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Yields:
8 serving(s)
Prep Time:
15 mins
Total Time:
2 hrs
Cal/Serv:
145
These adorable little pasta pillows are the perfect base for your favorite sauces, from Alfredo to marinara to pesto. Here, we call for store-bought or homemade Alfredo, but the sky’s the limit. This isn’t the most weeknight-friendly meal, but a fun project when you want to give making homemade pasta a try. It’s a lot easier than you’d think! Read on for more tips and tricks on how to make this gnocchi recipe:
The cottage cheese:
Most traditional gnocchi recipes don’t include cheese, but some, called gnudi, are made with ricotta. Here, cottage cheese stands in for ricotta. The result is gnocchi with a lighter texture and milder flavor. Small-curd cottage cheese will produce the best, smoothest texture. And full fat, or whole milk, will give you the best flavor.
The potatoes:
Choose russet potatoes for this gnocchi recipe. They’re dry and not waxy, so they absorb tons of flavor from the other ingredients and produce a light and fluffy dumpling. The key is not to overwork the potatoes after they’ve been riced or grated. Too much mixing can make the potatoes gummy, which will result in dense, heavy gnocchi.
Storage:
You can freeze uncooked gnocchi for up to 6 months. (Line a baking sheet with parchment, then spread gnocchi in a single layer; once frozen, transfer to a plastic bag or freezer-safe container.) Uncooked gnocchi can also be refrigerated for up to 3 days. Cooked gnocchi will last in the fridge for up to 4 days.
If you make these cottage cheese gnocchi, be sure to leave us a rating and review below to let us know what you think!
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Ingredients
- 1 cup
full-fat small-curd cottage cheese
- 2
medium russet potatoes (about 1 1/4 lb. total)
- 2
large egg yolks
- 1/2 cup
finely grated Parmesan or Pecorino Romano, plus more for serving
- 1 1/2 tsp.
kosher salt, plus more
Pinch of fresh grated nutmeg
- 1 cup
(120 g.) all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
Store-bought or homemade Alfredo sauce and finely chopped fresh parsley, for serving
Directions
- Step 1Place cottage cheese in a fine-mesh sieve set over a bowl or container. Cover with a piece of parchment and place something heavy, like a can of tomatoes or cast-iron skillet, on top. Refrigerate at least 1 hour or up to 4.
- Step 2Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, cover potatoes with 2" cold water. Cover pot and bring to a simmer over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, partially cover, and simmer until fork-tender, 35 to 45 minutes.
- Step 3Drain potatoes and let cool. Remove skins with your thumbs. Press potatoes through a ricer or grate on the largest holes of a box grater.
- Step 4Transfer drained cottage cheese to a large bowl. Add potatoes, egg yolks, Parmesan, salt, and nutmeg. Gently stir with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon until combined, taking care not to overwork or press potatoes, or they’ll become gummy. Add flour and stir to combine. Knead in bowl with your hands until dough is uniform and stiff.
- Step 5Wrap dough in plastic wrap and let rest at room temperature about 30 minutes.
- Step 6On a lightly floured surface, divide dough into quarters. Roll one piece to a 1/2"-thick rope, dusting with flour as needed and keeping remaining dough covered to prevent drying out. Using a bench scraper or pizza cutter, cut rope into 1" pieces. Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Repeat with remaining dough.
- Step 7In a large skillet over medium heat, warm Alfredo sauce. Working in batches if needed, in a large pot of boiling salted water, cook gnocchi until they float to the surface, 2 to 4 minutes. Using a spider or slotted spoon, transfer gnocchi to skillet with sauce and stir to coat, adding pasta water if needed to coat gnocchi in a silky sauce.
- Step 8Divide gnocchi among bowls. Top with more Parmesan and parsley.
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