Gnocchi are soft, fluffy, little pillows of Italian pasta that are surprisingly easy to make. They come in multiple varieties, including potato gnocchi and ricotta gnocchi. Ricotta gnocchi come together much faster than their potato counterpart. This whole wheat ricotta gnocchi with rustic tomato sauce is so easy that anyone can do it!
I try to eat whole foods whenever possilbe. I wanted to have light and pillowy gnocchi, so I tried whole wheat pastry flour and it was a huge success. You would never notice that these were whole wheat.
Whole wheat pastry flour is finer, and also has fewer grams of protein and fiber than regular whole wheat flour. It’s fine texture is why I choose it to make gnocchi, because the texture is key!
If you want to try regular whole wheat flour, be aware that it will require more moisture to make the dough, and this recipe will not work the same with the regular flour. It will work with all purpose flour, if you can’t find the pastry flour.
Tips and tricks for the Whole Wheat Ricotta Gnocchi with Rustic Tomato Sauce recipe:
- Freeze them. The gnocchi can be frozen before cooking to use another time. Simply add the frozen gnocchi to boiling water to cook and wait for them to float to the surface, which will take a few minutes longer when frozen. Freeze on a parchment lined baking sheet, as the gnocchi will stick together if touching each other.
- These servings are small, but not necessarily light. I found that my eyes were bigger than my stomach, so be forewarned! If you are big eater, plan on making extra to be on the safe side.
- A simple sauce is all you need for these gnocchi. If you don’t have the ingredients for the rustic tomato sauce, try a simple pesto or butter and garlic.
- 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour (can sub all purpose flour)
- 1 cup ricotta cheese
- ¼ tsp salt
- 2 TBS grated parmesan
- 1 large egg
- Extra flour for rolling
- 1 TBS olive oil
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- ¼ tsp salt
- ⅛ tsp red pepper flake
- 15 oz can no salt added diced tomatoes
- ½ tsp Italian seasoning
- Shaved parmesan and fresh basil, for serving (optional)
- In a bowl, combine all ingredients for the gnocchi until smooth. Transfer to a flour dusted surface and roll the dough into ½ inch thick logs, working in batches.
- Cut the logs into 1 inch pieces. Note: they may stick together so as you are working leave them just barely separated.
- Meanwhile, add garlic and olive oil to a small sauce pan. Saute for 1-2 minutes, or until the garlic is fragrant, but not browned. Add salt and red pepper flake, and saute 1 more minute. Mix in tomatoes with juices and Italian seasoning. Let this sauce simmer for at least 5 minutes while you cook the gnocchi.
- Cook the gnocchi in boiling water for 3-4 minutes, or until the gnocchi float to the surface. Remove from the water with a slotted spoon and toss with the sauce.
- Serve with shaved parmesan and fresh basil.
Recipe adapted from Allrecipes and Bowl of Delicious.
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