Beet and Ricotta Gnocchi with Wilted Arugula & Toasted Walnuts

Beet and Ricotta Gnocchi with Wilted Arugula & Toasted Walnuts

Anything made with beets provides a beautiful splash of color, great flavor and of course tons of nutritional value.
One of my favorite lunchtime dishes is gnocchi. I love to make potato gnocchi with all kinds of sauces, or ricotta gnocchi with spinach, broccoli rabe, and other vegetables including beets. Purple beet gnocchi are absolutely beautiful, but this dish can also be made using golden beets. Sometimes it's fun to make a little of both so you have a mixture of colors in your dish.
Beet and ricotta gnocchi are a bit finicky to make as the dough is extremely soft and sticky. As you roll out the dough into long thin logs the key is to roll them on a well floured work surface.
Keep your hands well floured and exert the minimum pressure as you roll the gnocchi otherwise you will flatten them.

Beet and Ricotta Gnocchi with Wilted Arugula & Toasted Walnuts

Serves 2 - 4

Ingredients:

For the filling
170 grams of beets
1 large egg, lightly beaten
100 g fresh ricotta
50 g Parmesan cheese, grated
125 g whole-wheat flour

For the sauce and topping
1 tablespoon (or more) extra-virgin olive oil
⅛ cup milk
3 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
3 generous handsful of arugula
15-20 walnut halves, lightly toasted

Procedure:

For the gnocchi
Wrap the beets in tinfoil and roast at 175°C until tender, about 30 minutes.
Allow the beets to cool and once they're comfortable to handle peel and cut into cubes.
Process the beets in a blender until creamy, then add the ricotta and process just until fully incorporated.
Place the beet and ricotta mixture in a bowl and whisk in the egg.
Stir the Parmesan cheese and flour into the mixture.
At this point you will have a very soft dough. If you wish you can immediately roll out the gnocchi. Alternatively place the gnocchi mixture in the refrigerator for an hour until the dough is easier to work with.
Place a large pot of salted water on the stove and bring to a boil while you roll out the gnocchi.
On a well floured surface begin rolling out the gnocchi in batches.
Use your hands to roll out long thin logs.
If the dough sticks to the work surface, or your hands, dust with additional flour.
After you have rolled out each log use a sharp knife to cut the gnocchi into 1 cm pieces.

Make sure the gnocchi are well dusted with flour otherwise they will become sticky as you roll out the remainder of the gnocchi.
In batches, gently place the gnocchi in the boiling water and cook until they have risen to the surface.
Scoop the gnocchi out of the water using a teardrop strainer and place them in a large saucepan with 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil.
Gently toss the gnocchi in the oil and continue cooking the remainder of the gnocchi, in batches.
As they rise to the surface add them to the sauce pan with the gnocchi.
If you feel you need additional oil in the saucepan to keep the gnocchi from sticking to each other add additional olive oil by the teaspoonful.

For the sauce and topping
In a separate saucepan whisk 1 tablespoon olive oil, ⅛ cup milk and 3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese together.
Drizzle the sauce on the gnocchi and gently toss them in the sauce over a very low flame.
If the beet and ricotta gnocchi seem too dry add some of your pasta cooking water by the tablespoonful until the sauce is creamy.
Add two handfuls of arugula to the gnocchi and toss.
Place the beet and ricotta gnocchi in a serving bowl, top with the remaining arugula and toasted walnuts and serve.

The right serving platter or bowl can make all the difference to your presentation. This one would look beautiful with the beet and ricotta gnocchi.

Please note that the below printable recipe can be viewed in metric or U.S. conventional measurements; just click on your preference within the recipe.

Beet and Ricotta Gnocchi with Wilted Arugula & Toasted Walnuts

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Prep Time: 40 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour 20 minutes minutes

Purple beet gnocchi are absolutely beautiful, but this dish can also be made using golden beets. Sometimes it's fun to make a little of both so you have a mixture of colors in your dish.

Course: Pasta

Cuisine: Italian

Wendy

Servings: 4

1x2x3x

Wendy

Ingredients 

Metric - U.S. Customary

For the filling

• 170 grams of beets
• 1 large egg lightly beaten
• 100 g fresh ricotta
• 50 g Parmesan cheese grated
• 125 g whole-wheat flour

For the sauce and topping

• 1 tablespoon or more extra-virgin olive oil
• ⅛ cup milk
• 3 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
• 3 generous handsful of arugula
• 15-20 walnut halves lightly toasted

Instructions

For the gnocchi

• Wrap the beets in tinfoil and roast at 175°C until tender, about 30 minutes.
• Allow the beets to cool and once they're comfortable to handle peel and cut into cubes.
• Process the beets in a blender until creamy, then add the ricotta and process just until fully incorporated.
• Place the beet and ricotta mixture in a bowl and whisk in the egg.
• Stir the Parmesan cheese and flour into the mixture.
• At this point you will have a very soft dough. If you wish you can immediately roll out the gnocchi. Alternatively place the gnocchi mixture in the refrigerator for an hour until the dough is easier to work with.
• Place a large pot of salted water on the stove and bring to a boil while you roll out the gnocchi.
• On a well floured surface begin rolling out the gnocchi in batches.
• Use your hands to roll out long thin logs.
• If the dough sticks to the work surface, or your hands, dust with additional flour.
• After you have rolled out each log use a sharp knife to cut the gnocchi into 1 cm pieces.
• Make sure the gnocchi are well dusted with flour otherwise they will become sticky as you roll out the remainder of the gnocchi.
• In batches, gently place the gnocchi in the boiling water and cook until they have risen to the surface.
• Scoop the gnocchi out of the water using a teardrop strainer and place them in a large saucepan with 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil.
• Gently toss the gnocchi in the oil and continue cooking the remainder of the gnocchi, in batches.
• As they rise to the surface add them to the sauce pan with the gnocchi.
• If you feel you need additional oil in the saucepan to keep the gnocchi from sticking to each other add additional olive oil by the teaspoonful.

For the sauce and topping

• In a separate saucepan whisk 1 tablespoon olive oil, ⅛ cup milk and 3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese together.
• Drizzle the sauce on the gnocchi and gently toss them in the sauce over a very low flame.
• If the gnocchi seem too dry add some of your pasta cooking water by the tablespoonful until the sauce is creamy.
• Add two handfuls of arugula to the gnocchi and toss.
• Place the gnocchi in a serving bowl, top with the remaining arugula and toasted walnuts and serve.

Notes

Beet gnocchi are a bit finicky to make as the dough is extremely soft and sticky. As you roll out the dough into long thin logs the key is to roll them on a well floured work surface. Keep your hands well floured and exert the minimum pressure as you roll the gnocchi otherwise you will flatten them.

Nutrition

Serving: 80g | Calories: 1329kcal | Carbohydrates: 117g | Protein: 64g | Fat: 71g | Saturated Fat: 25g | Cholesterol: 261mg | Sodium: 1338mg | Potassium: 1390mg | Fiber: 20g | Sugar: 15g | Vitamin A: 1390IU | Vitamin C: 9.2mg | Calcium: 1135mg | Iron: 8.3mg

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