Goat Cheese Ricotta Gnocchi with Walnut Thyme Butter Sauce

These flavorful goat cheese ricotta gnocchi and served with a rich butter sauce seasoned with fresh thyme and toasted walnuts.

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Ever since I first discovered the deliciousness that is gnocchi, I was under the impression that they were all created from potato. But recently I discovered they can also be created with ricotta – which sounds like it would be richer and more flavorful (if nothing else, less cooking without boiled the potatoes). Especially if using the goat-milk ricotta I recently picked up at the grocery store!

I haven’t made gnocchi in years, but I remember the first time I ever made them – it was in my high school Italian class and I thought they were the most precious things ever. We didn’t do anything fancy to make them ridged, just cut them up into little pieces and boiled them, but their freshness was nothing like I had ever tasted before.

This time around I added the ridges, but unfortunately the gnocchi board I had did not produce the most pronounced ridges as I had hoped for. I was expecting deeper, bigger ridges like you see on those you buy in the store. I am not sure why I expected that since I knew how small the ridges were on my gnocchi board. Sometimes my brain doesn’t make sense. It is for this reason that I am a fork-believer when it comes to making properly ridged gnocchi. After all, you need some texture to hold onto the sauce!

The original recipe said it served six. I do not see how that could’ve been possible without being served alongside some other dish. I barely got three servings out of this, and honestly it took a lot of will power not to make it a two-serving recipe. I could’ve eaten the entire pan in one sitting, it was that freaking amazing.

Homemade gnocchi is easy to make, especially compared to others which require the pasta rolling devices. You just roll these up into long logs, slice them up, roll on a gnocchi board, the back of a fork, or cheese grater (or nothing at all for a very rustic simple option), let sit in the fridge for a few minutes, then boil in water until they float.

The hardest part is deciding with which sauce to serve them. In this scenario I went for a butter sauce complimented by walnuts and fresh thyme. Don’t forget a nice sprinkle of Parmesan before serving!

GOAT CHEESE RICOTTA GNOCCHI WITH WALNUT THYME BUTTER SAUCE

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Yield: 3-4 Servings Prep Time: 30 Minutes Cooking Time: 15 Minutes 15 Minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
• 1/2 cup 100% whole wheat (or more all-purpose flour)
• 12 oz. goat-milk ricotta*
• 6 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 1/3 cup chopped walnuts
• 1 Tbsp chopped fresh thyme, plus more for garnish
• Salt & pepper

Directions

1. Mix together the flour and ricotta (or ricotta and goat cheese), and knead until a nice soft dough forms. Cut the dough into 4 even pieces. Roll each piece out into a 1/2-inch-thick rope and cut each rope, with a pastry cutter or knife, into 3/4-inch pieces. With your thumb, roll each piece of cut dough against the back of a handheld cheese grater, the back of a fork, or on a gnocchi board. Place the gnocchi on trays dusted lightly with flour and place in the refrigerator.
2. Bring 6 quarts salted water to a boil. Drop the gnocchi into the boiling water and cook until they rise to the surface, 1-2 minutes. Remove with a spider or slotted spoon. Reserve 1/4 cup of pasta water.
3. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a 12-inch sauté pan. Once it begins to foam, add the walnuts and thyme. Sauté a few minutes, until the butter begins to brown and the walnuts are lightly toasted, 2-3 minutes. Whisk in the reserved pasta water, if needed, and season to taste with salt and pepper.
4. Toss the gnocchi in the butter sauce, sprinkle with some fresh thyme, Parmesan, and serve.

Notes

* If you cannot find it, use 1 cup soft fresh goat cheese mixed with 3/4 cup cow’s milk ricotta

Source: Adapted slightly from Fine Cooking.

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Post updated 4/27/22, photo above and two below are the originals.