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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.
Hey Tieghan. This is the first recipe I’ve made from Half Baked Harvest that didn’t turn out the way it should have. The flavours were all there but the gnocchi was a disaster. It was very wet and I had to add lots of flour and it turned out pretty mushy and all combining together. I concluded at the end that the spinach probably needed to be drained well before mixing in but I didn’t as it didn’t say that in the directions. We still loved the flavour and funny enough we added a nice cheese and made a pretty amazing grill cheese with it the next day with the leftovers!;) We used the mushiness to our advantage and made a spread for the grill cheese. It was delicious:) haha. Hope others know to drain the spinach. Might be good to add to the recipe.
Hey Kara,
Thanks for giving the recipe a try, so sorry to hear you had issues. I think you would have better results if the spinach was drained really well. I hope this helps for next time! xTieghan
Absolutely LOVED! My mom and I have always loved ricotta gnocchi and always try to search out restaurants that offer it. Loved to be able to make it at home and so easily too!
I was curious how you’d suggest making these without the spinach? More ricotta + flour maybe? Or an additional egg yolk too?
Thank you, Tieghan!
Hey Anya,
Awesome! So great to hear that this recipe was enjoyed and thanks for making it! Sorry I haven’t tested without the spinach, but I do have lots of other gnocchi recipes you might enjoy! Have the best week! xTieghan
Do you think I could substitute fine rice flour? I imagine it would bind just as well with egg? Would like to have a gluten free alternative.
Hey Molly,
Sorry I have never tested this, so I am unsure of the results, I would recommend using Cup4cup GF flour. Please let me know if you give the recipe a try! xTieghan
Recipe did not state to squeeze excess water out of spinach! This was a disaster, way too wet and no amount of flour seemed to help it. Ended up wasting all the ingredients. I normally squeeze excess water out of spinach when using in recipes. However, I did not with this recipe. I was thinking the additional water was necessary. Ugh!
So sorry to hear this Diane!
Well I just wasted a bunch of ingredients attempting to make the gnocchi. The ‘ball’ of dough never came together, despite adding more & more flour. Should the spinach be squeezed dry?? If so, recipe did not state to do so. I normally squeeze water out of frozen spinach when cooking with it, but was following recipe, thinking this was omitted for a reason. Ended up dumping ingredients in the trash.
Hey Diane,
So sorry to hear this, yes you absolutely want to squeeze the spinach of any excess water. I hope this helps for next time! xTieghan
This was amazing! I saved half the “dough” in the freezer, but didn’t read properly and saved it all in one ball / not formed. Is there any way I can save this? Thanks!
Hey Becca,
Fantastic! Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am so glad it was enjoyed! I would just let it thaw when you are ready to use and see if you can cut into the gnocchi pieces. Have a great weekend☀️ xTieghan
The taste was immaculate but the dough was extremely difficult to work with. I probably used 2 1/2 cups of flour total? And I couldn’t simply cut them into individual pieces either because the spinach would get in the way. I couldn’t use any tools because the knife or the bench scraper would just get too sticky. I really wish it wasn’t so fussy because it was really good and I would like it again, but I never want to spend so much time tearing the individual pieces apart again.
Hey Lauren,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, so sorry you found the dough to be difficult to work with, you really want to spinach to be drained of all liquid. I hope this helps for next time! xTieghan
This was a win for the whole family! I did add a little more flour. The taste was awsome and its was a fast meal to make.
Hey Barb,
Happy Friday! I am delighted that this recipe was enjoyed. I appreciate you giving it a try:) xTieghan
This was fun to make, sort of like adult Play Doh. Put in fridge til time to cook. Everything went together easily and the results were delicious. The Balsamic adds acid and sweetness that really makes this dish shine. This recipe is definitely a keeper. Thank you
Hey Barbara,
Happy Friday! I am delighted that this recipe was enjoyed. I appreciate you giving it a try:) xTieghan
Wonderful recipe. I made it for guests and we all loved it. But like others mentioned, I ended up using A LOT more flour, probably at least 2 cups more. It was just too difficult to work with the dough without the extra flour. Thanks for posting this. I’ll definitely be making it again.
Hey Ron,
Happy Friday! I am delighted that this recipe was enjoyed. I appreciate you giving it a try:) xTieghan
I too used much more flour than the recipe called for. About double. But these were delicious and fun to make! I did some with pesto and that was yummy too!
Hey Gabby,
Happy Friday! I am delighted that this recipe was enjoyed. I appreciate you giving it a try:) xTieghan
PS: I used a LOT more flour than it says in the recipe. And next time I will just use the whole egg bc I don’t like to have leftover egg white:)
Taste is unreal. And it is quite easy to do. ? i would make more tomatoes next time bc I loved their taste so much.
Hey Paula,
Awesome! Love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for giving it a try! xTieghan
Very wet. Hard to work with. Is that the correct amount of flour? Disaster.
Hey Maureen,
So sorry you had issues here. You need to slowly add more flour as needed. Did you drain all of the excess liquid from the spinach? Please let me know how I can help! xTieghan
Tieghan, wow! These were fantastic. Another home run recipe from Half Baked Harvest. We have an over-abundance of cherry tomatoes in our garden so I’m always looking for new ways to use them. We have a new favorite. My gnocchi dough was really wet so I had to add a lot more flour ( I’d probably drain the ricotta for awhile next time) but they were still tender and delicious and so easy to make. Thanks for sharing.
Hey Diane,
Awesome! Love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for giving it a try! xTieghan