Spinach Gnudi with Spicy Pomodoro
This spicy spinach gnudi dumpling is a pasta-like dish. It's pure comfort food, and a great way to serve greens to picky eaters.
Servings: 4
Calories: 642kcal
Equipment
Ingredients
Sauce Ingredients:
- 2-3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 peperoncino minced
- 1 medium shallot finely chopped
- 4-5 garlic cloves minced
- pinch of salt
- ½ tsp red pepper flakes
- 16 basil leaves
- 1 ½ - 2 lb. diced tomatoes canned or fresh
Gnudi Ingredients
- 1 lb. frozen spinach
- 1 lb ricotta
- 1 ½ cups flour
- ½ cup parmesan
- 2 tbsp breadcrumbs or similar
- 2 eggs
- salt & pepper red pepper flakes, pepper, and nutmeg to taste (I use ~1/2 of a fresh nutmeg grated with a microplane)
- red pepper flakes
- nutmeg to taste (I use ~1/2 of a fresh nutmeg grated with a microplane)
Instructions
- Defrost the spinach. Remove as much liquid as you can.
- Bring a pot of water to boil.
- While you wait, start your sauce by heating the olive oil over medium/medium-high heat. Add the peperoncino, shallot, garlic, salt, red pepper flakes, and basil.
- Once the garlic looks cooked but is not yet brown, add the tomatoes. taste and adjust seasoning. If it tastes too acidic, add a pinch of sugar. Once the tomatoes are brought to temperature lower the heat to simmer and cover for 20-30 minutes. If a smoother consistency is desired, blend the sauce.
- In a food processor combine the spinach, egg, ricotta, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Pulse 5-10 times.
- Add the flour and breadcrumbs. Pulse until it begins to form a ball and ingredients are mixed well.
- With wet hands, make 1-inch balls of dough and drop into salted, boiling water. When they float, remove them from the water and place on a rack or in a collander to drain. I like to turn off the sauce add the gnudi to the sauce so they absorb some of the flavors. Serve with grated parmesan and chopped basil.
Video
Notes
Feel free to skip making the homemade sauce and add your favorite store-bought version.
Squeezing out the liquid in the spinach ensures you won't have to add too much flour. A flour-heavy dumpling can be chewy, and these dumplings are fluffy.
If your hands get dry while rolling the dough into balls, the batter will start to stick to your hands. Simply re-wet your hands to prevent sticking and repeat.
Gnudi can be frozen. Once you make the balls of spinach and ricotta, place on a baking sheet and transfer to the freezer. Once frozen, you can transfer to a freezer bag for easy storage. They will be good for up to 1 month. Defrost when ready to eat.
This recipe was adapted from a recipe from Deluca Trattoria in El Segundo, CA.Nutrition
Calories: 642kcal | Carbohydrates: 67g | Protein: 33g | Fat: 29g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 11g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 148mg | Sodium: 494mg | Potassium: 1415mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 14659IU | Vitamin C: 49mg | Calcium: 693mg | Iron: 10mg
