Spinach & Ricotta Gnudi – Justine Doiron

There is no joy like Gnudi. These little cheese-filled, light, pillowy dumplings make me smile every time. And consider this Spinach & Ricotta Gnudi post as me formally stepping into the classic recipe, and hoping no Italian nonnas come for me along the way!

What I like about gnudi compared to other pastas and dumplings is that it is relatively easy to make, you won’t end up with a counter covered in flour, and the result is pretty consistent. If you’re looking for a recipe to dive into pasta making, gnudi is a great first recipe to try! Plus, there’s no fancy equipment required. If you have one bowl and one baking sheet, you’re well on your way to making gnudi.

What is gnudi?

Gnudi is the Tuscan word for “naked,” meaning this pasta is quite truly designed to be…well…nude! What it really means is that gnudi takes all the filling from traditional stuffed shells, but there is no “shell” to be found. So even though gnudi do boil and set into firm dumplings, they still are relatively naked by Tuscan standards.

In terms of taste, gnudi is most similar to gnocchi, but it is a lighter, fluffier dumpling with a much cheesier quality. Where gnocchi can tend to be dense due to their potato flour, traditional gnudi relies on semolina flour and cheese, making it a much lighter, softer dumpling. Gnudi also tend to be on the bigger side of most dumplings, so that contributes to their delicate texture as well.

And while traditional gnudi recipes call for only semolina flour, I opt to use all-purpose flour here. In my time making gnudi, I’ve found it helps them hold together much better.

Ingredients you will need for this spinach and ricotta gnudi

I wrote this recipe with both the gnudi in mind, but also a Calabrian butter sauce that I think pairs with the dumplings perfectly. Here are the ingredients you will need for both:

For the Spinach & Ricotta Gnudi

• 12 ounces whole milk ricotta
• 9 ounces spinach
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan, 1 ounce/28 grams
• 1/3 cup dried bread crumbs, .75 ounces/21 grams
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt, plus more for boiling the gnudi
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, 2.5 ounces/70 grams
• 1/4 cup semolina flour, 1.25 ounces/35 grams, for dusting and rolling

For the Calabrian Butter Sauce

• 6 tablespoons salted butter, 2 ounces/57 grams
• 2 tablespoons chopped Calabrian chilies, See Note

Tips and tricks on how to portion and roll out your gnudi

Once your gnudi dough is done (see the recipe box below for more info), you’re now onto the part where things get specific. Rolling out gnudi is like rolling out cookie dough, so much so that I recommend using a cookie scoop to do it!

I like to use a 3-tablespoon cookie scoop (this is the best cookie scoop on the market, by the way), and then scoop them onto a baking sheet that is lightly covered with semolina flour. This prevents any sticking.

Once they are all scooped out, I then dust them with a bit more semolina flour and roll them into balls with my hands. Doing this on a baking sheet prevents any mess, and then they are already where you’ll want to store them!

The best way to boil gnudi

Before you boil gnudi, you have to let it rest. The longer gnudi rests in the fridge, the more of a “shell” it will have when it is finally boiled. You want this, because puncturing a pasta-like shell and getting all that melty cheese on the inside? It’s something magical.

I recommend letting gnudi rest between 1-12 hours, with 5-6 hours being my sweet spot.

To boil gnudi, I like to do a “test” dumpling first. Just boil one until it floats, then while it’s floating, let it boil another minute to set. Transfer it to a lightly floured dish towel over a baking sheet. If this gnudi doesn’t fall apart (there’s a high likelihood it won’t, but it’s always good to test!), then you can add the rest of the gnudi to the pot.

If your test gnudi does fall apart, dust all your gnudi with a heavy dusting of semolina flour. Roll them into balls again, as tight as you can, and let them chill in the fridge for another hour, but ideally 4 more hours so that they are fully set.

How to prep this recipe ahead of time

This is a great recipe for entertaining because the gnudi cook quickly, and both cooked and uncooked gnudi can be prepped and stored ahead of time!

For uncooked gnudi: If you want to prepare this recipe the day before, make all your gnudi as you would normally. Cover the baking sheet your uncooked gnudi rest on with plastic wrap, making sure to wrap it tightly. The gnudi will keep for up to 24-48 hours, so when you are finally ready to cook, you can unwrap them and go!

For cooked gnudi: You can also do this recipe all the way up to the boiling step, and then reheat the spinach and ricotta gnudi on site. Cook your gnudi according to the recipe instructions, let it cool to room temperature, then wrap the baking sheet the cooked gnudi are on tightly with plastic wrap. Store this in the fridge for up to 24 hours. When you are ready to reheat them, my suggestion is to bring whatever sauce you’re using to a low simmer in a shallow sauté pan. Add the gnudi and reduce the heat to medium-low. Stirring them in the sauce, let the gnudi gently warm up for 10-12 minutes. Test one gnudi by cutting it open, if the cheese is melty, you’re ready to go!

FAQ

Looking for other pasta recipes to try?

Here are a few, some with homemade noodles, and others with just very, very good sauces!

Homemade Sweet Potato Gnocchi

Gnocchi is so fun, it’s one of my all-time favorite kitchen projects. This sweet potato gnocchi is easy to make, super versatile and relatively quick for the fact that you are technically making fresh pasta from scratch!

