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Home » Recipes » Homemade Pasta Recipes

Published: Sep 11, 2021 · Modified: Dec 30, 2022 by Jacqui

Homemade Sardinian Gnocchi (malloreddus) in Lamb Broth.


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Homemade Sardinian gnocchi (malloreddus) in lamb broth.
Homemade Sardinian gnocchi (malloreddus) cooked in lamb broth.
Homemade Sardinian gnocchi (malloreddus) in lamb broth.

This homemade Sardinian gnocchi (malloreddus) in lamb broth is a traditional recipe from the island of Sardinia. Typically, this would be a 2 in 1 recipe in which the meat and potatoes are served separately to the pasta and broth. However, it is great eaten as a hearty and filling one plate meal too.

Homemade Sardinian gnocchi (malloreddus) cooked in lamb broth.

Malloreddus in brodo di pecora.

Like many old traditional Italian recipes, this Sardinian gnocchi in lamb broth has its origins in what Italians call ‘la cucina povera’. This is the kitchen or recipes of the peasant and farming communities of the past. Sheep farming has been an important economic activity in Sardinia for thousands of years. So, as you can imagine, both lamb and mutton have a starring role in many Sardinian dishes, as does sheep’s cheese.

Homemade Sardinian gnocchi (malloreddus) in lamb broth.

Sheep farming in Sardinia.

Even today, sheep farming is an extensive Sardinian industry. The island has a population of 1.6 million people but around 3 million sheep and 700,000 goats being raised on 12,000 farms! Most of Italy’s Pecorino Romano comes from Sardinia and they also produce their own pecorino, Pecorino Sardo. This is actually the cheese I used in this Sardinian gnocchi recipe. Of course, you can use Pecorino Romano instead.

Homemade Sardinian gnocchi (malloreddus) in lamb broth.

Sardinia has its own breed of sheep, the ‘sarda’. These sheep are indigenous to the island, although they can be found in other parts of Italy and the Mediterranean. This is a very ancient breed of sheep! In fact, it’s a descendent of the wild Gennargentu or Sardinian Mouflon, which still live on the island. The Sarda have been bred for their wool, meat and milk for over four thousand years!

Ingredients for lamb broth on terracotta dish
Step 1 Gather your ingredients for the lamb broth

Lamb or mutton?

Sardinian lamb meat is highly prized and very flavourful, tender, succulent and easily digestible. In fact, Sardinian lamb has IGP certification, which is kind of like DOC for wine! In all probability, the meat originally used in this malloreddus in lamb broth would have been mutton, rather than tender young lamb. Actually, many current online versions of this recipe call for ‘carne di pecora’, meaning meat from a female sheep over one year in age. This would be mutton in most English-speaking countries. The Italian word for lamb is ‘agnello’.

lamb neck bones with vegetables and herbs in Dutch oven
Step 2 put the prepared vegetables, herbs and lamb in a deep pot, cover with water and cook for one hour.

Personally, I don’t really like the taste of mutton, so I used lamb. We actually bought a whole lamb for Easter, and I still have some cuts in the freezer. I used lovely meaty neck bones which were perfect for the broth and there was quite a lot of extra meat, which I served separately. You can also use the lamb meat to make a ragu.

mound of semolina flour with well in the middle
Step 3 While broth is cooking make your Sardinian gnocchi. Start by making a mound of flour with a well in the middle.

Of course, if you like it, mutton would work well too. Back in the days when this recipe was created, the rural folk made use of every part of their slaughtered animals. Nothing went to waste and the meat and bones from older animals was typically used in broths.

Semolina flour mixed with salted water on pastry board
Step 4 Mix the flour with the salted water.

What is Sardinian gnocchi (malloreddus)?

Sardinia is home to some unique and pretty ancient types of pasta. Among these are the beautiful, braided pasta rings called lorighittas and fregola, also called Sardinian couscous because it’s quite similar (see links below). However, the most well-known Sardinia pasta is the Sardinian gnocchi used in this recipe. Also known as gnocchetti sardi, malloreddus or malloreddos, this is a semolina flour and water pasta that looks very like little gnocchi, hence the name.

ball of pasta dough on pastry board
Step 5 Knead the dough until it’s soft and pliable. Then roll into a bowl and let it rest.

Homemade Sardinian gnocchi (malloreddus) have long been the most prepared traditional pasta in Sardinia for special occasions, such as holidays, village festivals, and at weddings. In the past, there was a tradition that a bride would bring a basket of homemade malloreddus to her new husband’s house, and they’d eat the saffron-infused pasta together from a shared plate!

pasta rolled into a 'snake' with cut pieces of dough and ready Sardinian gnocchi
Step 6 Once dough has rested, take a piece and roll it into a ‘snake’ then cut that into small 1-2 cm pieces.

