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This Spinach Ricotta Gnocchi with Sage Butter and Cherry Tomatoes makes for the perfect dinner from now through fall. Making gnocchi at home is easy with this recipe that uses frozen spinach and ricotta cheese. It’s light, pillowy, and tossed with juicy, blistered cherry tomatoes in a delicious nutty sage butter sauce. Serve this quick-cooking gnocchi topped with plenty of parmesan cheese. Every bite is layered with delicious, summery flavors. The perfect way to spend a relaxing night in the kitchen with family and friends.
I’m back home and already re-creating the dishes we ate in Mexico. Funny enough, we ate some incredible Italian food while in Cabo. I mean, we ate more tacos for sure. But between Flora Farms and a cute little Italian restaurant called, Romeo & Julieta we also ate plenty of pizza, pasta, and gnocchi!!
You guys ask all the time where I find inspiration for recipes. There’s no denying that traveling and eating out is always one of the best sources for new ideas. Granted there’s nothing all too creative about this gnocchi, but regardless it’s unreal how delicious it is. And I surely wouldn’t have had the idea to create the recipe if we hadn’t ordered something similar from Romeo & Julieta’s…a small spot in town.
I actually didn’t order this dish, but multiple people at the table did. And the verdict was pretty clear, the gnocchi was surely the thing on the menu to order. Well…the gnocchi and the the fresh burrata and fig appetizer.
Both are delicious…and I think I need to re-create that burrata next!
Ricotta gnocchi is easy – the details
If you have not made gnocchi at home, start with this recipe. It’s pretty no fuss and I am declaring it the best gnocchi recipe that currently lives on HBH.
You’re basically just mixing chopped spinach with ricotta cheese, flour, parmesan, and egg yolks. Yes, this gnocchi has just five ingredients. And while it takes some hands-on time, it’s really fairly simple to make. I usually put on a podcast while making, or ask the family to help if we’re doing a big dinner.
The dough comes together in no time. Once you’ve formed the dough, then it’s time to shape the gnocchi.
When it comes to forming the gnocchi, I keep it very, very simple. I like to roll the gnocchi dough into a long rope and then just cut that rope into pieces. And that’s it. No fancy tools, no fancy rolling method. Just keep it simple.
Once you’ve rolled and shaped the gnocchi they can be covered and kept in the fridge for a day or so or frozen for a few months. Then just boil them off before you’re ready to eat. I’m excited to have a batch already stashed in the freezer.
The sage butter sauce
It’s basic, but it sure is real good. Salted butter cooked together with sage and garlic. The butter browns and the sage get crispy. It’s really just perfect.
Once the gnocchi has cooked, toss it with the sauce and let it hang out in the sauce while you make the tomatoes.
Now the tomatoes
The dish that was served to us had smoked cherry tomatoes. I didn’t want to mess with smoking tomatoes (nor do I have a smoker), so I just made some simple blistered cherry tomatoes. It take five minutes tops.
Cook them in olive oil until they just begin to char. Once the tomatoes are charring, toss with thyme and balsamic vinegar. They turn sweet and become addictingly delicious.
To finish it up, serve the gnocchi and sauce with the tomatoes and extra parmesan on top.
Kind of fancy, kind of not, but definitely SO GOOD!
Tip? Pour yourself a glass of wine, or make a fun spritz, and enjoy these awesome summer nights. Oh, and a loaf of crusty bread would be delicious too.
Looking for other summer recipes? Here are some favorites:
Pesto Cheese Zucchini Ravioli with Burst Tomatoes
Pesto Peach Chicken in White Wine with Burrata
Lastly, if you make this Spinach Ricotta Gnocchi with Sage Butter and Cherry Tomatoes, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Spinach Ricotta Gnocchi with Sage Butter and Cherry Tomatoes
Servings: 8
Calories Per Serving: 327 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 16 ounces thawed frozen chopped spinach
- 2 cups whole milk ricotta cheese
- 2 egg yolks
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1 pinch kosher salt and black pepper
- 1 stick (8 tablespoons) salted butter
- 2 cloves garlic, smashed
- 8 leaves fresh chopped sage
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cups small cherry tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
Instructions
- 1. To make the gnocchi. In a bowl, mix together the spinach, ricotta, egg yolks, flour, parmesan, and 1 teaspoon salt. Stir until just combined. If the dough feels wet, add a tablespoon of flour at a time until the dough can be formed into a ball. The dough should be sticky.2. Flour the counter and scrape the dough out onto it. Cut the dough into four pieces. Working with one piece of dough at a time, roll the dough into a rope about 1-inch thick and cut into bite-size pieces. Repeat this process, placing the gnocchi on a floured baking sheet. 3. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Boil the gnocchi until they float to the top and are cooked through, about 3-4 minutes. Drain.4. Melt together the butter, garlic, and sage in a large skillet. Cook, stirring occasionally until the butter is browning and the sage is crisp, about 4-5 minutes. Drop the gnocchi into the butter sauce, gently tossing to combine. Keep over low heat. 5. In a skillet set over medium heat, add the olive oil, tomatoes and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Cook until the tomatoes begin to pop, about 4-5 minutes. Turn off the heat, toss the tomatoes with the thyme and balsamic vinegar. 6. Divide the gnocchi and sauce among bowls. Top with tomatoes and parmesan. EAT!