Check out this recipe

Tomato & Peach Pasta

If you’ve never had peaches in a pasta sauce – do not be alarmed, they are about to change your life. This Tomato & Peach Pasta is a classic burst cherry tomato pasta sauce with the slight sweetness of fresh summer peaches. Add a bit of Calabrian chili to balance the spice and this is pasta heaven.

Check out this recipe

Cheesy Butternut Squash Orzo

A little less work than risotto, but still starchy, creamy and just a *bit* on the cheesy side, this Butternut Squash Orzo is a load of comfort. It’s lightly spiced, filled with flavor and extra smooth, using a blend of three melty cheeses that are sure to make this the coziest, cheesiest dinner you make this week.

Check out this recipe

And that’s it for this Spinach & Ricotta Gnudi recipe!

If you make it, please tag me on Pinterest or Instagram so I can see! It’s my favorite thing to scroll through stories and see what you all are making.

And of course feel free to leave any questions, comments or reviews! This is the best place to reach me, and I’d love to hear from you.

Spinach & Ricotta Gnudi

Of all the at-home pastas and dumplings to make, gnudi are by far my favorite. They are the easiest, nearly impossible to mess up, and stuffed with cheese? Say less. Sign me up. This recipe makes 20 little gnudi, but it’s up to you how many that serves. I find 5-6 to be a nice little portion alongside a protein, and 8 keep me plenty full. I pair these gnudi with a Calabrian butter sauce, but a pesto would also be equally good.

Ingredients

• 12 ounces whole milk ricotta
• 9 ounces spinach
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan 1 ounce/28 grams
• 1/3 cup dried bread crumbs .75 ounces/21 grams
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt plus more for boiling the gnudi
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour 2.5 ounces/70 grams
• 1/4 cup semolina flour 1.25 ounces/35 grams, for dusting and rolling

For the Calabrian Butter Sauce

• 6 tablespoons salted butter 2 ounces/57 grams
• 2 tablespoons chopped Calabrian chilies See Note

Instructions

• Add the 12 ounces of ricotta to a fine mesh sieve. Suspend it over your sink (or a bowl) and let it it drain. I am supremely lazy and only do this for 15 minutes, but if your ricotta has a particularly high amount of water content (you’ll have water pooling at the top or see a significant amount of moisture in the curds), then you’ll have to drain for up to 2 hours. You want your ricotta to be firm and holding its shape in a half “ball” after it leaves the sieve.

• Add the 9 ounces of spinach to a large heat-proof bowl and cover it with boiling water. Make sure all the spinach is submerged and let it wilt in the hot water for 1-2 minutes, or until it is shrunken in size by half. Transfer it to a bowl of ice water.

• Squeeze all the water out of the spinach (very important!) and transfer it to a cutting board. Chop it up as finely as possible.

• Add the spinach and ricotta to a large mixing bowl. Crack in the egg, add in 1/2 cup parmesan, 1/3 cup bread crumbs, 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest, 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg, 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt, and mix.

• Add the 1/2 cup of all-purpose flour to the bowl in two batches. Gently mix until combined. Don’t mix too much, that might cause your gnudi to get tough.

• Dust a quarter sheet pan with 2 tablespoons of semolina flour. Use a 3-tablespoon cookie scoop to portion the dough into 20 gnudi. Set them on top of the floured sheet pan and dust them with another 2 tablespoons of semolina flour.

• Use your hands to roll the gnudi into balls, dusting with more semolina flour as needed. Set them in the fridge to chill for 1 hour minimum, but up cover them and they can chill in the fridge for up to 12. 5-6 hours is my sweet spot, since the longer they chill the more of a pasta “shell” they will have after boiling.

• When you are ready to cook, set a large pot of water over high heat and bring it to a rolling boil. Salt the water with a heaping tablespoon of Diamond Crystal kosher salt.

• If this is your first time making gnudi, test one dumpling first. Gently place it in the boiling water and wait until it floats to the top, typically in 4 minutes. After it has begun to float, let it boil an additional minute to set. Transfer it to a lightly floured dish towel or to a paper towel.

• Now you can boil all the rest of your gnudi. Repeat the same method, waiting for them to float to the top, then letting them boil one more minute to set. They are tender when they first come out of the water, but they firm up as the rest on the floured dish towel.

• Once your gnudi are finished, leave the pot of salted water on the stove but turn off the heat. Place a large sauté pan on the burner next to it and begin the Calabrian butter sauce.

• Set the pan over medium heat and add 2 tablespoons of salted butter and 2 tablespoons of chopped Calabrian chilies. Let the butter melt, but don’t let it brown. Add a 1/4 cup of pasta water from the large stock pot. Swirl this all together as the base of the sauce.

• Continue to add the butter one tablespoon at a time, allowing each tablespoon to melt into the sauce. After you have added 4 tablespoons total, add another splash of pasta water. As the sauce simmers, this water will help the sauce thicken into a smooth, spicy sauce. Add the remaining butter, continuing with the same method. If you find the sauce ever needs to be a bit more viscous, add a slash of pasta water.

• Remove the heat from the sauté pan and add the gnudi. Give them a few mixes to coat them in the sauce. Then serve!

Notes

For the chopped Calabrian chilies, I prefer brands like Mezzetta and Divina.