Ricotta & herb gnocchi with tomato sauce

I adapted this recipe from the Healthy Eating cookbook by Family Circle and even my husband commented while eating that it "tastes healthy." I'm happy with the way it turned out and given how easy it is to make, we'll definitely have it for dinner again. Oscar loved it as much as we did too which is always a plus. The recipe made 3 big serves.

Ingredients

Here's what you need for the gnocchi:

450g ricotta cheese
35g grated parmesan
20g chopped mixed herbs (I used parsley, thyme, chives, basil)
pinch of nutmeg
120g white breadcrumbs (I used white sliced bread & put it through the Magimix)
2 beaten eggs
plain flour for rolling

Place the mixture in the fridge

Here's what you do:

To make the gnocchi combine all the ingredients (except the flour) in a bowl. I used my KitchenAid but it's easy enough with a wooden spoon as well. Once mixed, cover and place in the fridge for at least 2 hours, longer if you wish. I've made it before and left it overnight.

When you're ready to make the pasta use the flour to dust an area on your kitchen bench. Take the mixture out of the fridge and use your hands to knead it gently. Add flour to your hands as needed so the mixture doesn't become too sticky.

Roll the pasta mix into long ropes

Divide the mixture into sixths and roll out each part with your hands on the flour surface. Roll the mix into a long rope shape about the thickness a finger and use a knife to cut the mix into 2cm pieces. Put a piece in the palm of your hand and use a fork to lightly press a ridge on both sides. You want the gnocchi to be a slightly rounded. Place each piece on tray lined with baking paper.

Place on a tray before cooking

Boil salted water in a large saucepan. You need to cook the gnocchi in batches and they only take about 2-3 mins to cook. You know they are ready when they float to the surface of the water. Don't take them out too quickly as they can go soggy. Use a large slotted spoon to collect each piece and make sure to drain it well. Place in a bowl and repeat process until all gnocchi is cooked.

Serving Sauce:
I served my gnocchi with a tomato sauce. I made the sauce while the gnocchi mix was cooling in the fridge.


Here's what you'll need:

Final product - delicious!

1 onion chopped finely
2 garlic cloves crushed
800g or 2 cans of whole tomatoes
2/3 cup of thawed frozen peas (optional)
a pinch of sugar
1 tablespoon shredded basil
1 tablespoon of olive oil

What to do:

Heat the oil in a medium saucepan and add the onion and garlic. Cook over a low heat for about 8mins or until the onion is soft but be careful not to brown the onion. Add the tomatoes and simmer for about 7mins then add the sugar and peas and cook for a further 2 minutes. Stir in the basil and cook for another minute or so.

Take off the heat and let cool for a minute. Place your cooked gnocchi in a bowl, spoon on sauce and shave (using a potato peeler) some pieces of parmesan.

Enjoy!