Winter
Gnocchi Verde (Spinach and Ricotta Dumplings)
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58 Reviews
jencordes
February 5, 2022
These were fantastic. I used 21 ounces of baby spinach (a one pound package + a 5 ounce package). I boiled water and then turned it off an added the spinach for 2-3 minutes. I strained it in a colander, pressing it multiple times with a spoon and then wrung it out completely in a flour sack towel. I strained ricotta in a coffee filter. The filter was wet but a had minimal leakage. Everything else was measured and followed as indicated by the recipe. I did use gf flour and refrigerated them for an hour. Mine held together beautifully. Do not boil them. Simmer them at a low(ish) temp. The only thing I’d change next time is not to use 4 T butter when sautéing the spinach. I think olive oil here would have been fine. Too much butter for my waistline.
VIPfood52
January 29, 2022
These are absolutely delicious. I love the recipes from the Time-Life cookbooks.
karin.anderson.52
March 5, 2021
I made the gnocchi twice - the first time they came out perfect and I gave them five stars in my recipe program. The second time they quickly desintegrated in the water, and were a complete loss. I made them both times exactly the same way, squeezed the water from the spinach, cooked them in very gently simmering water.
Being completely baffled, I came up with the only difference: the brand of ricotta I used. The ricotta I used the second time must have contained more water. In another recipe for ricotta gnocchi I found the urgent advice to DRAIN the ricotta in a milk cloth lined strainer for several hours (or overnight) before using - otherwise they would fall apart!
Being completely baffled, I came up with the only difference: the brand of ricotta I used. The ricotta I used the second time must have contained more water. In another recipe for ricotta gnocchi I found the urgent advice to DRAIN the ricotta in a milk cloth lined strainer for several hours (or overnight) before using - otherwise they would fall apart!
Cassandra C.
February 28, 2021
Amazingly lucky first try. No disintegration here. My friend asked for the recipe!
Used 1 16 ounce bag of frozen spinach. Let it cook a long while on the stove - simmering on x-lo while I did stuff around the house to evaporate the liquid.
I used a lot of flour when shaping - after chilling shaped snakes with the dough and used my bench scraper to cut off the pieces.
Definitely adding these to the rotation!
Used 1 16 ounce bag of frozen spinach. Let it cook a long while on the stove - simmering on x-lo while I did stuff around the house to evaporate the liquid.
I used a lot of flour when shaping - after chilling shaped snakes with the dough and used my bench scraper to cut off the pieces.
Definitely adding these to the rotation!
Nori H.
July 7, 2020
These were fantastic. Chilled for 50 minutes; cooked as directed in simmering water, and they held together great. Then followed the treatment suggested by a similar NYT recipe (which is how I found this one: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1020204-ricotta-dumplings-with-buttered-peas-and-asparagus), and tossed these with zucchini & halved cherry tomatoes sautéed in butter, and basil & extra Parmesan (no broiling though). Totally delicious; I'll do this again next time my no-dairy husband is out of town! 😉
daisybrain
August 20, 2018
I did look at all the comments before I made this dish and so took the precaution of steaming the dumplings rather than boiling them. I figured it would be just as simple and I'd save myself the frustration of having them fall apart. The results were excellent. I did notice that there was some discussion about the spinach and how to remove all the moisture. One person put the spinach in a colander and pressed it with a spoon. Some suggested a salad spinner. I dry greens a lot for various recipes and use this same method when making nut milks. I used two 10 oz. packages of frozen spinach. I lined a colander with a clean kitchen cloth and allowed the spinach to defrost fully. Then I gathered the thing up and squeeeeeeeeezed it out twisting and twisting until I had a tight ball of insanely dry previously frozen spinach. When you put it in the pan there is no liquid left to evaporate. I'm sorry if I'm preaching to the choir but ya never know so I shared.
judyschwab
May 21, 2021
Another way to drain spinach (and other water laden vegetables) is an old hack from Julia Child. She used a potato ricer. I first saw her use it to press the moisture out of mushrooms for duxelles. Works like a charm!
SCalabretta
February 9, 2018
I followed Sing's example and steamed the gnocchi instead of attempting to boil them. I used my bamboo steamer, and they came out delicious!
Sing S.
January 23, 2018
My test dumpling fell apart pretty much as soon as it hit the water--I probably didn't chill the dough enough. Or there was too much moisture in the greens. Or subbing kale for spinach doesn't work. Or...there are a million variables. In any case, I steamed the remaining dumplings, and it worked perfectly.
jencordes
November 26, 2022
Hi Sing- I’d like to make these again and try steaming them. Can you tell me approximately how long you steamed them for?
Thanks,
Jen
Thanks,
Jen
Juan
July 20, 2017
I've made the recipe and it went perfectly well.
If you had any problem with the recipe is because you did something wrong. I think that maybe the key is being patience enough to wait all the moisture of the spinach to dry.
The proportions of the ingredients work perfectly fine for me.
