The easiest pasta you can make at home
Homemade pasta on a weeknight is possible with this new recipe.
It’s a shame homemade pasta isn’t more of a weeknight dinner staple. Because there is no easier way to jazz up a dreary Tuesday (arguably the worst day of the week) than a few minutes working with your hands followed by a reward that takes the form of a bowl full of carbs and cheese.
And I get it: Breaking out the pasta machine can feel like a lot after a long day! But that doesn’t mean the dream of homemade pasta during the week has to die. It just needs to adapt, specifically to one particular pasta: ricotta gnocchi.
Most gnocchi recipes require you to cook potatoes until soft, then rice them and mix with flour and eggs to form a soft dough. This Easy Ricotta Gnocchi recipe swaps out the potatoes for ricotta cheese, and in doing so simplifies the process. All you have to do is mix ricotta, Parmesan cheese, an egg yolk, salt, and flour to form a slightly sticky dough. Then just divide into fourths, roll into logs, and cut the dough into little dumplings. (No shaping with a gnocchi board or the back of a fork needed.) The pasta cooks in boiling water for less than two minutes. (These gnocchi can also be frozen, for an even faster way to enjoy homemade pasta for dinner.)
Recipe developer David Turner set out to deliver an easy mealtime staple when he first conceived of this recipe, but just as important was the quality of the pasta itself. “My goal was to make the most tender gnocchi,” he says. “During testing, I found the three keys to achieving that were the type of cheese you use, taking time to drain the ricotta, and the way you handle the dough.”
DT recommends using a ricotta that is free of gums and stabilizers to achieve the best texture, and he recommends freshly grated Parmesan as well. Another important step is the brief drain of the cheese on paper towels to rid it of some moisture before combining it with the other ingredients. “This ensures the dough is not too wet, which could cause the gnocchi to fall apart when cooked,” he explains. Finally, when mixing and shaping the dough, handle it with a gentle touch to ensure the gnocchi turn out light and bouncy.
When it comes time to serve the gnocchi, DT also recommends staying simple. “I like to enjoy the gnocchi plain, with just butter and salt,” he says. “But pesto would be nice as well.”
Ultimately, DT advises keeping an ease-oriented mindset through the whole recipe. “Don’t overthink it, and don’t overwork it. Ricotta gnocchi are simple by nature.” Now that’s the exact attitude my Tuesdays are missing.
Learn more about making pasta at home in our new guide on How to Make Pasta.
Cover photo by Patrick Marinello; food styling by Yekaterina Boytsova.
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