You're going to love these delicious Spinach Gnudi! Made with ricotta cheese and spinach, these soft, pillowy dumplings are deceptively easy to make. Serve them on a bed of homemade tomato sauce (recipe included) for the perfect family-friendly meal.
I'm always looking for family-friendly dinner recipes. My Marry Me Chicken, Spaghetti with Healthy Turkey Bolognese Sauce, and Cheesy Turkey and Cauliflower Rice Taco Skillet are a few of my favorites.
Now I'm excited to bring you this unique dish- my Spinach Gnudi. The whole family will love this delicious vegetarian meal. It's elegant enough to serve to company but is actually deceptively easy to make.
Fluffy, creamy, and packed with flavor, these spinach gnudi may just become a regular in your dinner rotation!
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What are Gnudi?
Gnudi literally means "nude" in Italian and that's exactly what gnudi are- naked ravioli. Picture the soft filling inside ravioli minus the pasta- that's gnudi!
Gnudi are different than gnocchi, which are little dumplings made with potatoes and flour. Gnudi are soft, pillowy dumplings made with ricotta cheese (instead of potato), egg, and parmesan cheese held together with just a little flour.
They're rolled into balls and dropped into boiling water until cooked. Ricotta gnudi are lighter than gnocchi and also easier to make.
To try something different, I decided to make spinach gnudi. After all, I love sneaking some healthy veggies into my recipes whenever I can!
So in addition to the usual ingredients, I also stir some spinach and nutmeg into my spinach and ricotta gnudi. The result is a fluffy ball of goodness with a soft, creamy interior, speckled with colorful spinach.
Why You'll Love This Dish:
- So tasty- these soft, pillowy dumplings are hard to resist
- Deceptively easy to make- these spinach gnudi are much simpler to make than homemade gnocchi or pasta
- Perfect for entertaining- impress your guests with this unique dish
- Family-friendly- kids will love these spinach gnudi too! Get your kitchen helpers ready- they'll love playing with the sticky dough and rolling the dumplings around in the flour!
- Hearty vegetarian dish- a delicious and filling meatless main dish
Ingredients
See recipe card below for complete ingredient list and measurements:
- Ricotta cheese- this is the star of the dish! You want to use a good quality, whole milk ricotta cheese
- Spinach- I use frozen, chopped spinach for convenience; if desired, you can use fresh baby spinach, steam it, and chop it finely
- Egg yolks- we only use the yolks in this recipe; save the egg whites for another use
- Pecorino-Romano or Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese- I recommend buying a block of cheese and grating it yourself. Pre-grated cheese won't melt as well.
- Nutmeg- complements the spinach
- Flour- I use all purpose flour
How To Make Spinach Gnudi Step-By-Step
See recipe card below for full recipe amounts and instructions:
- Step 1- Drain any excess water from the ricotta. Mix the ricotta, spinach, egg yolks, cheese, nutmeg, salt and pepper together in a large bowl.
- Step 2- Place a pile of flour on a cutting board. Drop large spoonfuls of the spinach and ricotta mixture (slightly larger than the size of a walnut) onto the flour.
- Step 3- Roll the gnudi dough in the flour, forming it into small balls. Dust off any excess flour.
- Step 4- Repeat with the remaining dough. Chill the spinach gnudi in the fridge.
When ready to serve, bring a large pot of salted water to a gently boil over medium-high heat. Gently drop the spinach gnudi balls into the water in batches and cook about 4 minutes, until they float to the top.
Drain them with a slotted spoon and serve on a bed of tomato sauce. Garnish with grated cheese.
Chef's Tips
- Use a good quality whole milk, dryer ricotta cheese like Galbani brand. If using a wetter ricotta, drain any excess liquid with cheese cloth or a dish towel.
- Squeeze all the water from the spinach so that it's very dry. If there is a lot of moisture in the spinach, it will affect the consistency of the dough.
- Chill the spinach gnudi in the fridge before cooking. This helps to firm them up slightly so that they don't fall apart during the cooking process.