How to make homemade Sardinian gnocchi (malloreddus).

Making Sardinian gnocchi at home is actually quite easy. As mentioned above, the dough contains just semolina flour, water and salt. In Sardinia, it’s traditional to add saffron to the dough but we didn’t. Like other semolina flour pasta dough, malloreddus dough requires a bit more kneading than egg pasta dough.

Making Sardinian gnocchi using a gnocchi board
Step 7 Use a gnocchi board to make the shell shaped, ridged malloreddus.

Semolina flour (Italians say semola di grano duro rimacinata) is made from durum wheat (hard wheat) and has a higher gluten content than soft wheat flour. So, you have to work it a bit more to get it soft and pliable. However, you can also use a stand mixer to do some of the heavy work! This is the flour that most Italian dried pasta and traditional Southern Italian pasta shapes are made with.

Ready homemade Sardinian gnocchi on tray
Step 8 Place your ready Sardinian gnocchi on a floured tray or tea towel until you need to cook them.

How to shape Sardinian gnocchi.

Once your dough is ready, you have to let it rest for a while. Then, you just need to roll pieces of dough into ‘snakes’ (ropes) of about 1-2 cm wide (.4-.8 of an inch) and cut off small pieces (gnocchi) again 1-2 cm in length. Malloreddus are usually quite small but you can make them a bit bigger if you prefer. The important thing is that all your gnocchi are more or less the same size!

potatoes added to lamb broth in Dutch oven
Step 9. Add the potatoes to the lamb broth and cook until the meat is tender and the potatoes are ready.

For the final step to making homemade Sardinian gnocchi you will need a gnocchi board, although you can also use the tines of a fork. Using your thumb and a little pressure, roll each gnocchi down the gnocchi board to create a shell shape and the characteristic ridges. Dust with more semolina flour to prevent the gnocchi from sticking to the board or each other. Leave the ready gnocchi on a dusted tray or tea towel until you are ready to cook them. See video below of my hubby shaping Sardinian gnocchi.

Cooked lamb neck bones and potatoes in a white dish
Step 10 Remove the meat and potatoes from the broth.

Making the lamb broth.

As I mentioned above, I used meaty neck bones to make the lamb broth for this homemade Sardinian gnocchi (malloreddus) recipe. Other good cuts of lamb would be leg or shoulder joints or boned and diced leg or shoulder. You could also use small lamb shanks! I like to add bones to broth but you can make it without.

shredded lamb meat in white dish
Step 11. If necessary, remove the meat from the bones and shred it.

Apart from the lamb, this broth has potatoes, carrots, onion, celery, sun-dried tomatoes, parsley and rosemary (or basil or thyme).  Sardinians add potatoes to this broth because they normal eat the meat and potatoes separately as a main course. You can leave them out if you prefer or intend to have your Sardinian gnocchi with lamb broth as a one plate meal.

homemade Sardinian gnocchi cooking in broth in Dutch oven.
Step 12. Cook your homemade sardinian gnocchi in the broth.

Different ways to serve Sardinian gnocchi in lamb broth.

Once the broth is cooked, the meat and veg are removed and the pasta cooks in the remaining broth. I removed the meat from the bones and shredded it. Once the malloreddus were cooked I put some shredded lamb and some of the vegetables in individual bowls and topped it with the pasta and broth and a generous amount of grated Sardinian pecorino. We had the rest of the lamb with potatoes the following day, so I got 2 meals out of one recipe!

Homemade Sardinian gnocchi (malloreddus) cooked in lamb broth.
Step 13 Place some lamb in individual bowls, add pasta, veggies and broth. Serve with grated pecorino.

In Sardinia, they also cook the pasta in the filtered broth and serve it with lots of cheese but no meat or veggies. Those they keep for the main course. In addition, some Sardinian recipes include making a ragu with sausage and tomatoes (alla Campidanese) or the lamb meat. They then just cook the pasta in the broth but drain it and serve with the ragu. I’m sure it’s delicious but I think that’s a waste of the broth. I have the recipe for alla Campidanese here on the blog, but the pasta isn’t cooked in lamb broth.

Homemade Sardinian gnocchi (malloreddus) in lamb broth.

Instead of homemade malloreddus, you can make this recipe with dried Sardinian gnocchi. Sardinians also use fregola instead. Otherwise, a soup pasta like ditalini or small elbow macaroni would be good instead. However, nothing beats homemade pasta and homemade Sardinian gnocchi really aren’t so difficult to make. I’m sure if you make your own, you’ll agree with me!

Let me know what you think.

