Baked Ricotta Gnocchi Recipe - Chisel & Fork (2024)

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This light and fluffy homemade ricotta gnocchi that's baked in marinara sauce and topped with mozzarella cheese is the perfect way to eat gnocchi.

Baked Ricotta Gnocchi Recipe - Chisel & Fork (1)

Yes you read that right - homemade ricotta gnocchi. I've been wanting to make my own ricotta gnocchi for years and just have never gotten around to it. Well that ended today. You may remember how I shared a story about seeing a dish from my favorite Italian restaurant in Baltimore, DiPasquale's, that was baked ricotta gnocchi in a brown butter marinara sauce. I immediately knew I had to make my own version, which is the reason I made my own brown butter marinara sauce.

The thing is though, I had never made my own ricotta gnocchi. Now I've made more traditional ones with potatoes, but none that were mainly ricotta. Don't get me wrong, I've had plenty at restaurants. In general, ricotta gnocchi is super light and pillowy, yes pillowy. They just melt in your mouth and luckily my first try at these were no different.

So if you want a pretty simple dish that's entirely homemade, look no further than this baked ricotta gnocchi recipe. It's worth the extra work!

Baked Ricotta Gnocchi Recipe - Chisel & Fork (2)

What Ingredients are in this Baked Ricotta Gnocchi Recipe?

  • Ricotta cheese
  • Eggs
  • Parmesan cheese
  • All-purpose flour
  • Salt
  • Marinara sauce (homemade or store-bought)
  • Mozzarella cheese
  • Fresh basil

How to Make Baked Ricotta Gnocchi

  1. Place four paper towels on a large plate and spread the ricotta on the paper towels in an even layer. Place another layer of four paper towels on top of the ricotta. Press down gently to let the excess moisture soak into the paper towels. Transfer the drained ricotta to a medium bowl. Add the eggs, Parmesan cheese and salt and mix to combine. (Please note in the pictures below I was making a double batch)

  2. Add the flour, ½ a cup at a time, stirring with a rubber spatula.Mix until just combined and you form a ball. Do not over knead, otherwise it will be tough. The dough should be sticky. If you need to add more flour, add 1 tablespoon at a time.

  3. Place the dough on a clean floured surface. Cut into 8 equal pieces.

  4. Working with one piece of dough at a time, roll and stretch the dough until it forms a long skinny rope, about 1" thick.

  5. Cut about 1" wide gnocchi.

  6. Transfer to a baking sheet, making sure each gnocchi is covered in flour so they don't stick to each other.

  7. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Boil the gnocchi until they float, which should be about 3-4 minutes.

  8. Use a spider strainer to drain and toss with some olive oil so they don't stick.

Baked Ricotta Gnocchi Recipe - Chisel & Fork (3)

Do I Have to Make My Own Gnocchi and Sauce?

No you don't. Baked ricotta gnocchi is a very easy dish on its own if you buy the gnocchi and marinara sauce. I mean at that point it's like 4 ingredients and can be made in under 30 minutes. But while store-bought gnocchi is fine, you'll really notice the difference if you make it yourself. And no it's not hard at all. The big thing is just knowing when not to add anymore flour. You want to add just the right amount so you can roll out the dough but it won't be too dense. I've found 1 ½ cups works great.

As for the homemade marinara sauce, I won't fault you at all if you just want to buy some, but again the extra effort really makes a difference. Unless I'm mistaken you can't buy brown butter marinara sauce anywhere. So if you're going to make these, go all-out.

Do I Have to Drain the Ricotta Cheese?

Store-bought ricotta cheese is loaded with water which will make your gnocchi to wet with the current flour ratio in the recipe. By draining the ricotta of its excess water, the dough will be much more manageable to roll, but still light and fluffy when eating.

Tips for Homemade Gnocchi

  • Add just enough flour. Let me be clear. While most times, you need 1 ¼ cups of flour for this recipe, there are times you need slightly more or slightly less. Use either a wooden spoon or your hands to mix in the flour until just incorporated and where the dough forms a loaf. It should be a soft dough.
  • Don’t overmix.Just like anything with flour, if your overmix or knead too much, you’ll get a tougher gnocchi. It won’t be soft and pillowy. You want to mix until it just comes together.
  • Don’t make them perfect.Gnocchi doesn’t have to be perfect shapes or have ridges. Mine never look exactly the same but they taste great! Also you can skip the ridges. It’s time consuming and not worth the effort.
  • Sprinkle with flour when cutting and transporting. Gnocchi can get sticky if there isn’t flour sprinkled on it. As I’m rolling out the dough to cut and then cut into gnocchi and then transfer to a sheet, I sprinkle with flour to make sure it doesn’t stick. Learn from me as I didn’t do this in the past with this baked ricotta gnocchi.
  • Boil until they float.When cooking gnocchi, boil it until they float and then remove and add to a sauce.

