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Italian

Gnudi (Tuscan spinach and ricotta dumplings)

Contains egg (no meat or fish)

Gnudi

'Naked' ravioli — the ricotta-and-spinach filling without its pasta — rolled in semolina, poached and served in sage butter.

Gnudi (Tuscan spinach and ricotta dumplings) is an Italian dumpling dish from Italy, ready in about 1 hour 45 minutes and made with ricotta and spinach. It serves 4 and is rated intermediate to cook.

Start cooking
Plate of soft ricotta and spinach gnudi dumplings in sauce
Photo: Noé / Wikimedia Commons · CC-BY-SA-4.0
Prep
30 min
Cook
15 min
Rest
1 h
Total
1 h 45 min
Serves
4
Level
Intermediate
Calories
640

Plus overnight draining of the ricotta.

Ingredients

4 servings

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Wilt the spinach (opens in a new tab), cool, squeeze out all the liquid and chop very finely.

  2. Step 2

    Mix the ricotta (opens in a new tab), spinach (opens in a new tab), Parmesan (opens in a new tab), yolks, flour, nutmeg (opens in a new tab) and a little salt. Scatter half the semolina (opens in a new tab) over a tray. Roll the mixture into walnut-sized balls with floured hands, roll in semolina and set on the tray; sprinkle over the rest of the semolina.

    Fresh herbs scattered over a finished dish
    How it looks · Photo: Klaus Nielsen on Pexels

  3. Step 3

    Refrigerate, uncovered, for at least 1 hour (or up to 24) so the semolina (opens in a new tab) forms a thin skin that holds them together.

      This rest replaces the pasta wrapper — don't skip it.

    • Step 4

      Melt the butter with the sage (opens in a new tab) until foaming and fragrant. Poach the gnudi in barely simmering salted water, in batches, for 3–4 minutes after they float. Lift into the butter with a slotted spoon (opens in a new tab) and serve with Parmesan (opens in a new tab).

      A finished dish being plated
      How it looks · Photo: Willians Huerta on Pexels

    About this dish

    Origin
    Tuscany, Italy · Commonly attributedSimilar dumplings are called malfatti in Lombardy.More food from Italy
    Dish
    Lunch · Dinner · Dumplings · Main courses
    Cooking method
    Poached, Pan-fried
    Taste
    creamy, herby, buttery
    Diet
    Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · No nut ingredients · High-protein
    All labelsVegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · High-protein
    Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
    Good for
    Make-ahead
    Cook more with
    Ricotta · Spinach · Parmesan · Egg yolk · All-purpose flour · Nutmeg
    Techniques
    Pan-frying · Simmering · Poaching

    Allergens

    • Contains: Milkfrom ricotta, parmesan, unsalted butter
    • Contains: Eggsfrom egg yolk
    • Contains: Wheatfrom all-purpose flour, semolina
    • Contains: Glutenfrom all-purpose flour, semolina

    Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

    Nutrition

    640 kcal per serving

    Estimated

    1 serving ≈ 347 g · recipe makes 4

    Where the energy comes from

    • Protein 17%
    • Carbohydrate 31%
    • Fat 52%
    Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
    NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
    Energy640 kcal184 kcal
    Protein27.6 g7.9 g
    Carbohydrate50.2 g14.5 g
    Net carbohydrate45.3 g13 g
    Sugars——
    Added sugars0 g0 g
    Fibre4.9 g1.4 g
    Fat37.3 g10.8 g
    Saturated fat22.1 g6.4 g
    Trans fat——
    Cholesterol210 mg61 mg
    Sodium——
    Salt equivalent——
    Vitamins & minerals per serving
    Potassium
    1095 mg
    Calcium
    658 mg
    Iron
    6.3 mg
    Magnesium
    158 mg
    Vitamin A (RAE)
    950 µg
    Vitamin C
    35 mg
    Vitamin D
    0.8 µg
    Vitamin B12
    1.5 µg
    Folate (DFE)
    392 µg

    How these numbers were made

    • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
    • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
    • Not counted (tiny amounts or “to taste”): salt — so sodium is shown as unknown.
    • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
    • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

    Good to know

    Common mistakes

    • Boiling hard, which breaks them up.

    Storage

    • Uncooked gnudi keep 24 hours in the fridge on their semolina tray.

    Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

    Recipe DNA

    How this dish is built

    Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

    What the dish is built around

    Main ingredient

    Used in steps 1, 2, 4

    Reviews & corrections

    Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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