
Spinach Ricotta Gnocchi
Ingredients
For the Gnocchi
- 15 oz. whole milk ricotta cheese
- 1 cup semolina flour
- 3 large egg yolks
- 10 oz. frozen spinach thawed and drained
- ¾ cup finely grated Parmesan cheese plus more for serving
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
For the Sauce
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 medium white onion diced
- 2 tsp garlic minced
- 28 oz. crushed tomatoes
- 2 Tbsp fresh parsley minced, plus more for serving
- ½ tsp sugar
- ¾ tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
Instructions
For the Gnocchi
- Using several paper towels, squeeze the excess liquid from the thawed spinach.
- Using a medium mixing bowl, add all gnocchi ingredients; stir until well combined.
- Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let rest for ~30 minutes. (Note: This is a good time to make the sauce.)
- While dough is resting, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
- Roll dough into a log approximately 1" thick. (Tip: Roll log in extra semolina flour to keep it from sticking.) Slice log into ~1" pieces.
- Add gnocchi to boiling water; cook until gnocchi float (~1-2 minutes).
- Using a slotted spoon, transfer the cooked gnocchi into a large bowl.
- To serve, add sauce to plates and top with gnocchi. Before serving, drizzle top of dish with olive oil and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and freshly chopped Italian parsley.
For the Sauce
- Using a medium saucepan, add olive oil and place over medium-high heat. Once hot, add onions and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the garlic, crushed tomatoes, parsley, sugar, salt and pepper; stir until well combined.
- Reduce heat to medium-low and continue cooking for 20 more minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Reduce heat to low to keep sauce warm until needed for serving.
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Just a quick question. When you say that the spinach should be drained, how drained do you mean? Squeezed dry, somewhat wet, what? Thanks
Hey Mary! That’s a great question, and I’ll update the recipe to be more specific for other folks. For this recipe, I thawed the spinach in a large bowl and then used paper towels to squeeze out most of the liquid. I hope this helps! 🙂
I can’t believe that Robbie is almost 5, David! And you totally blew my mind with that Monopoly street map – I had no idea.
Your ricotta gnocchi looks just perfect. I prefer ricotta to potato gnocchi for its lighter texture, so this dish is right up my alley!
You’re telling me, Marissa – Robbie is growing like a weed! It seems like just yesterday when I was sharing Baby Robbie here on the blog. But now we’re into board games and baseball in the backyard…I kinda like it, though!
And, yes, this ricotta gnocchi is quite tasty. It’s light and airy, and it’s really easy to make, too! Believe it or not, but this is totally a weeknight meal. 🙂
Lovely. Since I haven’t been able to use my hands this year because of pain, followed by surgeries, i have discovered some really good jarred red sauces. Surprisingly great. A while back I would have snickered at your admission! Now I get it, although I still don’t understand why there’s sugar in jarred sauces. Anyway, it’s gnocchi time! A perfect fall meal.
You know, there really are some tasty jarred sauces out there. And it seems like the “boutique” sauce market has really exploded…at least up here. I was wandering in the sauce section the other day, and there were a bunch of high-end sauces that I’d never heard of. Either way, a good jarred sauce does make life easier on busy nights! Hopefully the pain subsides for you soon, Mimi.
Oh this is so funny… I have been craving this lately, and my Mum always makes it – so I mentioned it to her. And then your post popped up – if that isn’t fate, I don’t know what is! Delicious, my friend!
That is most definitely fate then, Alex! I hope you get a chance to make it soon. 🙂
We love playing games too. Usually game night is Friday nights for us. It’s a great way to end a work week. I would love to have this spinach ricotta gnocchi for our game night. Yum!
I agree with you, Dawn – games on Friday night is always a lot of fun. Definitely something to look forward to! And I do highly recommend this spinach ricotta gnocchi – it’s surprisingly easy to make, and that means more time for games!
David,
Watch out! Robbie might beat you up ruthlessly in monopoly. Don’t underestimate the new kids this generation, they are far ahead of what we were when 5 lol! Speaking from my first hand experience.
Your gnocchi looks terrific and I’m amuses that you used semolina instead of plain flour as the ones that I usually have had in the past is half and half. Your spinach stands out in the dish making me want to indulge tonight into making it as I have all the ingredients on hand except semolina flour. Thanks
Oh you’re telling me, Hasin! We’ve already begun noticing the trends with kids in this generation. I always loved board games as a kid, and it seems like Robbie is following in my footsteps there!
So I agree that half semolina and half flour would totally work here, too. However, the full semolina was quite tasty! We’ve started keeping semolina flour in stock as ricotta gnocchi is a favorite for busy weeknights. I hope you get a chance to try it sometime! Thanks so much, my friend!
Game night and a plate of this sounds like the most perfect way to spend an evening! Haven’t had a proper game night in quite a while so thanks for the reminder! I bought a strategy one a while back where you have to escape an area and I think it’s time to break it out (no pun intended, lol) 🙂
Summer is a bit slower in terms of game nights here, too, Dawn. However, the colder (and darker) evenings are starting to arrive so that means we’re inside more. Games are a fun way to pass the time! Get out that break out game…perhaps with a pizza and a glass of wine?? 🙂
I love malfatti! Haven’t made them in ages, though. I may need to remedy that pronto. And although I did know the property names in Monopoly were based on Atlantic City I’d never seen that map. Really cool.
