Ricotta Gnocchi with Bolognese
Serves 4-6
Equipment
- Food processor
- Bowl
- Large pot
- Large Bowl
- Sheet tray
Ingredients
Bolognese
- 1 medium onion quartered
- 2 carrots peeled and roughly chopped
- 1 celery stalk roughly chopped
- 8 oz cremini mushrooms
- 6 cloves garlic
- 2 Tbsp olive oil plus more for serving
- 4 oz spicy Italian sausage casing removed if necessary
- 12 oz ground beef preferably 80/20
- Kosher salt and pepper
- ½ tsp red pepper flakes
- 2 bay leaves
- 3 Tbsp tomato paste
- ⅓ cup red wine
- 1 28 oz can whole peeled tomatoes hand crushed
Ricotta Gnochhi
- 15 oz whole milk ricotta cheese
- ½ cup finely grated pecorino romano plus more for serving
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp salt
- ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- ¾ -1.5 cups all purpose flour plus more for dusting
- Semolina flour for dusting
Instructions
- Begin by making the bolognese. Add onion, carrots, and celery to a food processor and pulse to a fine paste. Transfer to a bowl. Add mushrooms and garlic to a food processor and blend to a fine paste as well. Add to the bowl with the other veggies. Set aside.
- In a large pot, add olive oil and heat until hot. Add the sausage and ground beef and cook, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon, until browned.
- Add in the vegetable mixture and cook stirring occasionally, until all the liquid in the vegetables reduces out and the mixture becomes dry. This will take about 10-15 minutes.
- Add in tomato paste, and cook for about 2 minutes.
- Season with salt and pepper. Add in red pepper flakes and bay leaves.
- Deglaze with red wine and cook until reduced.
- Pour in the crushed tomatoes and stir. Bring to a simmer, reduce to low and cover with a lid. Cook for at least 1 hour on low, or up to 4 hours. While sauce cooks, prepare the gnocchi.
- In a large bowl, add ricotta, eggs, pecorino, salt and pepper. Mix until combined.
- Add 3/4 cup of flour to start and gently mix into the ricotta mixture. If needed, add 2-3 Tbsp more flour at a time until the mixture is sticky, but holds together when rolled gently between floured hands.*
- Using floured hands, form mixture into a ball and cut into 8 equal pieces.
- On a floured surface, roll each piece into a 12 inch log. Cut logs into 1/2 inch pieces. **
- Transfer gnocchi to a sheet tray dusted with semolina flour. Repeat with all the dough.
- Transfer gnocchi to the fridge until you are ready to cook them off. ***
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Heavily season with salt.
- Drop gnocchi into boiling water (you can do this is batches if necessary), and cook until they float. Once floating, let simmer for about 1 minute more. Gently drain gnocchi.
- Serve gnocchi topped with bolognese, olive oil, and grated pecorino romano. SOOOO GOOOD!
Notes
*Ricotta varies in moisture content so add flour in increments until the mixture holds together when rolled in your hands. It will be sticky but still “rollable”
**You can keep the gnocchi in this shape or you can add ridges with a fork or using a gnocchi board like I did in the video
***Gnocchi can be frozen at this point, spread out on a sheet tray. Once frozen they can be transferred to a bag and kept frozen. They can be cooked in the same manner as above from frozen
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