- When it's time to cook the spinach gnudi, bring the water to a gentle boil. If you drop them into strongly boiling water, they are more likely to burst open. I like to put the uncooked gnudi on a slotted spoon and gently lower them into the water.
- You'll know they're done when, after about four minutes, you'll see the spinach gnudi float to the surface and beckon you to eat them.
How to Serve Spinach and Ricotta Gnudi
Because you want the delicate flavor of the spinach gnudi to shine through, I would recommend serving them with either a simple browned butter and sage sauce or tomato sauce.
I've included my Simple Tomato Sauce recipe in the recipe card below. It's an easy red sauce that you can make while the gnudi are chilling in the fridge. However, if you're pressed for time, simply heat up some of your favorite jarred sauce. I love Rao's marinara sauce.
I like to spread some warmed tomato sauce on a serving platter and then arrange the spinach gnudi on top of the sauce.
To make a browned butter sage sauce, melt butter in a large frying pan over medium-low heat and add chopped sage leaves. Cook a few minutes until the butter turns a light golden brown and has a rich, nutty aroma.
Season the sauce with a pinch of salt and pepper. Stir in the cooked gnudi.
This spinach gnudi is a filling vegetarian dish. I would recommend serving it with a nice salad on the side. You can also serve it with some crusty bread to dip into the sauce. Try my pan con tomate (Spanish tomato bread) or my cauliflower cheesy bread if you're watching your carbs.
Recipe FAQs
Gnocchi are small potato dumplings made from grated potatoes, flour, eggs, and olive oil. Gnudi are soft, pillowy dumplings made with ricotta cheese (instead of potato), egg, and parmesan cheese held together with just a little flour. They're lighter than gnocchi and also easier to make. Both gnocchi and gnudi and typically cooked by boiling them in water.
Gnudi literally means "nude" in Italian and that's exactly what gnudi are- naked ravioli. Picture the soft filling inside ravioli minus the pasta- that's gnudi!
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Recipe
Spinach Gnudi
Equipment
Ingredients
Gnudi:
- 2 cups good quality, whole milk ricotta cheese, drained of any excess water*
- 1 package (10 oz) frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and squeezed very dry
- 4 large egg yolks
- 2.5 ounces freshly grated Pecorino-Romano or Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (about ⅔ cup) plus extra for garnish
- ¼ teaspoon grated nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour, divided use
Simple Tomato Sauce:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes, preferably San Marzano
- ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon sugar
- ¼ cup chopped fresh basil, optional
Instructions
- Mix the ricotta, spinach, egg yolks, grated cheese, nutmeg, salt and pepper together in a medium bowl until well combined. Stir in ½ cup flour until a sticky dough forms.
- Pile the remaining cup of flour on a cutting board or plate. Drop a large spoonful of the dough (slightly larger than the size of a walnut) onto the flour and lightly toss it around in the flour until it is coated.
- Gently form the dough into a ball with your hands, shaking off any excess flour. Repeat with the remaining dough. You should have about 24 gnudi in total. Discard the remaining flour or save for another use. Chill the gnudi in the fridge for 15 minutes while you make the sauce.
- To make the sauce, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until softened, 7-8 minutes. Add the garlic and cook another 1-2 minutes, then stir in the tomatoes. Season the sauce with the oregano, salt, pepper, and sugar. Simmer the sauce for a few minutes and then stir in the basil.
- Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil then lower the heat to a simmer. Working in batches, place the gnudi on a slotted spoon and gently lower them into the water. Cook the gnudi until they float to the surface of the water, about 4 minutes. Carefully remove them with a slotted spoon.
- To serve, spoon some tomato sauce onto each plate and place the gnudi on top. Garnish with grated cheese.
Hannah says
These are so, so, soooooo good! They were easy to make and received rave reviews. I served with salad greens and a light mustard vinegrette. They’re definitely on the "make again" list. Thank you for sharing your recipe!
Dr. Sonali Ruder says
I’m so happy to hear that — thank you! This makes my day. I love the idea of serving them with salad greens and a mustard vinaigrette — that sounds perfect. So glad they were a hit and made the “make again” list! 💛