Ricotta Gnocchi with Spinach, Tomatoes and Feta {Gluten-Free, Grain-Free & Primal}
A traditional Florentine pasta, ricotta gnocchi is the lighter version of northern Italy’s potato gnocchi—made even healthier by substituting grain-free flours for the traditional all-purpose flour. This gnocchi cooks up as soft, mild-flavored dumplings. They are delicious with any type of sauce you’d usually serve on pasta but I recommend sautéing them with spinach, tomatoes and feta!
If you’ve never made gnocchi before don’t worry! They are really easy to make, after mixing the dough you simply roll it out into a snake (think back to playing with play dough) and cut it into gnocchi sized pieces.
If you want to get fancy, you can use a traditional Gnocchi Roller to give them their ribbed appearance, which helps them hold sauce a little better (for about $5 they are an inexpensive small kitchen gadget)
Gnocchi can be made ahead and frozen, uncooked. Freeze them individually on a wax paper–lined baking sheet, then transfer them to a plastic bag or sealed container once frozen. Cook frozen gnocchi the same as fresh; cooking time may be extended a few minutes.
Ingredients
For the Gnocchi:
- 1 cup Ricotta Cheese
- 2 large Egg(s)
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1 teaspoon Sea Salt
- 1 teaspoon White Pepper
- 1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
- 1/2 cup Blanched Almond Flour
- 1/2 cup Arrowroot Starch
- 1/2 cup Tapioca Starch divided
For the sauté:
- 2 tablespoons Butter (or ghee) or ghee
- 1 clove Garlic
- 8 cups fresh spinach
- 1 pint Cherry Tomatoes halved
- 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
Instructions
- To make the gnocchi: In a large-size bowl, stir together the ricotta, eggs, Parmesan cheese, salt, white pepper, and garlic powder until evenly combined.
- Mix in the almond flour, arrowroot starch, and ¼ cup of the tapioca starch to form a soft dough. Add more of the remaining ¼ cup tapioca starch as needed.
- Line a baking sheet with waxed paper and lightly dust with tapioca starch. Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces. On a surface dusted with tapioca starch, roll each piece into a ½-inch thick rope. Cut each rope into 1-inch pieces and place on the prepared baking sheet. Place the gnocchi in the refrigerator until ready to cook.
- Bring a large-size pot of lightly salted water to a boil over high heat. Boil the gnocchi, in batches if necessary, until they float to the surface, 1 to 2 minutes. Drain or remove from the water with a skimmer.
- To make the sauté: In a large-size skillet over medium heat, melt the butter. Sauté the garlic until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the cooked gnocchi, spinach, and tomatoes. Cook, stirring, for 2 to 3 minutes, or until heated through and combined. Sprinkle with the feta cheese just before serving.
Planning to try this. Sounds wonderful. Are there any spices/herbs, red pepper flakes that would go with this?
Red pepper flakes would def add a nice spicy kick!
My husband just made these OMG, just like real gnocchi. Yummy!
I had to add in loads of tapioca flour as it was just super sticky……..I couldn’t roll it at all. So I think that’s why the finished item was chewy . I used free range egg’s from a farm so maybe my large eggs were just too large.
Can you offer any help…… I’d really like to be able to make this as my fussy 16 yr old enjoyed it and I love that I can freeze it
Next time, add equal amounts of all 3 flours, most likely its just a difference in liquids from the eggs.
what is the nutritional info (calories, fat, protein, carbs)?
I do not calculate nutritional info for my recipes.