Trust me, if you've never tried making gnocchi, you have to try it! And if you've only ever made potato gnocchi, you have to try making it with ricotta!
Home Ricotta Gnocchi with Brown Butter Sage Sauce
For the Gnocchi
Pan Frying the Gnocchi and Making the Sauce
Yield: 2-4 servings

Homemade Ricotta Gnocchi with Brown Butter Sage Sauce
Homemade gnocchi comes together so fast when you use ricotta cheese instead of potatoes, and fresh sage from the garden elevates brown butter in an elegant sauce.
prep time: 20 Mcook time: 10 Mtotal time: 30 M
ingredients:
For the Gnocchi
- 15 ounces (1 1/2 cups) ricotta cheese
- 3 egg yolks
- 1 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
- 1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan, Asiago or Pecorino Romano cheese
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
- Fresh cracked black pepper
instructions:
How to cook Homemade Ricotta Gnocchi with Brown Butter Sage Sauce
To Make the Gnocchi
- Place a paper towel in a large mixing bowl and add the ricotta, then place another paper towel on top of the ricotta. Press down to soak up as much of the liquid as possible, then repeat with two fresh paper towels.
- Once the liquid has been absorbed, peel the paper towels off the ricotta and discard the towels. Add the egg yolks to the bowl of ricotta and stir or whisk them together.
- Then add the flour, cheese, nutmeg, salt and pepper.
- Stir until just combined. You want to avoid over-mixing the dough, which will make the gnocchi tough instead of pillowy. You'll have a soft, semi-sticky dough, that will look and have the consistency of deviled egg filling - but you should be able to shape it into a ball.
- Now you'll need to flour your cutting board or clean work space really well - and also rub some flour on your hands. (Be liberal with the flour as you form your gnocchi, adding more the cutting board the dough and your hands.)
- Scrape the dough out of the bowl and pat or roll it into a flat, round disk and divide it into eight wedges.
- Then roll each wedge into a rope, about 1" in diameter.
- Using a knife, trim off the ends, then cut the ropes at 3/4 - 1" intervals to make the individual gnocchi and move them to a piece of parchment paper dusted with flour. Once you've cut all the gnocchi, sprinkle some additional flour over the tops. This will help prevent them from sticking to each other when they are cooking.
To Cook the Gnocchi
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat.
- Carefully tip the gnocchi from the parchment into the boiling water, then stir them gently to prevent them from clumping together as you drop them into the water.
- Wait about 30 seconds until the gnocchi float to the surface of the water, and then cook them for 1 more minute.
- Remove the gnocchi from the water using a slotted spoon and let them drain on paper towels.
Pan Frying the Gnocchi and Making the Sauce
- 1 stick unsalted butter
- 10-12 fresh sage leaves, plus more for garnish
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Fresh grated nutmeg for garnish
- Heat 2 Tablespoons of the butter in a large cast-iron or stainless steel frying pan over medium-high heat.
- Once the butter has melted, add the drained gnocchi in a single layer. (You can split the gnocchi into two batches to give them more room.)
- Cook for a minute or so without moving the gnocchi to brown the bottoms, then continue to cook for another couple of minutes, moving the gnocchi around in the pan gently, until they’re lightly browned all over.
- Don't be afraid to get a nice sear on some!
- Transfer the gnocchi to a bowl.
- Put the pan back over medium heat and add the rest of the butter.
- When the butter has melted, add the sage leaves.
- Continue to cook for several minutes, stirring up the browned bits in the bottom of the pan, until the butter turns a light brown color and start to smell nutty, and the sage leaves start to crisp up.
- Remove from the heat and add the gnocchi to the pan, tossing to coat everything evenly. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Serve with some additional nutmeg grated over the top and garnish with additional sage leaves if desired.
- Serve immediately.
