Give the tomatoes time to lose their excess water before the beans and gnocchi go in. The sauce should look concentrated enough to leave a brief clear trail when a spoon is drawn across the skillet. Thoroughly drained gnocchi matter here: water clinging to them can turn a well-reduced tomato base loose in a hurry.
Main DishesGnocchi with Cannellini Beans, Spinach, Lemon and Ricotta
Soft gnocchi and creamy cannellini beans are folded into a rough tomato sauce with wilted spinach, lemon and ricotta. Parmesan adds a sharp finish to the mild beans and soft dumplings.
Ingredients
Preparation Steps
Prepare the ingredients
Drain the Cannellini beans. Finely grate the zest from the Lemon, squeeze its juice, and roughly chop the Tomatoes. Peel and finely chop the Garlic.
Build the bean sauce
Heat Olive Oil in a wide skillet over medium heat. Cook Garlic for about 30 seconds until fragrant but not browned, then add Tomatoes and Salt. Simmer for 10 to 12 minutes, crushing the tomatoes with a spoon, until the sauce has thickened slightly.
Cook the gnocchi
Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil and cook the gnocchi—I was too lazy to make them myself today—until they float and are tender, following the packet timing. Drain thoroughly.
Finish and serve
Stir Cannellini beans, Fresh Spinach, Ground Black Pepper and lemon zest into the tomato sauce. Crush some of the beans against the side of the skillet, then cook for 2 to 3 minutes until the spinach is fully wilted. Fold in the Gnocchi, Ricotta and lemon juice over low heat until hot; do not let the sauce boil after adding the Ricotta. Divide between plates and finish with Parmesan Cheese.
Recipe insights
Reducing the tomato base
Ricotta and lemon at low heat
Ricotta stays smoother when warmed gently rather than boiled, which is also a reasonable fate to avoid for most dairy. Once it has been folded through, keep the heat low and stop as soon as the gnocchi are hot. Add the lemon juice at that point: its fresh acidity cuts through the beans and dairy, while prolonged cooking would flatten it into a duller version of itself.
Dairy-free substitutions
For a dairy-free version, replace the 300 g ricotta with 300 g silken tofu blended smooth with some of the lemon juice, then fold it in at the end. Use 25 g nutritional yeast over the finished plates in place of the Parmesan. It works, but the dairy version is much better—creamier, richer, and less like dinner has been asked to attend a wellness retreat.
You can also make your own gnocchis
Gnocchi are easy to make at home. You simply need time and patience—two ingredients that, given the day I was having, I didn’t have on hand.
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