The tantalizing red beets and ricotta gnocchi are charming, really easy to make, and they are always a great success on the table!
This kind of gnocchi made with ricotta, parmesan cheese, and spinach, in Tuscany are known as “gnudi“, that means “naked”, because in fact they are the filling for the classic ravioli. In this recipe though, there is only the filling with no pasta, that’s why they are “naked”.
In this recipe, we make red beets and ricotta gnocchi with red beets that give them a vibrant color. Aren’t they beautiful?
The red beets and ricotta gnocchi have a delicate taste, and you can try them with different toppings.
They are good with a cheese fondue, with a vegetarian sauce of zucchini squash and spinach, but probably the best way to enhance their great flavor is the classic recipe with butter and herbs.
Taste the red beets and ricotta gnocchi with chives, sage, rosemary, thyme, marjoram, or a mix of the previous.
Red Beets and Ricotta Gnocchi recipe
Ingredients
- 300 gr cooked red beets
- 300 gr ricotta cheese
- 80 gr white flour Type "0"
- 1 egg
- 2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
- a pinch of ground nutmeg
Instructions
- Blend the cooked red beets, and drain them in a mash strainer for at least one hour in the fridge (they can stay up to one night in the fridge). Add the ricotta cheese and mix until you have a creamy dough.
- Add the egg, the parmesan cheese, and, really slowly, the flour until the dough becomes drier, even though it has to be a little sticky. Add salt and ground nutmeg.
- Refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes.
- Pur some flour on your hands, shape small portions of dough into small balls (as big as a walnut), and let them rest on a floured surface. If you don't want to cook them immediately, you can refrigerate them until you're ready to cook.
- Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil.
- In a pot, melt the butter with some sage leaves.
- Drop the gnocchi in the salty water and cook them until they rise to the top, drain, brown them for a few minutes in the pan with the butter and sage leaves, and serve.
- Add some poppy seeds, some parmesan cheese, and a pinch of lemon zest,
The Red Beets
The beetroot is the taproot portion of a beet plant, rich in minerals, vitamis, and antioxidants. Among its many characteristics the red beet is detoxifying, depurative, and antiseptic.
The beetroots have an abundant amount of vitamins, C and B, of folic acid, therefore they are particularly healthy for pregnant women.
There are many varieties of beets:
- the Detroit Dark Red Beet, the most common in USA;
- the Striped Beets, called Chioggia or Bassano Beets, with a striped interior that gives it a candy-cane pattern;
- the Golden Beets, that have a mild flavor compared to their counterparts.
You can buy the red beets fresh (the ones that we prefer), or already cooked.
You can refrigerate the red beets for a few days or freeze them once they’re cooked.
In order to keep their wonderful color, do not peel them: you can eliminate the skin once they’re cooked.
You can also eat the leaves after cooking them with the beets.
Steam or boil them, the beets are equally great!
We love also love the baked red beets: cut them into pieces, mix with other roots (parsnip, radish, turnip, Jerusalem artichoke, carrot), bake them at 357°F for 50 minutes, sprinkle with raspberry vinegar, brown sugar, salt, pepper, and EVO.
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Ciao!
Martina and Elisa
2 comments
These red beet-ricotta gnocchi were so good that the foto I took was of my empty plate. My daughter loved them. Thank you for the great idea!!
Hi Alexandra,
we’re happy you enjoyed this colorful and healthy recipe with your daughter.
Stay tuned for the next dish to prepare!