I would like to thank a fellow physician and bonafide chef, Sonali, known as “The Foodie Physician“ for lending me this fantastic recipe and allowing me to try it on the Tiny Tasters. Gnudi is a cool Italian dish that is basically a “nude” ravioli! Think of a big ball of spinach ravioli filling, cooked like pasta, and served with sauce and a sprinkle of parmesan cheese. Delicious! I let some of my Tiny Tasters try it, and it went over quite well. Some of these tasters were a little hung up on the fact that there was spinach in there, but as you can see from the ratings, it didn’t stop them from trying and enjoying them. They also loved the cool name (with a silent “G” like “GNAT”!)
Serve with your favorite sauce for a delicious and simple dinner. We made a side salad and fruit. Yum!
Ingredients
Food
Amt
Units
Prep
Notes
2 cups
ricotta cheese
ricotta cheese
2
cups
10 ounces
frozen spinach, thawed and excess water squeezed out
frozen spinach
10
ounces
thawed and excess water squeezed out
4
egg yolks
egg yolks
4
⅔ cup
grated parmesan cheese
(grate a bit extra to garnish)
grated parmesan cheese
⅔
cup
grate a bit extra to garnish
¼ teaspoon
ground nutmeg
ground nutmeg
¼
teaspoon
1 teaspoon
salt
salt
1
teaspoon
¼ teaspoon
black pepper
black pepper
¼
teaspoon
1½ cups
white whole wheat flour
(divided)
white whole wheat flour
1½
cups
divided
1-24 ounce jar
marinara sauce
marinara sauce
1-24
ounce jar
Method
Mix the ricotta, spinach, egg yolks, grated cheese, nutmeg, salt and pepper together in a medium bowl until well combined. Stir in 1/2 cup flour until a sticky dough forms. Put the remaining 1 cup of flour on a plate. Take a large spoonful of dough, and roll in the the plate of flour, gently forming a smooth ball. Shake off excess flour. Form about 24 balls, and refrigerate about 15 minutes. Boil a pot of slightly salted water. Lower gnudi into water gently with a slotted spoon in batches of 6-8, depending on the size of your pot (keep water at a simmering boil so the balls do not burst). Cook until they float to the surface, about 4 minutes. Remove, drain well, and serve with your favorite warmed tomato sauce.
Babyfood Option:
Gnudi are very soft, and perfect for babies. These are not seasoned heavily, and could be tried on very early eaters. For younger infants puree one in a mini food processor or smash with the back of a fork. For older finger food-eaters, cut one gnudi into small bite-sized pieces. This is a great way to get some healthy greens into babies. Most babies can be safely introduced to eggs before one year, but talk to your pediatrician if you have a concern about food allergies, particularly if there is a family history.