Baked Ricotta Gnocchi Recipe - Chisel & Fork (4)

Other Gnocchi Recipes

  • Pumpkin Gnocchi with Brown Butter Sauce
  • Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Pesto
  • Butternut Squash Gnocchi
  • Sun-Dried Tomato Pistachio Pesto Gnocchi

If you’ve tried this Baked Ricotta Gnocchi or any other recipe on Chisel & Fork, please let me know how it turned out in the comments below! You can also follow meonFacebook, Instagram, Pinterest and YouTube to see more tasty meals and anything else I'm up to.

Baked Ricotta Gnocchi Recipe - Chisel & Fork (5)

Print Recipe

5 from 5 votes

Baked Ricotta Gnocchi

This light and fluffy homemade ricotta gnocchi that's baked in marinara sauce and topped with mozzarella cheese is the perfect way to eat gnocchi.

Prep Time30 minutes mins

Cook Time15 minutes mins

Total Time45 minutes mins

Course: Pasta

Cuisine: Italian

Servings: 6

Calories: 435kcal

Author: Ryan Beck

Ingredients

  • 1 (15 oz) container ricotta cheese
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup marinara sauce (homemade or store-bought)
  • 8 oz fresh mozzarella
  • 4-5 fresh basil leaves, julienned

Instructions

  • Place four paper towels on a large plate and spread the ricotta on the paper towels in an even layer.Place another layer of four paper towels on top of the ricotta.Press down gently to let the excess moisture soak into the paper towels. Transfer the drained ricotta to a medium bowl.

  • Add the eggs, parmesan cheese and salt to the bowl with the ricotta.

  • Add the flour, ½ a cup at a time, stirring with a rubber spatula.Mix until just combined and you form a ball. Do not over knead, otherwise it will be tough. The dough should be sticky. If you need to add more flour, add 1 tablespoon at a time.

  • Place the dough on a clean floured surface. Cut into 8 equal pieces. Working with one piece of dough at a time, roll and stretch the dough until it forms a long skinny rope, about 1" thick. Cut about 1" wide gnocchi and then transfer to a baking sheet, making sure each gnocchi is covered in flour so they don't stick to each other.

  • Preheat oven to 400°F. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Boil the gnocchi until they float, which should be about 3-4 minutes. Drain and toss with some olive oil so they don't stick.

  • Transfer gnocchi to a casserole dish and toss with marinara sauce. Top with mozzarella cheese. Cook for 10 minutes and the turn broiler on for 2 minutes to finish browning cheese. Top with some fresh basil and serve immediately.

Notes

  • Add just enough flour. Let me be clear. While most times, you need 1 ¼ cups of flour for this recipe, there are times you need slightly more or slightly less. Use either a wooden spoon or your hands to mix in the flour until just incorporated and where the dough forms a loaf. It should be a soft dough.
  • Don’t overmix.Just like anything with flour, if your overmix or knead too much, you’ll get a tougher gnocchi. It won’t be soft and pillowy. You want to mix until it just comes together.
  • Don’t make them perfect.Gnocchi doesn’t have to be perfect shapes or have ridges. Mine never look exactly the same but they taste great! Also you can skip the ridges. It’s time consuming and not worth the effort.
  • Sprinkle with flour when cutting and transporting. Gnocchi can get sticky if there isn’t flour sprinkled on it. As I’m rolling out the dough to cut and then cut into gnocchi and then transfer to a sheet, I sprinkle with flour to make sure it doesn’t stick. Learn from me as I didn’t do this in the past with this baked ricotta gnocchi.
  • Boil until they float.When cooking gnocchi, boil it until they float and then remove and add to a sauce.

Nutrition

Serving: 1bowl | Calories: 435kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 28g | Fat: 27g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 0g | Cholesterol: 132mg | Sodium: 773mg | Potassium: 154mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 750IU | Vitamin C: 0mg | Calcium: 650mg | Iron: 0.5mg

Did You Try This Recipe?I love seeing what you make so mention @ChiselandFork or tag #chiselandfork on Instagram and please give a star rating below!

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Chris says

    Baked Ricotta Gnocchi Recipe - Chisel & Fork (6)
    Love some gnocchi!

    Reply

  2. Vicki says

    Would this work with gluten-free all purpose flour?

    Reply

    • Ryan says

      I haven't tried but I imagine yes it would work fine! Gluten isn't super important for these!

      Reply

Leave a Reply

Baked Ricotta Gnocchi Recipe - Chisel & Fork (2024)

FAQs

Do you have to cook gnocchi before baking? ›

You DO NOT need to pre boil the gnocchi as it will cook in the sauce. Allow everything to soften slightly, then top with the mozzarella and bake until crispy and golden.