I thought that was a pretty fascinating map of Atlantic City with the Monopoly properties superimposed on top, too. I love random trivia like that! And, yes, I highly recommend making a batch of malfatti soon. Yum! 🙂 Thanks, Frank!
Nothing better than game night! You’re starting a great tradition. I rarely eat gnocchi. It’s just one of those things that I never think about. I really need to change that, because I do love them. This spinach version looks amazing. I can’t wait to try.
Gnocchi has always held a special place in my heart (err, belly?) after I learned how to make it in Rome. However, that was a potato version – still delicious, but much heavier. This ricotta version is tasty and easy to make, too! I highly recommend making a batch of these soon – it’s a much easier dinner than you might expect. Thanks, Kathy!
Robbie is almost five…wow – what can I say! You should definitely get him featured on your blog one day; kind of “dad-and-son-recipe-development-project”! These gnocchi look phenomenally delicious, and the combination of ricotta, parmesan, spinach, and tomato sauce is just spot on!
Time flies, doesn’t it? I can’t believe the little guy is almost 5! But you’re right…that would be fun to do a post with photos of Robbie helping me in the kitchen. Problem is I’ll have to get Laura to come over and take those photos – unless you want to come down to help? I’ll let you sample whatever we’re cooking that day! Haha.
Game night or not, this meal would be fabulous! Such a comfort food meal.
Both of my sons and my husband play and love Settlers of Catan AND Ticket to Ride! 🙂 ~Valentina
I’m with ya, Valentina! Easy dinners like this are great no matter the night. Plus, making homemade pasta in 30 minutes? That’s just awesome! 🙂 Thanks so much, my friend!
Gnocchi has got to be one of my favorite foods EVER, and your Spinach Ricotta Gnocchi sounds and looks absolutely divine, David! What an excellent and delicious idea. Talk about the perfect game night meal! Had no idea about the Monopoly Streets, what a fun fact. That’s a great game to start playing with Robbie, I need to introduce it to my daughter!
I’m with ya on the gnocchi, Shannon! I love the potato version even if it does take a bit longer to make. This ricotta version is so easy, and it’s packed with flavor (and other good stuff) thanks to the spinach! Thanks so much, my friend!
this looks delicious david but i’m curious about loaded tater tots? do fill me in:-)
Ah! Loaded tater tots are like nachos…except you use tater tots as the base instead of chips. In fact, I posted a loaded tots (called totchos) post a couple years back – https://spicedblog.com/pulled-pork-totchos.html. I’m not sure if tater tots are only an American thing though??
I love board games too specially those two you mentioned, Settlers of Catan and Ticket to Ride, have those on my collection. Have you played Secret Hitler and Puerto Rico, they are good too.
Anyways your gnocchi looks delicious, it reminds me to make some soon as I havent made them for ages
Secret Hitler and Puerto Rico? I’m not familiar with those, but I’m hopping over to put them on my Amazon wishlist right now! We love a good board game around here. 🙂 Thanks for the recommendation, Raymund!
This looks absolutely delicious David pinning for later. We had so many game nights last year in summer. Missed it this year 🙁 This reminds me of my childhood. I still have the original Monopoly from my childhood 😉
Yeah, the game nights with friends definitely took a hit this year. We’ve enjoyed doing puzzles and playing 2-person games here at home. Hopefully we’ll be able to get back to regular game nights soon, though! Thanks so much, Rahul!
Omg! I’m in for a satisfying meal, this recipe looks simple and easy to follow, I am seeing first time, that Semolina flour is used to make the gnocchi. Usually I use store brought Gnocchi, but always wanted to make it at home, not waiting for a game night, will try them right away, thank you for the recipe!
Hey, I love store-bought gnocchi, too! It’s so easy and delicious. However, there is something extra special about making it at home. Most gnocchi is potato gnocchi, and while it is quite tasty, it does take longer to make. This ricotta version is super quick and easy! I do highly recommend it. Thanks so much, Aarthi!
Greetings from Perth, Western Australia. I somehow stumbled across your recipe this evening and decided to do my usual last minute cooking madness. Anyway, I was intrigued by the use of semolina flour, but thought it would be a good way to use up my packet of semolina flour in the cupboard.
Long story short, these were DELICIOUS. My vegetarian wife and my sceptical kids loved them. I guess you can’t really go wrong with ricotta and parmesan for kids 🙂
I decided to add a pinch of nutmeg and also lemon zest to the mix. I can thoroughly recommend the lemon zest, really added to the flavour.
These were light and we loved them. Thanks for the new inspiration. Will make them again.
Greetings Jake from Perth! I’m really glad you stumbled across this recipe (and my site in general). I love this gnocchi recipe – not only it is quite tasty, but it’s also quite easy to make. I’m glad it was a huge hit in your house! And good tips on the nutmeg and lemon zest. I’ll have to try those out next time I make a batch. Glad to hear that this recipe earned a spot on your list of things to make again! Cheers, my friend!