Gnudi (nood-ee) are a variety of gnocchi that involves ricotta cheese dusted with flour and then poached; you can basically think of them as ravioli without the pasta, so if you’re trying to cut down on carbs then this could be a good way to go.

Today, I’ll be showing you how to make delicious spinach and ricotta gnudi that can be made very easily. You can serve gnudi with just about any light sauce you like, heavier sauces like bolognese would cause the gnudi to fall apart as you toss them in the sauce, but I’m going to keep it very simple with some butter, fresh sage, and a shower of parmesan because…what tastes better with cheese than more cheese?

This makes for a great side dish, something to serve vegetarians, and a way to introduce the flavors of Italy to your home.

Serves 2

For the Gnudi:

2 (7 oz) tubs of ricotta cheese
1 1/4 pounds of fresh spinach
1/2 cup of grated parmesan cheese
1 egg, beaten
Flour, for rolling and dusting
Salt

For dressing and serving:

2 tablespoons of unsalted butter
5 fresh sage leaves
A few scrapes of nutmeg
Grated parmesan, for topping

Dump the ricotta into a strainer over a bowl, then leave that for an hour to drain off any excess water. (This is a step that you can’t really rush because the more water you drain, the more likely your gnudi won’t fall apart during cooking.)
Place the spinach into a saucepan with about 2 tablespoons of water, then cook over high heat, covered, until all of the spinach has wilted. Let the spinach cool before squeezing out any excess water, then roughly chop it. You should end up with about 10 1/2 ounces of cooked spinach.
Measure out 9 ounces (a little over a cup) of your strained ricotta, then add that to a bowl with the cooked spinach, parmesan, and egg. Stir to combine. Season with salt to taste.
Dump some flour into a shallow bowl, then pinch off pieces around the size of a large walnut (3/4 ounce). Toss each piece in the flour before rolling it into a smooth ball with the palm of your hands. Dust off any excess flour and place on a lightly floured plate or surface, away from each other so they don’t stick.
(By the way, you can make the gnudi up until this point and then freeze them, just pop them into simmering water when it’s closer to dinner time.)
Fill a saute pan or small saucepan with salted water, then bring that to a gentle simmer. Working in batches if necessary, gently lower your gnudi into the water and let them cook for about 5 minutes, or until they float to the top of the water.
(I do suggest taking each gnudi out of the water as they’re done as they do overcook in minutes.)
While the gnudi cooks, melt the butter in a large frying pan with the sage leaves and nutmeg. Once cooked, drain and toss your gnudi with the butter. Spoon the butter over the gnudi, then serve with a generous grating of parmesan.