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June 9, 2014

Spinach And Ricotta Gnocchi

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Scratch off making homemade pasta from your bucket list with this super simple Spinach and Ricotta Gnocchi (plus a review of Donna Hay’s new book Fresh and Light).


Spinach and Ricotta Gnocchi

If you walked into my place right now, it’d be no secret that I love cookbooks. Books on the coffee table, books on my couch, books on the bedroom floor, and of course books on my almost-full bookshelf. And if you looked at which books I have, you’ll notice I tend to have ones from the same authors. Once I fall in love with one book from someone, I tend to buy the others from that author, which brings us to today’s book review of Fresh and Light by Donna Hay. I have several of Donna’s books, so I couldn’t wait to read her latest one. After the first glance through, I knew the Spinach and Ricotta Gnocchi was the first recipe I was trying. I’ve made gnocchi once before, but it was so long ago, I barely remember it. With only six ingredients plus sauce, making homemade gnocchi is really easy for first time pasta makers. If you can mix ingredients together in a bowl and boil water, you can make gnocchi.


Spinach and Ricotta Gnocchi

Making homemade pasta is nothing more than flour and egg plus whatever else you want to flavor the dough (in this case, it’s spinach, ricotta, parmesan cheese, and lemon zest). Having said that, I’ve never taken the time to make homemade noodles from scratch because you need to roll the dough out thin and cut. However, for gnocchi you just roll into ropes and cut into 1-inch pieces. Easy peasy lemon squeezy. I bet you could have homemade gnocchi on your dinner table before you get a chance to run to the store to buy a frozen bag because gnocchi only takes about 5 minutes to fully cook in boiling water. They are done once they are floating at the top. Because there’s spinach in the dough, the gnocchi is packed full of vitamins and iron.


Spinach and Ricotta Gnocchi

Donna originally called for the gnocchi to be served on fresh tomato slices and basil. However, it was not quite tomato season when I made this last month, so I just fried up some garlic in olive oil and tossed it with the gnocchi. I know you can’t see the oil really well in the photos, but I was trying to show the natural form of cooked gnocchi before covering them.

Spinach and Ricotta Gnocchi

This book certainly lives up to its title of Fresh and Light. Lots of fresh produce and quinoa. As with any of Donna Hay’s work, the photography is gorgeous. Being the avid photographer that I am, I really admire her work and study it when I need inspiration. The whiteness of everything really does emphasize fresh and light.

I will admit Fresh and Light isn’t for everyone. If you enjoy being adventurous in what you cook and eat, including Middle Eastern cuisine and quinoa, then this book is for you. If you enjoy cooking traditional, low-key meals, then you may want to skip this book. I definitely consider this more on the gourmet side for hardcore foodies than for those who eat nothing more than meatloaf and macaroni and cheese. The recipes aren’t hard to make; just puts a different flair on what the average person may eat. If you’re looking to get out of that boring traditional routine, then Fresh and Light would be a great stepping stone cookbook to do just that.

Spinach And Ricotta Gnocchi

Spinach And Ricotta Gnocchi

Yield: 4
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup frozen spinach, thawed and excess liquid squeezed out (roughly 8 ounces)
  • 3/4 cup ricotta
  • 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
  • 3/4 cup all purpose flour
  • 1 egg
  • Olive oil (or your favorite sauce), for serving

Instructions

  1. In a large bowl, mix together the spinach, ricotta, Parmesan cheese, lemon zest, flour, and egg to form a soft dough.
  2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Meanwhile, on a lightly floured surface, divide the dough and roll into several thin ropes, roughly 8 inches long. Cut 1-inch pieces from each rope. Place on a tray or plate as you cut.
  3. Add the pieces to the boiling water. Cook until they float to the top, roughly 5 minutes. Drain. Serve with a few drizzles of olive oil or your favorite sauce.
© Carla Cardello (www.chocolatemoosey.com)

 
Want more? Here are some more pasta related recipes from me:


Spinach, Carrot, and Mushroom Lasagna


Beet, Spinach, and Goat Cheese Farro Risotto


Simple Olive Oil Pasta


Caprese (Tomato, Basil, and Mozzarella) Pesto


Quick and Fresh Basil Tomato Sauce


Pizza Hut Style Soft Garlic Parmesan Breadsticks with Pepperoni Dipping Sauce


Donna Hay's Fresh And Light Cookbook

If you’re ready to add Fresh and Light to your bookshelf, you can buy it here on Amazon. Or if you’re feeling really lucky, I have one copy to give away to one reader, thanks to HarperCollins. This giveaway is open to residents of the United States only, age 18 & older, and runs from Monday June 9, 2014 6:00am EDT through Friday June 13, 2014 at 11:59pm EDT. Winner will be randomly chosen and contacted by email and will have 24 hours to respond to the email. If the winner does not respond in that timeframe, a new winner will be chosen.

