Ooo, cozy Italian comfort food incoming 🇮🇹✨
Here’s a classic Ricotta Gnudi in a creamy cheese sauce — pillowy, delicate, and way easier than it sounds.
🇮🇹 Ricotta Gnudi in Cheese Sauce
What are gnudi?
They’re basically ravioli filling without the pasta — soft ricotta dumplings, light as clouds ☁️
🧺 Ingredients
For the Gnudi
- 1 cup whole-milk ricotta (very well drained!)
- ½ cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup 00 flour or all-purpose flour (plus extra for dusting)
- Salt, to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Pinch of nutmeg (optional but very Italian)
For the Cheese Sauce
- 2 tbsp butter
- 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1½ cups warm milk
- ½ cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
- ½ cup Fontina or Gruyère, grated (melts beautifully)
- Salt & white or black pepper
- Optional: pinch of nutmeg or garlic powder
👩🍳 Instructions
1️⃣ Prep the Ricotta (important!)
Drain ricotta in a fine sieve or cheesecloth for at least 30 minutes (overnight = best).
Dry ricotta = gnudi that hold together.
2️⃣ Make the Gnudi Dough
- In a bowl, mix ricotta, egg, Parmigiano, salt, pepper, and nutmeg.
- Gently fold in flour until just combined.
- Dough should be soft but not sticky.
- Dust hands with flour and form small balls or quenelles (about 1 inch).
- Lightly roll them in flour and rest on a tray for 10–15 minutes.
3️⃣ Cook the Gnudi
- Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a gentle boil.
- Drop gnudi in carefully.
- When they float (about 2–3 minutes), cook 30 seconds more.
- Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.
4️⃣ Make the Cheese Sauce
- Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat.
- Whisk in flour and cook 1 minute (don’t brown).
- Slowly whisk in warm milk until smooth.
- Simmer 2–3 minutes until slightly thick.
- Lower heat and stir in cheeses until melted.
- Season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg.
5️⃣ Assemble
Gently fold gnudi into the sauce or spoon sauce over them.
Finish with:
- Extra Parmigiano
- Fresh cracked pepper
- Optional sage or thyme
✨ Pro Tips
- If gnudi fall apart → ricotta was too wet or needed a bit more flour
- For ultra-luxury: brown butter + sage instead of sauce
- Want a sharper sauce? Add a little Pecorino Romano
If you want:
🍄 mushroom cheese sauce
🍋 lemon-ricotta gnudi
🌿 spinach gnudi
🔥 baked gnudi version
Just say the word 😌
