Ricotta Gnocchi with Meat Sauce

Pasta was never a highlight in my life. I just never really liked pasta that much, that's why I never felt the urge to look for pasta recipes and try to make them.

But, I don't know why, since the last few months I've suddenly got this craving for a good bowl of pasta. I've been making Spaghetti Bolognese quite regularly and today I just wanted to try something different - and I decided to make gnocchi. Not the normal potato gnocchi though, but gnocchi from ricotta cheese.

Making gnocchi from scratch is a tricky, messy and time consuming business, at least that's what I think - maybe it's also because I am just an amateur. A real pasta expert can probably make it in minutes. However, I have to say, making gnocchi from scratch is fun and it's worth it. I've got a good Ricotta gnocchi recipe from My Nonni's. You can use any pasta sauce of your choice to accompany your gnocchi. I chose to make Bolognese sauce - my favourite pasta sauce.

I am sure that everybody has their own version of Bolognese/meat sauce. Mine is actually always different according to what I have in my pantry, although ground pork/beef, tomatoes and beef stock are a must for my meat sauce.

Ingredients

Meat sauce

• 200 gr ground pork/beef
• 250 gr canned/fresh tomatoes, diced
• 2 tsp beef/vegetable stock powder
• 1.5 cup water/milk/red wine
  
• 2 tbs oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 carrot, diced
• 1/4 yellow paprika, diced
• 1/4 red parika, diced
• Fresh oregano, chopped
• Pepper and sugar to taste
  
• Parmesan cheese

Ricotta gnocchi

• 3 cups ricotta cheese
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp salt
  
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1 1/2 cup all-purpose-flour, plus more for forming the gnocchi
  

Add all ingredients for gnocchi together and mix lightly. I actually cheated - instead of doing it the old fashioned way, such as making a well from flour with the egg in the middle, etc, I used my mixer and let it do the job.

Afterwards, roll the dough into a long cylinder on a floured surface and cut it into equal pieces. Score each gnocchi piece with a fork. Boil the gnocchi and wait till they float.

My ricotta gnocchi with the meat sauce.

Add parmesan cheese and fresh oregano for garnish.