The easy Squash and Ricotta Cheese gnocchi are a great alternative to the traditional potatoes gnocchi. The squash is a versatile and healthy ingredient that you can combine to make many different dishes.
The Squash and Ricotta Cheese gnocchi are colorful and soft. They have such a delicate and sweet flavor that also the children love it!
This recipe calls for the classical condiment with butter and sage, but they are just perfect with any seasonal combination. Unleash your creativity: cheese, mushrooms, walnuts, truffle, and much more!
Moreover, you can make the gnocchi gluten free. Substitute the all purpose flour with the rice flour and you will have the same flavorful result for your celiac guests.
As usual, always look for the highest quality ingredient: the best squash to use in this recipe is the Kabocha Squash. But any other squash that has a solid and dry pulp would work as well. It is better to cook it in the oven to avoid any incorporation of water.
Don’t forget that you can also try the Red Beets and Ricotta gnocchi as well!
Ingredients
- 1/2 lb Kabocha Squash
- 3/4 cup ricotta cheese (well drained)
- 3/4 - 12/3 cups all purpose flour or potatoes starch or rice flour (the quantity depends on the texture of the squash)
- 1 egg
- 1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
- pinenuts, nutmeg, salt to taste
- For the condiment:
- butter
- salty or smoked ricotta cheese
- sage
- orange zest
Instructions
1- Preheat the oven to 350F;
2- Clean the squash from the seeds and slice it (you can peel it after cooking so it's easier);
3- Place the slices on a baking pan and bake for 30 minutes until it softens. Eliminate the peel;
4- Using a potatoes smasher, eliminate the water if there is any. Then, in a mixer blend the pulp until smooth, and let it cool down;
5- Add to the pulp the ricotta cheese, the parmesan cheese, the egg, salt and ground nutmeg to taste. Add the flour until the dough is compact but still soft. The quantity of flour depends on the texture of the squash and ricotta, and it may vary every time you try the recipe. Usually, the less flour the better the taste!
6- Make the gnocchi: pick the shape you like, you can make small balls or a quenelle with two spoons. Let them rest on a baking sheet for 30 minutes;
7- Cook the gnocchi, a few at the time, in boiling and salty water: once they float, they are ready. Put them in a pan with butter and sage leaves to taste and sauté for 1 minute;
8- Serve with some grated smoked or salty ricotta, orange zest, and ground pinenuts.
The Kabocha Squash
The Kabocha squash is a Japanese variety of the winter squash.
The flavor is sweet, slightly nutty and the texture is light, almost fluffy. The pulp is really solid and dry so it is perfect for our preparation of the easy Squash and Ricotta Cheese gnocchi.
Moreover, the Kabocha squash is a healthy ingredient for your dishes. Indeed, it is an excellent source of beta carotene, high in fiber and loaded with iron, vitamin C and some B vitamins.
Out of curiosity: a single cup of Kabocha has just 40 calories and 7 grams of carbohydrates which is about half of what you would find in a butternut squash.
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Ciao!
Martina and Elisa
