Tuscan kale and ricotta gnudi in tomato sauce might become your next favorite Sunday meal. Light and tender dumplings placed in a lovely pool of rich flavorful tomato sauce. Gnudi, "nudi" in Italian, means "naked". Imagine a ravioli filling without the pasta enveloping them. Pure deliciousness.
Song of the day: Sunday Morning - Maroon 5
A traditional dish from the Tuscan kitchen to your own kitchen. Close your eyes and see rolling hills, rows of tall cypress trees, and a warm terracotta landscape, as you are making these.
Tuscan kale gnudi
Traditionally, gnudi are made with ricotta, or ricotta and spinach, and their usual condiment is a butter sauce. Instead of spinach, we used Tuscan kale, or lacinato kale, or cavolo nero in Italian. You could also use Swiss chard. Tuscan kale is an Italian variety with long dark green leaves and a mild, less bitter flavor. All types of kale have a tough center rib, that needs to be removed, leaving only the tender leaves. Wash and blanch the leaves, then mince them with a knife. We suggest not to use a food processor or they'll become pureed and release too much water.
Ingredients for the gnudi
Very few, as every Italian recipe from the Cucina povera:
- Tuscan kale
- ricotta
- Parmigiano, freshly grated
- egg
- salt, pepper, & nutmeg
The semolina flour used to roll them on, gives some structure to the gnudi.
The preparation
- In a bowl, with a fork, mix ricotta, minced kale, grated Parmigiano, egg. Grate in the nutmeg, add salt, and pepper.
- Mix until smooth. If you see the mixture is too runny, let it firm up in the fridge, for about half hour to 1 hour.
- Use an ice cream scoop or tablespoon to measure the size, then form the mixture into small balls. Coat with semolina flour, and place on a semolina floured baking sheet, apart from each other.
We suggest leaving the gnudi in the fridge, lightly covered with plastic or a towel, for at least half an hour. That gives the gnudi time to firm up and the semolina creates a nice outer surface preventing the gnudi to fall apart during cooking. Before putting them in boiling water, gently remove any excess flour.
A simple basil tomato sauce
While your gnudi are resting in the fridge, prepare a basic, simple, and tasty tomato sauce. We used a basil passata, adding garlic, evo oil, salt and pepper, and more basil. We cooked our sauce for about 15 minutes, cook longer only if your sauce is more runny. Passata is usually thicker than stewed tomatoes and requires less cooking time since it is pureed without the skin and seeds and also strained. Normally, we add some water to the jar, give it a good squish and pour it into the pot. This helps achieve the right consistency and we don't want to waste any of that goodness.
Cooking the gnudi
- Fill a tall pot two-thirds full with water, salt it generously, and bring it to a boil over high heat. Before adding the gnudi, reduce the boil to a light boil, place a few gnudi at a time on a stainless steel strainer or slotted spoon and gently submerge them into the water. Repeat for all the gnudi.
- Once they are all in, shake the pot gently, do not stir, then wait until they come to the surface, about 3-5 minutes. Then, use the strainer or slotted spoon to gently take them out of the water.
- While the gnudi are cooking, place a ladle of tomato sauce at the bottom of a shallow bowl. Then, place 3 or 4 gnudi on top of the sauce.
- Grate Parmigiano on top and serve immediately.
The gnudi experience
Plating the gnudi in a pool of rich sauce really highlights the color and texture of this Italian dumpling. Amazingly enough, the colors resemble the Italian flag. Go figure! When you first cut into one, the filling reveals a bright green freshness with little morcels of that creamy ricotta. The flavor has the same brightness and paired with the sauce has the taste buds singing praise.
Bring a taste of Italy, better yet, Tuscany, to your next meal. Don't forget to let us know if you like them and if you happen to have a picture, we would love to see it!
Buon appetito!
PrintTuscan kale and ricotta Gnudi in tomato sauce
Tuscan kale and ricotta gnudi in tomato sauce might become your next favorite Sunday meal. Light and tender dumplings placed in a lovely pool of rich flavorful tomato sauce. Gnudi, "nudi" in Italian, means "naked". Imagine a ravioli filling without the pasta enveloping them. Pure deliciousness.
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 2-3 servings 1x
Ingredients
For the gnudi:
- 270 g kale, stems removed, about 1 cup blanched and minced
- 150 g (¾ cup) ricotta, drained
- 1 medium egg, lightly beaten
- 20 g (⅓ cup) Parmigiano, grated
- nutmeg
- salt and pepper to taste
- about 1 cup semolina flour
For the sauce:
- 1 x 480 ml tomato passata or pureed stewed tomatoes
- 1 clove garlic, lightly smashed
- 2 Tbsp evo oil
- salt and pepper to taste
- 3-4 basil leaves
Instructions
- In a bowl, with a fork or whisk, mix ricotta, minced kale, grated Parmigiano, egg. Grate in the nutmeg, add salt, and pepper, and mix until smooth. If you see the mixture is too runny, let it firm up in the fridge, half hour to 1 hour.
- Use an ice cream scoop or tablespoon to measure the size, then form the mixture into small balls. Coat with semolina flour, and place the gnudi on a well semolina floured baking sheet, apart from each other.