If you try this homemade Sardinian gnocchi recipe, do please let me know what you think by commenting here on the blog or on The Pasta Project Facebook page. Your feedback is much appreciated!

Buon appetito!

More recipes you may like

If you love Sardinian pasta recipes, have a look at my favorites:

  • Homemade lorighittas with chicken ragu
  • Sardinian ravioli with ricotta and saffron
  • Malloreddus with tuna and pesto

Want to know more about my life in Italy? Why not subscribe to my newsletter? New subscribers get a free series of recipe e-books too!

Homemade Sardinian gnocchi (malloreddus) cooked in lamb broth.

Homemade Sardinian Gnocchi (malloreddus) in Lamb Broth.

Jacqueline De Bono
This homemade Sardinian gnocchi (malloreddus) cooked in lamb broth is a traditional recipe from the island of Sardinia. Typically, this would be a 2 in 1 recipe in which the meat and potatoes are served separately to the pasta and broth. However, it is great eaten as a hearty and filling one plate meal too. Of course, you can use other pasta instead of making your own.
5 from 18 votes
Print Recipe Save Recipe Saved!
Prep Time 1 hr
Cook Time 1 hr 30 mins
Course Homemade Pasta, Main Course
Cuisine Italian, Mediterranean, Sardinia
Servings 4
Calories 973 kcal

Ingredients
  

For the Sardinian gnocchi

  • 250 g Semolina flour (9oz)
  • 100 ml warm water (3.3oz)
  • 2 g salt (0.5 tsp)

For the lamb broth

  • 1 kg meaty lamb neck bones (2.2lbs) or leg or shoulder joints or boneless shoulder/leg meat or shanks
  • 2 carrots washed and cut into pieces
  • 2 celery stalks washed and sliced
  • 1 onion peeled and sliced
  • 4 potatoes peeled and halved ( I used unpeeled new potatoes)
  • 1 handful fresh parsley washed and chopped
  • 1 sprig fresh rosemary washed and chopped or thyme or basil
  • 2-3 sun-dried tomatoes in oil
  • salt to taste
  • 60 g Pecorino Sardo or Pecorino Romano (2oz) freshly grated

Instructions
 

Start the lamb broth

  • Cut the meat into chunks if needed. Peel and slice the onion, wash and chop the carrots and celery, peel the potatoes and put them in a bowl of water until ready to use them. Wash the herbs. Cut the drained sun-dried tomatoes in half.
  • Put the lamb, herbs and veggies (not the potatoes) into a deep pot and add enough cold water to just cover everything. Bring to the boil and then lower the heat and simmer for about 1-1.5 hours. Check occasionally if you need to skim any fat from the top.

Make the Sardinian gnocchi (malloreddus)

  • Sift the flour into a mound on a pastry board and form a well in the middle. Dissolve the salt in the warm water and then add the water a little at a time to the centre of the well. Using a fork or scraper, slowly start to incorporate the water into the flour to form a rough dough. Add a little more water if the dough is too dry or a dusting of flour if it is too wet. (You can do this first part in a bowl)
  • Knead the dough until it springs back when you press a finger into it, about 10 minutes. It should be quite smooth and pliable and not tacky. Roll the dough into a ball, wrapi it in plastic wrap and allow to rest for 30-60 minutes.
  • Cut off a piece of the dough and roll it into a 1-2cm-thick snake (.4-.7 of an inch). Cut the snake into 1-2cm pieces. Press one piece of dough at a time firmly with your thumb against a gnocchi board or the back tines of a fork and roll the dough down the board to create a shell shape with ridges. Continue with the remaining dough, dusting the pasta and board with semolina flour as needed to prevent sticking.
  • Place your ready Sardinian gnocchi on a floured tray or tea towel until you are ready to use them.

Finish the broth and cook the pasta.

  • Add the potatoes and some salt to the broth and continue cooking for another 20-30 minutes until the meat falls off the bone and the potatoes are cooked. If the meat isn’t soft enough, remove the potatoes and continue cooking a bit longer.
  • Once the meat is ready, remove it and the potatoes from the broth. If necessary, remove the meat from the bones and shred it. Bring the broth to a boil again and add your malloreddus. Fresh pasta doesn’t take so long to cook (5-10 minutes) but it depends on how thick/big it is. Test taste before turning off the heat.
  • Put some of the shredded lamb meat into individual bowls and add some pasta, veggies and broth. Top with a generous sprinkling of grated pecorino and serve immediately.
  • Serve the rest of the meat and potatoes as a main course or a separate meal the following day.