Notes
To Make Ahead: Form the gnocchi through step 3. The gnocchi can be kept covered in the fridge for up to 1 day or frozen for 4 months. Simply boil just before you’re ready to eat and toss with sauce.
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Maybe someone can assist me as to what I did wrong with the recipe. I could not roll this dough. It calls for 1/2 cup flour, but I added more and more and I could not get the right consistency. It was so wet. Could it have been that the spinach was too wet? Should the spinach have been patted dry?
Hey Martha,
So sorry to hear this, yes you definitely want to get rid of any excess liquid from the spinach, this is probably why you had such a hard time. I hope this helps! xTieghan
These were easy to make, and delicious. A nice lighter pasta option for summer. I served it as a side dish with some steamed cod and veggies.
It did take a lot more flour than 1/2 cup, but next time I may try the suggestion of chilling the dough to help cut back on flour needed.
Hey Natalie,
Awesome! Love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for giving it a try! xTieghan
I made the gnocchi and added some fresh basil to the dough. I did add some more flour before rolling it out and it helped. I did not make the butter sage sauce yet as I was freezing them, but they came out great. I did place them on parchment paper on a baking sheet to freeze them due to the stickiness and it worked great. After they were frozen they were easy to peel off the paper and put in a freezer bag.
Hey Renee,
Happy Wednesday! I am thrilled that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a bunch for giving it a go! xTieghan
I always thought that if this is made with potato it’s Gnocchi. If it’s made with Ricotta it’s Gnudi? I’m not a potato lover, so I’ve always had a preference to Gnudi. Regardless of what you call it, this is delicious.
Thanks! I hope you love the recipe Lisa!
Saw these and had to make it Vegan for my family. Loved it. Thanks
Hey Kellie,
Happy Wednesday! I am thrilled that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a bunch for giving it a go! xTieghan
I made them vegan as well using Kite Hiils ricotta and flax egg but they didn’t hold up well in the water. They floated to the top right away and did not hold their shape. Did you have a similar experience?
Hey Laurie,
Sorry to hear this, I’ve never used a flax egg so I don’t know how the recipe would turn out. xTieghan
This looks amazing but just wanted to gently point out that it is a bit misleading to call this gnocchi, perhaps that was just for SEO purposes. When ricotta is in place of potato it is actually called gnudi.
Hey Amy! I actually had no idea that ricotta gnocchi should be referred to as gnudi. That makes total sense!! I can’t change the recipe tittle now, but in the future I will be sure to adjust this! Thank you so much for pointing this out to me! I really had no idea! xxTieghan
Looks delicious!
Has anyone tried this with a gluten free flour blend ( 1 for 1 )?
I meant to give this 5 stars because it looks so good!
Thanks so much!!
Hey Jayne,
Using an equal amount of GF flour should work well for you. I hope the recipe turns out amazing. Please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
Made this tonight and it was delicious! My gnocchi fell apart a bit. In hindsight I should have paid better attention to the instructions about the dough and added more flour. I will definitely try this recipe again. Loved the flavors, and it was pretty easy to put together.
Hey Lynn,
Thanks so much for making this recipe, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! Have a great week:) xTieghan
How would a gluten free flour work in this recipe and which one would be best?
Hey CarrieAnn,
An equal amount of GF flour should work well for you, I would recommend Cup4cup. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
Can I use cottage cheese in lieu of ricotta cheese?
Hey Gigi,
Sorry I haven’t tried this with cottage cheese, my only concern is that it might be too heavy. I would stick with the ricotta, mascarpone would also work! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
Question:
We have a gluten free family member.
Can gnocchi be made with gluten free flour?
Does the recipe need modifications?
Hey Leslie,
I would use an equal amount of GF flour. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
Can I use fresh spinach? Sounds amazing, can’t wait to make it!
I am asking the same since frozen spinach has a high water content but the recipe doesn’t mention draining the spinach first.
Hey Sharon,
Yes, you will want to drain the spinach of any excess water. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
Hey Terri,
Yes, totally fine to use fresh spinach, you will just want to cook it down and drain any liquids. I hope the dish turns out amazing for you. Please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
will be making this soon can i use vegan ricotta / parmesan and butter as am dairy free i never had spinach ricotta gnocchi before i love gnocchi soooooooooooooo much perfect for my after office meals will dm you if i make this and let you know how it goes Thanks Ramya
Hope you love the recipe!!
This looks amazing but I always back away from making gnocchi because I am gluten and dairy free. Could this be made using gluten free flour and dairy free ricotta? Thanks so much
And vegan butter and parmesan as am dairy free too Thanks Ramya
Hey Lori,
I haven’t tested this with both GF flour and dairy free ricotta, but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work for you. Please let me know if you give the recipe a try! xTieghan
What type of flour is a good substitute for all purpose flour to make this recipe gluten free? Thanks!
Hey Claudia,
I like to use Cup4cup GF flour. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
Could you specify how many tablespoons of flour did you add to the recipe just to get a measurement? I made this today and didn’t know when to stop adding the flour. Wasn’t sure if it was way too much.
Hey there,
I just added 1 tablespoon at a time until the dough was no longer super sticky and easy to work with. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan