Baked spinach and ricotta gnudi in roast tomato eggplant sauce. Jump to recipe.
Gnudi: Tuscan dumplings, akin to extra large ricotta gnocchi without the shaping and boiling steps. It often takes people aback when you say it, like they might have just heard you suggest nudes of some variety (gnudi does literally mean naked in Italian). The name apparently comes from the fact that they are similar to ravioli filling, only disrobed without their surrounding pasta. The term gnudi is more commonly used in areas near Florence, whereas they are also known as malfatti (meaning badly made) in Siena. This version were born of a day during COVID isolation when a friend dropped off a care package including ricotta, cherry tomatoes and a sourdough baguette (a friend that knew me well, clearly). True comfort food in a bubbling dish, and much easier than either ravioli or gnocchi – less potential for mishap.
As a sidenote, friends dropping off coffee and treats really got us through that home isolation period and I would highly recommend it to anyone else (especially New Zealanders right now who are in the midst of a COVID outbreak). Who knew how exciting a door knock would become when you weren’t allowed to leave the house – our days were bookmarked by what might come through it.
These baked gnudi are soft and pillowy, reliant on good ricotta with wrung out spinach, lemon and parmesan then nestled in a simple roast cherry tomato and eggplant sauce and baked for half an hour. They can be prepped ahead right up until the baking step (just keep covered in the fridge in the baking dish) if you’re short on time later. It’s the sort of meal where you end up having done all the dishes by the time you’re ready to serve it straight from the oven, ideal for both weeknights and easy entertaining.
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium-large eggplant cubed
- 250 g fresh cherry tomatoes halved
- 1 400g can cherry tomatoes
- 2 cloves garlic finely chopped
- salt and pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon red chilli flakes
- 150 g spinach
- 280 g good quality deli ricotta (firm)
- 1 egg beaten
- 1/4 cup finely grated parmesan
- zest 1/2 lemon
- 2 tablespoons plain flour
- salt and pepper
- 1/2 cup fresh basil
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Preheat oven to 200 degrees and line a baking tray with baking paper
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Season eggplant with salt and pepper, drizzle with olive oil and roast for 20-30 minutes or until golden.
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To make the ricotta gnudi: blanch the spinach briefly in boiling water and drain, then squeeze out as much water as you can (the spinach will condense down to about a fistful). Finely chop.
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Mix together the ricotta, egg, parmesan, finely chopped spinach, lemon zest . Season with salt and pepper. Gently mix in the flour. Place in the fridge while you finish making the sauce.
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Heat a splash of olive oil in a medium fry pan over low-medium heat. Sizzle the garlic for a minute then add the halved cherry tomatoes and cook for 5-10 minutes until soft. Add the can of cherry tomatoes (if whole, squash gently with the back of a spoon to release juices). Season with salt and pepper and add chilli flakes to taste. Cook for another 5-10 minutes. Mix in the roast eggplant.
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Tip the sauce into a baking dish about 5 cup capacity. Scoop up 2 tablespoon-size dollops of the ricotta mixture and shape into ovals (I use two spoons to do this). Place evenly on top of the eggplace sauce. If preparing this for later, cover and refrigerate for a few hours now then bake prior to serving.
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Roast for 30 minutes or until bubbling and gnudi are starting to turn golden on top.
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Finish with grated parmesan, lemon zest and fresh basil.
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Serve with greens and crusty bread.
Amazing recipe – super easy and absolutely delish. Will definitely make again.