If you had any problem with the recipe is because you did something wrong. I think that maybe the key is being patience enough to wait all the moisture of the spinach to dry.
The proportions of the ingredients work perfectly fine for me.
rldougherty
May 1, 2017
I read through the recipe and I read through the comments. I tried to dry my spinach as much as possible. I chilled the mixture for longer than an hour, compacted it into dumplings and put them in the freezer. I had the water at a "poaching egg simmer." Let's just say we ended up having a version of creamed spinach. Be warned if you try this recipe, it doesn't work for the majority of us it seems. I think the dumplings need more flour and egg, and spinach that should be dried for a day or so.
DeeJ
April 20, 2016
I made these last nite, in a rush, refrigerated for only 20 min...and came out really well (considering). Yes, don't boil water too briskly. Next time I think will compact each dumpling while forming. Will def. make again!
Dan
April 28, 2015
Made these last night. Glad I didn't read the comments first, I might have gotten scared off. I didn't have any problems with them falling apart. I did stick them back in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes, after forming the balls, because they seemed a bit too sticky and the dough/batter wasn't as firm as I expected after the hour cooling. Next time I'll add bacon/pancetta to the mix to see how that tastes.
Oat&Sesame
April 19, 2015
I've+made+these+a+few+times+and+boiling+them+too+vigorously+does+break+them+down+a+bit.+These+are+one+of+my+new+favorites!++I+made+them+for+my+neighbor's+triplet+four+year+old+boys+and+they+loved+them.++
I'm+working+on+a+lemony+kale+version+for+my+blog+as+I+write+this!++
I'm+working+on+a+lemony+kale+version+for+my+blog+as+I+write+this!++
julianna K.
April 16, 2015
Yes...if the water is boiling too rapidly things can fall apart- think poached eggs or anything delicate.
RoastedBeet
April 16, 2015
There had been a lot of discussion about the consistency of the dumplings, but I wonder if the temperature of the water makes an important difference. IOW, if the dumplings are put in when the water is at a rapid boil, might they be more likely to come apart? anyone have thoughts?
Sarah J.
April 16, 2015
That's a great point! I think that if the water is boiling too vigorously, it will disturb the delicate dumplings.
Jewell N.
April 16, 2015
Total failure!! Draind spinach for about 5 hours in collander squeezing often with spoon. Cooled in fridge 1 hour. Totally disintegrated when I put it in water. Not even going to waste my time or money on ingredients to try this again.
Sarah J.
April 16, 2015
Hi Jewell, I'm so, so sorry you had problems! As I've said, I've made this recipe successfully several times, but I'm aware that the disintegration can be an issue. I'm happy to troubleshoot with you.
Sarah J.
April 16, 2015
I've also learned that the dumplings must be very compact—squeezed together super tightly—before they are boiled.
julianna K.
April 15, 2015
So I read about all the failures( disintegrating) , upped the flour, super dried the spinach and voila! disintegration! So ,yes, I baked and that is OK but if the percent of failure is as high as these comments indicate, why not REMOVE this? That is one thing I do not like about this site. Otherwise, addicting.
Sarah J.
April 15, 2015
Hi Julianna, So sorry you had trouble! I've made this recipe successfully several times, and we've also made it in our test kitchen with no problem. Many of the commenters seem to have loved the recipe, too, though a few did have trouble. I'm happy to troubleshoot with you, and sorry for any disappointment/frustration.
Todd S.
April 14, 2015
This recipe is not written well. The first step includes melting "the butter" and "adding spinach to the pan". Then, in step 5, 2 tbsp of the butter is to be added to the baking dish and the remaining 2 tbsp are for topping the dumplings. My learning is that I should read a recipe all the way through before cooking, but as written, the recipe is very misleading!
Sarah J.
April 14, 2015
Hi Todd, Sorry for the confusion. The ingredients in the list come in the order in which you use them.
Todd S.
April 14, 2015
Hi Sarah. Order is not the issue. The recipe calls for 4 tbsp of butter which are melted in step 1. The butter should be removed and set aside for use in step 5 correct? As it reads now, seems like the butter should become part of the dumpling mixture.
Todd S.
April 14, 2015
OK, I see now that 4 tbsp of butter is listed twice meaning 8 tbsp (entire stick) in total. My bad.
Mamazz
April 13, 2015
I got started late on this so I took several shortcuts:1) I defrosted the spinach in hot water and then squeezed as much water as I quickly could and just let the rest cook off 2) I only let it set in the fridge for 25 minutes 3) I skipped the boiling and when right to the broiler for 4 minutes (so glad I read the comments about this)- Well, it was absolutely fabulous, light on the inside, crispy on the outside, with wonderful flavor- a new family favorite!
Meghan D.
April 11, 2015
Epic fail! Followed recipe but gnocchi completely disentegrated in the water. Not sure where I went wrong. Now I need to figure out what to do with a ton of soggy spinach. Should have definitely done a test first. So sad.