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Disclosure: HarperCollins sent me one copy of Fresh and Light to review and will send one copy to the giveaway winner. I was not compensated nor required to write a review. This post also contains Amazon affiliate links, which means I earn a small percentage of whatever you buy through that link. This money helps buy groceries and keep my site up and running.

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Filed Under: Main Dishes, Pasta, Rice, + Grains, Review Tagged With: ricotta, spinach, vegetarian

Did you make my recipe?

Please let me know by sharing a photo in my private Facebook group or uploading and tagging me on Instagram using #HITKrecipes (Note: If your Instagram account is private, I won't be able to see your photo)

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Michal says

    June 9, 2014 at 7:19 AM

    Unfortunately I can’t participate in the giveaway but that gnocchi looks so good..thanks

    Reply
  2. Jessica says

    June 9, 2014 at 7:28 AM

    I would LOVE to win this cookbook! I used to make gnocchi with my Italian grandmother- such a good time!

    Reply
  3. charlene taylor says

    June 9, 2014 at 7:44 AM

    Love her recipes!

    Reply
  4. carrie says

    June 9, 2014 at 7:54 AM

    love all your recipes…making this one today

    Reply
  5. Linda romer says

    June 9, 2014 at 8:56 AM

    I love grilled chicken salad. Also grilled steak salad.

    Reply
  6. Liz says

    June 9, 2014 at 10:26 AM

    I love quinoa and many other things – vegetables, fruit, etc.

    Reply
  7. Dana says

    June 9, 2014 at 11:01 AM

    I would say fruits and vegetables are my favorite healthy ingredient. I try to have one or the other at every meal.

    Reply
  8. Barb Stewart says

    June 9, 2014 at 11:54 AM

    My favorite healthy ingredient is spinach!

    Reply
  9. Ashley B says

    June 9, 2014 at 12:00 PM

    I love cantaloupe! It is always so good.

    Reply
  10. Erin @ The Spiffy Cookie says

    June 9, 2014 at 2:45 PM

    Yum I love homemade gnocchi but have yet to try adding spinach into the mix.

    Reply
  11. Katie Z says

    June 9, 2014 at 4:50 PM

    I love using different berries. I never knew before that you could bake fruits and have it taste good…

    Reply
  12. Jen says

    June 9, 2014 at 8:43 PM

    I love tomato avocado salad!

    Reply
  13. Rebeccah says

    June 9, 2014 at 9:39 PM

    These are the biggest, most beautiful looking gnocchi I’ve ever seen. My favorite healthy ingredient- summertime heirloom tomatoes. Gotta get them while they’re in season!

    Reply
  14. Julie @ Texan New Yorker says

    June 9, 2014 at 11:22 PM

    I think this might be weird of me, given the cookbook junkie/fiend that I am, but I have none of Donna Hay’s books and I’m very unfamiliar with her work. That said, these gnocchi look incredible, so now I’m very intrigued!

    Reply
  15. Kim Porter says

    June 9, 2014 at 11:41 PM

    I love using garlic as often as I can. It’s healthy, tasty and pretty versatile!

    Reply
  16. barbara n says

    June 10, 2014 at 7:47 AM

    I love to add fresh herbs in my cooking! They really enhance the flavor of the meal!

    Reply
  17. Maria says

    June 10, 2014 at 9:59 AM

    Thank you for the giveaway The recipe is one I will definitely make :)
    My favorite healthy ingredient has to be garlic.

    Reply
  18. Lauren says

    June 10, 2014 at 10:33 AM

    Favorite healthy ingredient would have to be spinach. I love eating it in salads or adding it to smoothies. So delicious!

    Reply
  19. Tracy Spangler says

    June 10, 2014 at 12:09 PM

    My favorite healthy ingredient is coconut oil. I use it for baking and cooking, my family loves it on top of fresh bread, and even our dog loves eating some!

    Reply
  20. Kayle (The Cooking Actress) says

    June 10, 2014 at 6:08 PM

    Gnocchi is sooooooo fantastic-crazy simple and easy and delicious! I love that you made spinach & ricotta gnocchi, yummmmm

    Reply
  21. Jennifer Farley says

    June 11, 2014 at 8:03 AM

    I love working with spring and fall produce!

    Reply
  22. Nicole Palmer says

    June 11, 2014 at 10:38 AM

    My favorite healthy dish is cinnamon oatmeal thickened with egg whites and chia seeds added in.

    Reply
  23. Becca from ItsYummi! says

    June 13, 2014 at 11:08 AM

    I love cooking with fresh herbs! Honestly, my favorite healthy dish is homemade tomato vegetable soup!

    Reply
  24. Cunkel says

    June 13, 2014 at 10:23 PM

    I love mango!

    Reply

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I’m Carla, a 30-some childfree single woman from Pittsburgh, PA learning how to adult alone. I'm sharing recipes for two and small batch recipes made from scratch because not everybody cooks for a crowd.

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