Easy Baked Ricotta Gnocchi With Sausage, Peppers And Tomatoes (30 Minute Recipe)
Are you a fan of gnocchi? I wasn’t always, but if you’re the same you may find this easy baked ricotta gnocchi with sausage, peppers and tomatoes converts you into a gnocchi lover! The gnocchi is made from only 3 ingredients, ricotta cheese, flour and parmesan cheese. No egg required! Just mix, roll and cut, then sprinkle over roasted veggies with a bit of mozzarella cheese for extra yum. On the table in only 30 minutes!
Cut the bell peppers, onions and sausages into large pieces and scatter across a large baking tray. Add the tomatoes to the tray as well.
Sprinkle over the paprika and olive oil, grind over some black pepper, then roast for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, mix the ricotta, flour and parmesan together in a medium bowl and bring together into a ball with your hands (*see important note below!).
Roughly divide the dough into 4 balls. Then flour your hands and a big board or other surface and roll each ball out into a roughly 1-inch -wide log with your hands.
Chop each log into roughly 1.5-inch lengths and transfer to a large plate.
Cook in 2 batches in a large pan of boiling water until the gnocchi float to the top (a few minutes). Remove from the water with a slotted spoon and set aside.
Remove your vegetables and sausage from the oven and scatter the cooked gnocchi and mozzarella over the top. Broil (US) / Grill (UK/Australia) for 5 to 10 minutes until the mozzarella is bubbling and the gnocchi are starting to go brown.
Serve onto plates and drizzle with a little extra olive oil and scatter with fresh basil leaves.
Video
Notes
Gnocchi recipe based on a recipe by Matt Preston in Australian Delicious Magazine March 2018 edition.
Gnocchi
*The gnocchi dough will seem quite wet. Don’t worry! You should still be able to roll it into a log with your hands. If however it really does seem too wet to roll, simply add a little more flour until you can roll it (as little as possible to be able to roll it – you don’t want your gnocchi to taste floury!).Just go with your gut when it comes to how much flour to add. Different brands of ricotta cheese can be a slightly different consistency.The gnocchi don’t have to be exactly the size stated in the recipe or even the same size as each other. The end result can be rustic!
Can I make the gnocchi ahead?
Err… no, not really. I’m speaking from experience! I tried making the ricotta gnocchi ahead and keeping them in the fridge until dinner time and they pretty much all melted into each other! The meal still ended up delicious but it took me ages to peel all the gnocchi apart from each other. I highly recommend NOT making them ahead. Just use the time the vegetables and sausage are cooking to make the gnocchi. It really doesn’t take very long!
Can I reheat this meal the next day?
Yes! I find this reheats really well and actually tastes even nicer for some reason. Just reheat for 15 minutes or so in the oven until everything is piping hot.If you are intending to reheat leftovers though do line your baking tray with baking paper in step 2 of the recipe above. Otherwise the juices make a real mess of your baking tray when you reheat!