Notes

You can use dried malloreddus or other small pasta shapes instead of making your own Sardinian gnocchi. In Sardinia, they also use fregola in this recipe.
Nutrition and calories can be divided into 2 dishes per person.
Keyword homemade pasta, lamb broth, malloreddus, Sardinian gnocchi

If you are interested in learning how to make homemade pasta and different types of gnocchi, check out my shop page for some great video online courses from my friends in Rome! Nothing beats learning to make pasta from Italians! Plus while you’re there why not order a copy of one of my pasta recipe cookbooks or checkout some recommended pasta making tools?


More Homemade Pasta Recipes

  • Spinach Ricotta Gnocchi Recipe from Piemonte.
  • Homemade Maltagliati Sausage Pasta Recipe.
  • Traditional Homemade Ricotta Ravioli Recipe from Marche.
  • Homemade Cannelloni from Abruzzo

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Fred N says

    September 20, 2021 at 7:50 pm

    I love reading your blogs because I’m certain to get a history lesson and a great recipe. Your Sardinian gnocchi looks absolutely delicious and must put it on my to-do list. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
  2. Alexis says

    September 20, 2021 at 4:11 pm

    This dish was amazing. I made it for a group gathering this weekend and everyone loved it.

    Reply
  3. Tammy says

    September 19, 2021 at 8:58 pm

    This is a beautiful meal for the colder months ahead. Homemade pasta is so satisfying…your gnocchi looks and sounds absolutely delicious!

    Reply
  4. Stine Mari says

    September 19, 2021 at 9:15 am

    I didn’t know Sardinia had their own kind of sheep! This semolina gnocchi is perfect, easier to make than egg gnocchi in my opinion!

    Reply
  5. Amy says

    September 18, 2021 at 11:33 pm

    Homemade gnocchi is the best and I love the idea of pairing it with a savory lamb broth! Sounds comforting and so delicious!

    Reply
  6. Tristin says

    September 18, 2021 at 10:55 pm

    I’ve never made homemade gnocchi before but your recipe has inspired me to try it out! Can’t wait to try it!

    Reply
  7. Sophia says

    September 18, 2021 at 6:59 pm

    This was so delicious! I made it for a dinner party and it was a huge hit!

    Reply
  8. Veronika Sykorova says

    September 18, 2021 at 6:00 pm

    it always amazes me how many different kinds of pasta there are! I’ve never heard of Sardinian gnocchi but I’m adding them to a list of pasta to try!

    Reply
  9. Natalia says

    September 18, 2021 at 12:35 pm

    Brilliant! So creamy and flavors on point. I was hesitant to cook the gnocchi in the sauce but it works so beautifully. I used fresh gnocchi and it came out incredible! Thank you for sharing such a wonderful recipe!

    Reply
  10. Jere Cassidy says

    September 17, 2021 at 5:26 am

    Another amazing dish that looks like a bowl of comfort food. I have never had homemade gnocchi and need to give this a go. Also, I have never had lamb broth so that is new to me.

    Reply
  11. Liz says

    September 16, 2021 at 10:47 pm

    This looks like a great fall recipe!

    Reply
  12. Lesli Schwartz says

    September 16, 2021 at 6:28 pm

    This is a restaurant-quality dish! I bet the aromas floating through your kitchen we’re amazing! I think I’ll make this for the next big holiday.

    Reply
  13. Petro says

    September 16, 2021 at 6:12 pm

    Wow! This sounds and looks incredible, so mouthwatering! I never cooked gnocchi in any type of broth, I can’t wait to give this a try!

    Reply
  14. Kayla DiMaggio says

    September 15, 2021 at 7:09 pm

    I love gnocchi so much! This sardinian recipe was so delicious!

    Reply
  15. Kathryn says

    September 14, 2021 at 4:43 pm

    Gnocchi is my absolute favorite and I loved trying your recipe! My husband loved lamb so this was such a hit. We loved the simplicity and authentic flavor of this dish, thank you!

    Reply
  16. Nicoletta De Angelis Nardelli says

    September 14, 2021 at 12:22 am

    What beautiful malloreddus you made, Jacqui! You inspired me to make some! And the recipe with lamb sounds super flavorful and hearty dish.

    Reply
  17. Bernice says

    September 13, 2021 at 7:23 pm

    I love learning about Italy though your blog! I didn’t even know about these special Sardinian sheep and farm style dishes of the region. I’m not a huge lamb fan, however I would prefer it over mutton any day.

    Reply
  18. Gloria says

    September 13, 2021 at 7:05 pm

    I love making gnocchi. I have never paired it with lamb before. This sounds like a hearty and delicious dinner for the weekend.

    Reply

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Buon giorno and welcome to my pasta project! My name is Jacqui. I’m originally a Londoner but in 2003 life’s journey brought me to the beautiful Veneto region of Italy where…

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