RoastedBeet
April 12, 2015
Bummer. This happened when my mom tried the recipe and she just let the spinach mixture cook in the water, scooped it out, and reformed the gnocchi before putting it into the broiler. The next time she made it she added another egg and a bit more flour and they held together.
Anna N.
April 7, 2015
This was a delicious recipe! I took the advice of the reviews and worked hard to get the water out of the spinach. It definitely did the trick. I boiled the gnocchi liked instructed (even though I thought they were going to fall apart), but they didn't and I believe is what gave it the gnocchi like texture. I would definitely make these again!
PaolaSucato
March 10, 2015
Making the spinach gnocchi is very easy and it’s a great idea to replace the classic gnocchi made of potato and flour. I love this recipe http://worldrecipes.expo2015.org/en/recipe-spinach_gnocchi_530.html that goes well with any type of sauce, first of all melted butter and grated parmigiano cheese.
Scoobs
April 9, 2015
Hi Paola, this is a bit off-topic but it is gnocchi. Look for a recipe for Ricotta Gnocchi. You may replace your potato gnocchi with that after trying it. Far easier than potato gnocchi. Cheers!
Katharine S.
March 6, 2015
Absolutely loved this recipe. Despite the time put into making sure the spinach was sufficiently dry, it was a very easy and yet impressive meal. Quick question- Can you freeze these? I'm thinking of freezing after they cool and before they are cooked. Has anyone had success?
Scoobs
March 6, 2015
Katharine, they freeze wonderfully: cooked or not. I make a batch and freeze some because one batch is too much. Don;t put too much "effort" into the drying, just time. Blanch to wilt but don't cook the greens: soft greens like spinach blanch in 20 seconds, tougher greens longer. Use a salad spinner or the ol' spinning towel trick (outside!). Then lay the greens in a thin layer between towels, press them and let sit for 15-20+ minutes. Combine ingredients and set in the fridge for 1/2 hr+ uncovered. Making the little mice with cooled mixture is much easier (as Msophelia suggests too). Also, after forming the little mice I cool them again and use a large slotted spool (chinese one that can hold 6+ mice) to gently set in the water. The cooling combined with air drying time reduces work! Lazy scoobs. Cheers!
Rachael
February 1, 2015
These turned out pretty well. I skipped boiling them and went straight to the broiler. It worked perfectly!
Dipali
January 31, 2015
Does the mixture have to cool after Step 1? If it is hot, will the eggs not cook when added? Thanks.
Scoobs
January 27, 2015
Also called Gnocchi Del Casentino. It is wonderful. Msophelia describes what can often occur. It is crucial to dry the greens. I would recommend using fresh and blanching lightly, us a salad spinner or the old whirling towel trick and then using a new dry towel wring them out. Also, as Sarah said (I've never seen that in another recipe) cooling the Gnocchi and letting them meld allows the flower to marry with the moisture. Good job Sarah! I stumbled into that revelation when i made too much and the cooled batch did not break up at all. It is much easier to work with cooled mixture and re-cooling the gnocchi seemed to help. I recommend maybe making a day ahead.
Cheers Sarah!
Cheers Sarah!
msophelia
January 27, 2015
absolute and epic fail for me, unfortunately. the dumplings disintegrated when i went to simmer them.
Sarah J.
January 27, 2015
So sorry to hear that, msophelia! I've made these several times and they are definitely loose, but have never disintegrated. I hope you were able to salvage something!
msophelia
January 28, 2015
i was able to salvage some of them by baking, rather than simmering. they were tasty. i should note that i used frozen spinach, and wrung it out thoroughly, then let the mix rest in the fridge for about two hours before forming the gnocchi.
mys
January 31, 2015
This same thing is happening to me right now. I did a tester in the boiling water and it all fell apart. This was after chilling for 2 hrs. Planning to bake, I hope they turn out!!
msophelia
February 1, 2015
how did they turn our for you? i baked at 350 for about 20-25 minutes - put half the melted butter in the pan, then the dumplings, then drizzled with the rest of the butter and sprinkled with cheese, and baked until the dumplings felt set/firm.
mys
February 3, 2015
That's what I did too, but I only baked for 15-20 min at 350. They probably could have gone a little longer, but they still tasted really good! I would still make them again.
Christine
January 25, 2015
I have to laugh about the typo in the recipe instructing us to "bring water to a bowl" since as a southerner, that's kind of phonetically correct!
RoastedBeet
January 24, 2015
We sometimes make a version of this for Christmas dinner, served with a gorganzola cream sauce. I agree that it is delicious even if the gnocchi fall apart. Looking forward to trying this version.
Karen
January 23, 2015
This sounded so amazing that I made it immediately. I did not seem to have the same results but used fresh spinach. It just never got firm. It tasted delicious!! I am going to try it again with the frozen spinach and see if that works better.
Sarah J.
January 23, 2015
Hi Karen, You'll want to make sure to get the spinach as dry as possible and to chop it very finely. Also, you can add a bit more flour at a time the batter is really too wet. I'm glad it tasted good and I hope it firms up nicely next time!
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