Yummy Recipes
Gluten-Free Spinach Ricotta Gnocchi
By Mary Capone
Photography by Benko Photographics
Making gnocchi was my favorite job as a child. Rolling the dough into little pear-shaped balls and dropping them into bubbling water was as much fun as eating them. Traditionally made from potatoes, this gluten-free recipe is a delicate version of an old classic. It can be made with egg replacement.
MAKES 30 GNOCCHI.
Ingredients:
4 tablespoons unsalted butter or dairy-free alternative, divided ½ pound baby spinach leaves 2 tablespoons minced shallots 1 cup ricotta or dairy-free ricotta, well drained ⅓ cup Parmesan cheese or dairy-free alternative 3 large egg yolks, beaten ¼ cup tapioca starch/flour, more for rolling dough 3 tablespoons potato starch (not potato flour)
-Pinch of freshly ground nutmeg -Salt and pepper, to taste -Rice flour, for dusting -Easy Marinara Sauce or Brown Butter Sage Sauce
Directions:
1. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish by melting 2 tablespoons of butter in it. Set aside.
2. In a skillet over medium heat, melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Add spinach and shallots. Sauté, stirring frequently, until spinach is dry and almost sticks to the pan. Transfer mixture to a food processor or blender and process it into a puree. Alternatively, cut it fine with a knife.
3. In a large bowl, place ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese, egg yolks, tapioca starch/flour, potato starch, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Add spinach puree to bowl and mix until combined. Refrigerate dough 30 minutes.
Photography by Benko Photographics
4. Dough will be soft and sticky. If it’s too moist to hold together, add tapioca starch/flour, 1 teaspoon at a time, until you can work the dough. Using 2 teaspoons or your hands, shape dough into pasta the size of a pecan. Drop gnocchi into a bowl of rice flour and roll them in the flour, dusting off excess flour. Place gnocchi on prepared baking sheet.
5. Preheat oven to 350°F.
6. Fill a 6-quart pot 2/3 full with salted water. Bring to a light boil and drop gnocchi into simmering water, about 10 at a time. Let gnocchi cook 5 minutes, stirring gently once or twice to make sure they don’t stick together. Remove them from water with a slotted spoon.
7. Arrange gnocchi in a single layer in prepared baking dish (melted butter should cover the bottom). Pour sauce of choice (Easy Marinara Sauce, or Brown Butter Sage Sauce) over gnocchi.
8. Place gnocchi in preheated oven and bake 15 minutes until heated through. Serve hot.
Serves 5. Each serving without sauce contains 241 calories, 16g total fat, 9g saturated fat, 0g trans fat, 169mg cholesterol, 192mg sodium, 15g carbohydrate, 1g fiber, 0g sugars, 11g protein, 8Est GL.
Serves 5. Each serving with Easy Marinara Sauce contains 414 calories, 27g total fat, 11g saturated fat, 0g trans fat,169mg cholesterol, 976mg sodium, 31g carbohydrate, 4g fiber, 11g sugars, 14g protein, 13 Est GL.
For Egg-Free Spinach Ricotta Gnocchi, omit the egg yolks. Combine 1 tablespoon flax meal with 3 tablespoons hot water to make a gel. Set aside to cool. Mix 2 teaspoons Ener-G egg replacement with 4 tablespoons water. Add flax gel and egg replacement mixture to wet ingredients in step 3 to replace 3 egg yolks. Do not cook egg-free gnocchi in boiling water. Instead, bake them with sauce an additional 5 to 10 minutes (20 to 25 minutes total) until done.