- Loosely cover with plastic wrap or a clean towel, set in the fridge to rest for at least ½ hour, better if longer. The time in the fridge allows the ricotta/kale mixture to fuse with the semolina and form a delicate skin.
- Fill a tall pot two-thirds full with water, salt it generously, and bring it to a boil over high heat. Before adding the gnudi, reduce to a light boil, place a few gnudi at a time on a stainless steel strainer or slotted spoon and gently submerge them into the water. Repeat for all the gnudi.
- Once they are all in, shake the pot gently, do not stir, then wait until they come to the surface, about 3-5 minutes. Then, use the strainer or slotted spoon to gently take them out of the water.
- While the gnudi are cooking, place a ladle of tomato sauce at the bottom of a shallow bowl. Then, place 3 or 4 drained gnudi on top of the sauce.
- Grate Parmigiano Reggiano or Grana Padano on top and serve immediately.
For the sauce:
- Drizzle evo oil into a pot over medium heat, toss in garlic and stir around. Add the tomato passata, season with salt and pepper to taste and the basil leaves. Pour a little warm water into the passata jar, swish it around then pour it into the sauce.
- Partially cover with a lid and cook on low for about 15-20 minutes or until nicely reduced and thickened. Taste for seasoning and adjust.
Buon Appetito!
Notes
We made them in the morning and cooked for dinner. We suggest giving them at least half hour to 1 hour to set up in the fridge or they risk to fall apart in the water.
If your ricotta is too watery, let it drain in a colander for 1-2 hours in the fridge before using.
Mince your greens, kale, spinach or chard, on a board with a knife. Do not puree, or they'll develop too much water.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Pasta, Vegetarian
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
Keywords: pasta, Italian, gnudi, tomato sauce, Sunday meal, ricotta, kale, traditional, classic, delicious, dinner
I love baking and kneading dough because it takes me to a happy place in my soul.
Ramya says
Will be making this soon can i use vegan ricotta and parmesan as am dairy free also i cant see the sauce recipe pl fix it i never had gnudi before i love italian food soooooooooooooo much perfect for my after office meals will dm you guys if i make this and let you know how it goes Thanks Ramya
Hi Ramya, yes, you can use vegan ricotta and parmesan and omit the egg. The sauce is there now, thanks for noticing!
Aditi Bahl says
This recipe has all my desired flavors. Will surely be making this soon. Looks so tempting and the recipe is easy to follow. Cant wait to try.
★★★★★
Hi Aditi, so happy you like this! We were happy to hear that you find the recipe easy to follow. We are always striving to make the recipes clear easy and delicious. Have lots of fun cooking and enjoy them!
Cheers!
Linda Warren says
I'd never had anything like this dish before so I had to give it a try. Wow! is all I can say! It was so delicious and a nice change of pace from a strictly pasta dish. And the tomato sauce was so good that I think I will be using this recipe for other dishes in the future.
★★★★★
Hi Linda, wow this makes us very happy. We love inspiring people to cook especially these lovely Italian classics. Your right about the sauce it is easy and so flavorful and heathy. Happy that it may become your go too. Thanks again for trying this recipe and reaching out to us. We love hearing from you!
Happy cooking!
Adriana says
I never heard of gundi before. What a delight! Besides looks so easy to make, I cannot wait to try it at home.
★★★★★
Hi Adriana
That's fantastic that you want to try these. They are super easy and delightfully delicious. Let us know how you make out and what you thought of them. We would love hearing from you!
Cheers!
Linda says
I've never heard about gnudi before but this one sounds so comforting!
★★★★★
It's one of those delicious comforting dish. Hope you try it some time soon!
Tammy says
I love light meals like this! So perfect for summer too. This sounds delicious! I cannot wait to try it...beautiful dish!
★★★★★
It is a great use of kale, and marries perfectly with the ricotta and the sauce. Thank you!
Jacqueline Debono says
We love gnudi although I've only ever made them with spinach. Next time round am definitely going to try this version with kale!
★★★★★
Thank you! Please, try, it gives a bolder flavor and texture. Also in Tuscany, they use kale in gnudi, often, now.
Amanda says
As a huge ricotta lover, this was my perfect meal! They turned out so tender and were fun to make.
★★★★★
Debbie says
I can't wait to try this Tuscan Kale and ricotta gnudi in tomato sauce. This has such a great flavor combo I think it will convert my kale hating husband into a lover.
★★★★★
Thanks! The flavors are amazing, can't wait for you to try!
Erin says
I've never had gnudi before but I would love to try them! They sound delicious and look so easy to make. Now if I could just find kale!
Thanks! As I say in the post, you can use spinach, or Swiss chard, or other greens. Curious to know where you live, since here kale is one of the most popular greens.
Chenée says
I love kale in Italian recipes so I can't wait to try this! It looks incredible!
★★★★★
Thanks! We have quite a lot of recipes in Italy that use kale, it is such a tasty and healthy green.
Hayley says
Delicious and light meal
Ideas for this summer! I’ll be making for sure as I love to use ricotta in my cooking
★★★★★