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These cheesy Italian ricotta dumplings are tender and chewy, and covered in emerald green pesto they’re everything that a cozy dinner should be.
Ready for a recipe you never knew you needed? These ricotta dumplings are just that: pillowy clouds of cheese that are covered in a bright green pesto sauce. They’re basically homemade pasta (not the noodle-y kind but the dumpling kind) and 100% romantic. They’re the perfect kitchen activity to spend time with a loved one (or two or three). Keep reading for the recipe!
How to make ricotta dumplings
These dumplings are similar to gnocchi, but are made with ricotta cheese instead of potatoes: they’re actually called gnudi. Gnudi result in a lighter, more pillowy dish than most typical gnocchi. (Unless you make ricotta gnocchi, like we do!)
How to make ricotta dumplings? Here are the main steps:
- Stir together the ricotta dumpling dough: egg, ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper, and flour.
- Form the dough into dumplings with two spoons, and place them on a baking sheet.
- Boil the dumplings for about 5 to 6 minutes, until tender.
- Drain and serve with sauce.
The ricotta dumplings come out light and airy, and combined with flavorful pesto, they’re a novel treat for a special meal. As we mention in the instructions below, they’re best made with two people: and that makes for a fun kitchen date! It’s helpful to have two people shaping the dumpling dough and then boiling them together. Of course you can do it on your own, but what’s more fun than making homemade pasta together?
How to serve ricotta dumplings
There are lots of ways to serve ricotta dumplings: here we’ve chosen a bright green kale pesto. However, there are lots of great sauces that would go well with these dumplings, for example:
- Simple Basil Walnut Pesto — our favorite classic pesto
- Easy Vegan Pesto — the vegan version
- Simple Garlic Scape Pesto — if you can find garlic scapes at the farmers market, this is fun variation
- Easy Marinara Sauce — our favorite classic marinara sauce
- Creamy Marinara Sauce — marinara sauce with a little Greek yogurt stirred in, almost like a vodka sauce
- Creamy Vegan Marinara Sauce — the vegan version of the sauce above
- Pumpkin Pasta Sauce — a creamy pumpkin sauce perfect for cool weather
Looking for more Italian vegetarian recipes?
Outside of these ricotta dumplings, here are a few more Italian vegetarian recipes we love:
- Incredible Chopped Salad
- Italian Pizza with Pesto
- Homemade Italian Dressing
- Simple Calzone Recipe
- Tomato Basil Gnocchi Soup
- Pasta al Pomodoro
- The Best Margherita Pizza
- Italian Vegan Pasta Salad
- Easy Pizza Sauce Recipe
- Tomato & Grilled Eggplant Stacked Sandwich
- Creamy Pasta Marinara
- Kalamata Olive Spread
- Easy Pasta Puttanesca Recipe
This ricotta dumpling recipe is…
Vegetarian.
Print
Ricotta Dumplings with Kale Pesto
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
Description
These cheesy Italian ricotta dumplings are tender and chewy, and covered in emerald green pesto they’re everything that a cozy dinner should be.
Ingredients
For the kale pesto (or substitute basil pesto)
- 2 cups kale leaves
- 4 cloves garlic
- ⅓ cup walnuts
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 pinches kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice (1/2 lemon)
- ½ tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- ½ cup olive oil
For the ricotta dumplings
- 1 large egg
- 1 large egg yolk
- 16 ounces ricotta cheese (about 2 cups)
- ½ cup finely grated Parmesan cheese (plus more for serving)
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
To serve
- ½ cup kale pesto
- ¼ teaspoon fresh nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- Olive oil
- Kosher salt
Instructions
- Make the kale pesto: Wash and roughly chop the kale. In the bowl of a food processor, combine the garlic, kale, and walnuts. Pulse 5 to 6 times until the ingredients are chopped finely but are not mushy. Add the grated Parmesan cheese, kosher salt, fresh squeezed lemon juice, and balsamic vinegar to the food processor, then turn it on and add the olive oil in a steady stream. Makes 1 cup: use ½ cup for the recipe and reserve the remainder.
- For the ricotta dumpling: In a large bowl, whisk the egg and egg yolk. Add the ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese, black pepper and kosher salt and mix until well combined. Add the flour; stir just until combined and mixture forms a ball; add more flour as necessary if the dough is too wet (we added ¾ cup flour total).
- To make the dumplings, using two people is helpful. Dust a rimmed baking sheet generously with flour. Use 2 large soup spoons to shape heaping tablespoonfuls of dough into football shapes, and then place them on the baking sheet. Then roll the dumplings with more flour so that they are fully coated (results in around 30 dumplings).
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the dumplings, stirring occasionally, until cooked through and tender, 5 to 6 minutes. (Note: The dumpling will quickly float to surface, but continue cooking for the entire 5 to 6 minutes until they are fully cooked).
- Drain the dumplings, then return them to the pan. Add the kale pesto, a few drizzles olive oil, fresh grated nutmeg, red pepper flakes, and a bit of kosher salt. Gently toss to coat. Taste and adjust seasonings as desired. Serve topped with Parmesan cheese.
Notes
Adapted from Bon Appetit
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
Keywords: Ricotta dumplings, ricotta gnocchi
This is such a neat recipe! Great idea!
I made my first homemade gnocchi a couple of weeks ago, and man alive, were they good. I love the idea of ricotta in place of potato. These sound fantastic!
Yes — we love gnocchi too! It’s a bit easier to make with ricotta :)
So does this mean no surprise Valentine’s Day recipe? We may give these a try since your paella was such a hit last year.
Hope you guys have a blast in Vegas.
Haha! Yes, so sorry to not have a surprise meal this year! But thanks for the reminder — we may have to make one just for you!
These sound like the perfect romantic dinner, especially since all parties will have the same level of garlic breath afterward. :) I forgot about kale pesto! Must make some.
Haha! Yes, the garlic breath level certainly is the test for a good meal :)
hi! i am checking out the rest of your recipes after being delighted by the raw brownies you concocted in Sept. amazing!
just wondering if you think these gnudi could be made using almond flour instead of wheat flour.
Good question! We have not worked much with almond flour, but I would think it would work as a substitute! Let us know if you try it out!
I love ricotta gnocchi, it’s one of my go-to meals especially when I’m short of time because it doesn’t take much more than 10 minutes to get it from raw ingredients to the plate! Such a lovely combination with the kale pesto too.
I’d be delighted if you did another surprise meal. Even more so if I knew I was your inspiration :-)
I’m not sure which sounds better.. the pesto or the ricotta dumplings!? Wow.
I’m going to try these with goat cheese instead of ricotta. Let me know if you have any thoughts on how much I might use. I’ll report back with my results!
Sounds like a great idea! I guess I’d start with the same amount of cheese as the ricotta, and see where that takes you (and then add enough flour to make them just come together into a dough). Excited to see how they turn out!
Cool! I’d love to try these and I’m a little jealous of the warm weather, although it’s been warming up a little here in WI, so I can’t complain too much!