Prep Time 20 minutes Cook Time 10 minutes
Carrots are growing like wild in my garden right now and I can't help but use them in my cooking on a daily basis. One of our family's favorite meals is gnocchi - not the packaged stuff either but fluffy delicious homemade potato gnocchi. Unfortunately, I was all out of potatoes when my 5-year-old asked if we could have gnocchi for dinner but I certainly wasn't out of carrots. In just a few steps we had ourselves an indulgent, mouthwatering dinner of sweet carrot gnocchi in a butter thyme sauce. It was unbelievably good!
We're calling this dish rustic because it strays from the traditional potato gnocchi recipe a bit. Instead of a workable dough, the carrots and ricotta make the dough more of a dumpling. Nonetheless, it's a fresh, bright and irresistibly delicious spring meal.
by Meredith Steele
What you'll need
- 1 1/2 pounds carrots, peeled and sliced
- 2/3 cup ricotta
- 3 egg yolks
- 1/3 cup parmesan cheese, grated - plus more for serving
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Notes:
serves 4 to 6
How to make it
- Cook carrots by steaming (preferably) or boiling them until soft. Once cooked, place them in a food processor or blender and process until pureed (the puree doesn't have to be completely smooth).
- In a large bowl, combine carrot puree, ricotta, egg yolks, parmesan, and salt; stir. Add flour and stir until a thick dough has formed. The dough will be thick but still slightly fluid.
- Bring a large pot of water to boil. Using a spoon, drop spoonfuls of gnocchi dough into the boiling water. If desired, you can lightly shape the dough with floured hands before boiling. Being careful not to overcrowd the pan, boil 10 gnocchi at a time. Boil for 5 minutes or until the gnocchi float to the top. Scoop them out with a slotted spoon and transfer to a plate. Repeat with remaining gnocchi.
- In a large saute pan, combine butter, thyme, and salt. Melt over medium heat until it just starts to bubble. Reduce heat to low and add cooked gnocchi and lightly stir to coat.
- Serve and garnish with extra parmesan.