What is the difference between gnocchi and ricotta gnocchi? ›

Traditional potato gnocchi are made of potato bound together with flour and egg, whereas ricotta gnocchi replaces the potato with ricotta cheese. Because of ricotta's springy texture and the lack of potatoes, ricotta gnocchi has a lighter texture than potato gnocchi.

What is gnocchi made of ricotta cheese called? ›

Gnudi (Italian: [ˈɲuːdi]) are gnocchi-like dumplings made with ricotta cheese and semolina instead of potato flour.

How do you know when gnocchi is done in the oven? ›

Roast, stirring once or twice, until gnocchi are golden and starting to crisp, most of the tomatoes have burst, and onion is golden, 25–30 minutes.

Can you bake gnocchi instead of boiling it? ›

That's because we discovered you don't even actually have to boil the gnocchi in order to make it for dinner. Toss them directly from the package onto a sheet pan with a slew of veggies, roast them for 20 minutes, scoop into bowls, and dig in. Seriously — that's it.

Why are my ricotta gnocchi mushy? ›

Do not add too many gnocchi at once, or the water temperature of the boiling water will drop (especially if the gnocchi have been frozen), and the gnocchi may turn mushy. Depending on the size of your pot, you may need to boil the gnocchi in 3 to 4 batches.

Is gnocchi more unhealthy than pasta? ›

Nutritional Value

Believe it or not, regular pasta is actually more carb-heavy than gnocchi, coming in at around 2 times the amount of carbs per serving. Gnocchi is also notorious for having a lot more sodium, with over 200 grams of it per serving. Regular pasta doesn't have nearly as high of a sodium content.

Why is my ricotta gnocchi sticky? ›

Adding too much flour all at once

It is very easy to add too much flour to gnocchi dough, which can make these dumplings glutinous, gummy, and sticky. If you dump all of the flour into your gnocchi dough at once, you won't have the same texture as a gnocchi that has just enough flour to bring it together.

Which is better potato or ricotta gnocchi? ›

Ricotta gnocchi is simple to make, and it's faster and more foolproof than its potato counterparts. The only tricky part is adding enough flour so that your dough is easy to work with, but not so much that it becomes stodgy or tough.

What does gnocchi mean in Italian? ›

The word gnocchi may be derived from the Italian word nocchio, meaning a knot in wood, or from nocca, meaning knuckle. It has been a traditional type of Italian pasta since Roman times. It was introduced by the Roman legions during the expansion of the empire into the countries of the European continent.

Can I use cream cheese instead of ricotta in gnocchi? ›

Cream cheese: Cream cheese is made with milk and cream, while ricotta is made with just milk. The lower fat content makes the latter cheese slightly less creamy. However, cream cheese can still be substituted for ricotta.

What do Italians eat with gnocchi? ›

A classic choice for saucing gnocchi is a simple combination of butter and sage, but the possibilities are endless. Simpler sauces like pesto, marinara and vodka are good choices, as are heartier sauces like Bolognese, cheese and cream sauces. Since gnocchi is fairly neutral in flavor, it pairs well with most anything.

What potato is best for gnocchi? ›

Yukon Gold Potatoes are THE BEST potatoes for homemade gnocchi. They're dense, creamy, semi-waxy and do not retain too much moisture (if you love Yukon's for mashed potatoes, they make exquisite gnocchi).

What kind of sauce do you serve with gnocchi? ›

I've put together a roundup of my favorite sauces for gnocchi. Rose, cheesy mushroom, one-pot meat, pumpkin, pesto alfredo, and even Thai sauces for gnocchi can transform your simple package of potato gnocchi into a quick and delicious meal.

Do you need to cook store-bought gnocchi? ›

Pre-packaged gnocchi should be cooked in boiling water – just like any other pasta. Store-bought gnocchi is often quite salty. Be sure to look at your gnocchi package – if the nutrition facts show a high sodium content, hold off on salting the cooking water.

Can you eat gnocchi without cooking it? ›

The basic ingredient of store-bought gnocchi is, of course, potatoes, which in this case are precooked. But in addition there are various raw flours and/or starches, such as rice, wheat, corn, and potato. These latter are inedible when uncooked from the standpoint of both digestibility and safety.

Does gnocchi need cooking? ›

How to prepare gnocchi. Poach gnocchi in batches in a pan of lightly salted water for 2-4 minutes. Cooked gnocchi will float to the top. Strain and serve immediately with a good pasta sauce.

Should I bake or boil my potatoes for gnocchi? ›

The secret to the lightest, most tender potato gnocchi is to bake the potatoes instead of boiling them. A baked potato is dryer than one that has been boiled, which means you avoid having to add more flour to the dough to account for excess moisture, a practice that leads to over-kneaded, tough gnocchi.

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