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Baked Tuscan gnudi in tomato sauce.
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5 from 19 votes

Baked Tuscan gnudi with homemade tomato sauce and mozzarella.

In this baked Tuscan gnudi (malfatti) recipe, melt-in-your-mouth spinach and ricotta dumplings from Tuscany are baked in a delicious homemade tomato sauce with mozzarella. However, you can also serve your gnudi with just melted butter and fried sage or unbaked with tomato sauce.
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time1 hour
Resting time1 hour
Total Time2 hours 30 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Central Italy, Italian, Tuscany
Keyword: gnocchi, gnudi, homemade gnocchi, malfatti, ricotta, spinach
Servings: 4
Calories: 693kcal
Author: Jacqui

Ingredients

  • 14 ounces fresh ricotta sheep or cow's milk ricotta -well drained
  • 14 ounces fresh spinach leaves
  • 1 egg
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 3.5 ounces Parmigiano Reggiano grated or hard cheese without rennet for vegetarians
  • 2 ounces All purpose flour or Italian 00 flour
  • 1 pinch nutmeg grated
  • salt to boil gnudi and taste
  • black pepper to taste

For tomato sauce and mozzarella

  • 14 ounces tomato passata or canned chopped tomatoes I use Cirio rustica. It's chunkier.
  • 2-3 garlic cloves peeled
  • 6-8 basil leaves
  • 14 ounces fresh mozzarella

For sage butter

  • 6-8 sage leaves
  • 3.5 ounces butter
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Make the gnudi (malfatti)

  • Wash your spinach and boil in a little water until wilted, then drain and leave to cool a bit, wring out well in a tea towel and chop finely.
  • Drain the ricotta of any liquid and put it in a bowl with the spinach, ⅔ of the grated Parmigiano, the egg, the egg yolk and the flour, after passing it through a sieve. Grate a little nutmeg into the mixture. Add salt and pepper as required.
  • Mix everything carefully with a fork. You can also use your hands but you don’t want to knead this dough, just make sure all the ingredients are well incorporated. Cover the bowl with cling film and leave it to rest for at least 1- 2 hours in the fridge. 

Make the tomato sauce if baking your gnudi

  • Peel the garlic. Heat the olive oil in a frying pan. Add the garlic, once it starts to soften add the tomato passata. Simmer for 15-20 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste, add some basil leaves and remove the garlic cloves when the sauce is ready.
  • Drain the mozzarella and cut into thin slices.

Finish the gnudi

  • Place some baking paper on a tray and sprinkle with flour. Take about a flat tablespoon full of gnudi mixture and form into a ball. You can use wet or floured hands to make the balls. I use an ice-cream/melon scope or a tablespoon to get the same quantity of gnudi mixture for each ball. Place the gnudi on the tray and roll a little to cover each ball slightly in flour. 
  • Put a pot of water onto boil. Cook the gnudi in the boiling water for 2-4 minutes, when they come to the surface, allow a few seconds and then remove with a slotted spoon. The time it takes your gnudi to rise to the surface will depend on how big they are. 

If serving with sage butter

  • If you are serving with sage butter while the water is boiling and the gnudi are cooking, melt the butter in a skillet or frying pan. Add the sage leaves to the butter and cook until they start to crisp. Both the butter and the sage need to be a little brown but not burnt. Plate the cooked gnudi and pour over the sage butter. Add some grated parmesan and black pepper if required.

If baking your gnudi

  • If you are making baked Tuscan gnudi, put the tomato sauce into an oven dish. Place the cooked gnudi in the sauce. Use a tablespoon to cover the gnudi with some sauce.
  • Add the pieces of mozzarella. Sprinkle with grated Parmigiano and bake in a preheated oven at 180 ° (356°F) until the mozzarella has melted and the top has just started to brown. 10-15 minutes. Serve immediately! 

Notes

The number of gnudi (malfatti) you make will depend on the size. Cooking times will also vary depending on the size of your gnudi. 
Don't knead the gnudi mixture with your hands too much or it can get too dense. It's better to use a fork.
Leaving the gnudi mixture in the fridge for at least an hour helps it to set and the gnudi will hold together better
Boiling the gnudi in batches will prevent crowding and the gnudi getting spoiled.
Baked Tuscan gnudi work really well when baked in individual single portion oven dishes. 
 

Nutrition

Calories: 693kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 49g | Fat: 44g | Saturated Fat: 26g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 13g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 235mg | Sodium: 1342mg | Potassium: 987mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 10883IU | Vitamin C: 38mg | Calcium: 1147mg | Iron: 6mg