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–+ servings

Spinach Gnudi in Parmesan Broth

4.60 | 5 reviews
These cheesy, soft, spinachy dumplings give off a little matzo-ball energy, but they are much closer to their Italian cousins of ricotta gnocchi. Simmer the parmesan broth while you prep your dumplings, and this elegant dinner turns into something surprisingly simple.
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Servings: 6 servings

Equipment

Ingredients

For the parmesan broth:
  • 1 medium yellow onion
  • 1 head of garlic, halved crosswise
  • 5 sprigs fresh rosemary
  • 6-8 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 1 cup fresh parsley or oregano
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 2-3 parmesan rinds, whatever you have goes in!
  • 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, omit if you don't like heat
  • 1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
  • 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 10 cups water
  • 1 heaping tablespoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
  • 3 ounces parmesan, ideally from a block
For the spinach gnudi:
  • 1/2 of a 15-ounce can of pumpkin purée, 7.5 ounces
  • 8 ounces whole milk ricotta
  • 16 ounces frozen spinach, divided
  • 6 ounces parmesan, ideally from a block
  • 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
  • 3 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
  • Freshly cracked black pepper
  • 1 cup semolina flour, 5 ounces / 140 grams, plus more for dusting
For serving:
  • Whole milk ricotta
  • Lemon wedges
  • Freshly cracked black pepper

Instructions 

  1. Begin with the parmesan broth. Add all the ingredients for the parmesan broth except the 3 ounces of parmesan to a 7-quart pot. Bring this to a simmer, then cover and let simmer for 60-90 minutes, the longer the better.
  2. When the simmering time is nearly over, use a mesh sieve to pull every ingredient out of the pot until you are left with just broth. Grate in the 3 ounces of parmesan and stir so that it melts into the broth. Taste and season with salt or pepper as needed. Keep warm on the stove.
  3. While the broth is going, make the gnudi.
  4. Add the 1/2 can (7.5 oz) of pumpkin with 1 cup (8 oz) ricotta to a mesh sieve. Mix them together in the sieve and let it drain over the sink for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally to help ease out any moisture.
  5. Thaw half (8 oz) of frozen spinach in the microwave. Squeeze out all the excess water. I like to use a paper towel here to protect my hands and help me really dry it out.
  6. In a food processor or blender, add the spinach, rosemary leaves, and thyme leaves. Pulse to chop everything finely. Then add the 6 ounces of parmesan and pulse until the mixture is as crumbly as possible. The smaller the pieces, the better the dough.
  7. To a large bowl, add the parmesan mixture, an egg yolk, and the drained ricotta and pumpkin mixture. Season with 1 teaspoon of salt and freshly cracked black pepper and mix.
  8. Add 1 cup (140g) of semolina flour in two batches. Mix into a dough.
  9. Generously dust a sheet pan with semolina flour.
  10. Pinch the dough into 1 tablespoon size pieces and roll them into balls. You'll get around 35-40. Place these on the sheet pan and make sure they are coated in the semolina flour.
  11. Place the balls in the freezer for 30 minutes to help firm them up a bit. See Note**
  12. To cook them, bring a medium pot of water to a simmer.
  13. Add the gnudi in batches of 10-12 and simmer for 5-6 minutes or until they float. At the beginning of the simmering process it will look like they are flaking and breaking apart - do not panic - that cloudiness in the water is just semolina flour from the exterior. Give them time and they'll float up as very sturdy dumplings!
  14. I like to put 6-7 gnudi in the bowls I plan to serve in right after they are done cooking. I add 1/4 cup of the remaining frozen spinach to each bowl, then pour 1 1/2 cups of hot parmesan broth on top. Serve with ricotta, freshly cracked black pepper and lemon wedges.

Notes

Note** You can also store the gnudi in the fridge for up to 5 days. Then just cook them when you are ready. The key is that you do NOT want to cook them from frozen, so let them thaw if you plan to freeze the dumplings before cooking!