Ricotta and Chard Gnocchi

Angela loves this simple gnocchi soup - ricotta and chard gnocchi in chicken broth.

We were lucky enough to take cooking classes in Italy with people who shared authentic recipes passed down through generations in theif family. One recipe was this ricotta and chard version of gnocchi - a little different than the tender flour or potato dumplings we've had before.

These delicately-flavored dumplings are fairly easy to make and freeze well. You can serve them with melted butter and Parmesan cheese, a meat or tomato sauce, or cooked in chicken broth, which is Angela’s favorite.

A few years ago, we grew multi-colored chard with yellow, white, orange, and red stems and our vegetable garden was gorgeous to look at. We were surprised to see how many re-seeded for the next couple of years. Spinach, kale, or arugula is a good substitute for chard. If you use frozen, make sure you drain it well before using.

Ingredients

1 lb. Chard, spinach, or arugula, rinsed, and stems removed
1 ½ cups low-fat ricotta
2 beaten eggs
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 tsp black truffle salt
1/8 tsp. Ground Nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground pepper
2 cups flour
1 tsp. Extra-virgin olive oil
2 quarts broth, meat gravy, or marinara sauce

Instructions

Finely chop the greens. Add ricotta, eggs, parmesan, nutmeg, salt and pepper, and combine the ingredients.

Spread flour on work surface and dust your hands with flour. Take about 1 tablespoon of the mixture and roll it into a ball with your hands. Continue rolling, dusting your hands and the work surface frequently, until all the mixture is used.

Pour the oil into a large frying pan and lightly brown the gnocchi balls, stirring frequently but gently. In another pot, bring the sauce or broth to a boil, reduce heat, and add all the gnocchi. Cook for 3-5 minutes, making sure the gnudi do not stick to each other.

You can serve this with additional Parmesan cheese if you like. We never seem to get enough of that cheese!

Serves 6.

Note: if you are going to freeze the gnocchi, cook them in boiling salted water 3-5 minutes, drain and let cool, and then place in labeled freezer bags.