Recipe: Green Ricotta Gnudi al Forno

Yield: 4 servings

Prep Time: 40 minutes

Cook Time: 50 minutes

Looking for something comforting but a little out of the ordinary? This recipe puts a fresh twist on a rustic Italian classic and is perfectly cozy, simple and satisfying. The star of the show, pillowy ricotta dumplings—or gnudi, meaning “naked” in Italian—are like ravioli without the pasta. Baked in a velvety bacon mushroom sauce, it’s the kind of soul-warming, stick-to-your-ribs comfort food that brings everyone to the table.

Ingredients

• 1 lb Swiss chard
• 1½ cups whole-milk ricotta cheese
• ½ cup finely shredded parmesan cheese,
• plus extra for serving
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp finely grated lemon zest
• ¼ tsp ground black pepper
• 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 1 tbsp grapeseed oil
• 1 large shallot, finely diced
• 2 or 3 strips of bacon, diced
• ½ lb mixed mushrooms, chopped or sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• ½ cup dry white wine
• 1½ cups vegetable broth or chicken stock
• 2 tbsp cream cheese
• Kosher salt, to taste

Method

Preheat oven to 375°F. Bring a medium saucepan of salted water to a boil over high heat. Remove leaves from stems of Swiss chard, reserving stems for later. Add chard leaves to saucepan and cook until wilted (about 2 minutes). Remove chard with tongs and transfer to a clean kitchen towel. Once cool enough to handle, squeeze chard leaves dry in towel before transferring them to a cutting board. Finely chop chard leaves.

In a large bowl, add chopped chard, ricotta cheese, shredded parmesan cheese, egg, lemon zest and black pepper before mixing until well combined. Add flour and stir until just combined. Refrigerate while making sauce.

Preheat oil in an oven-safe, 10-inch sauté pan over medium heat. Add diced bacon and cook, stirring often, until lightly browned (about 4 minutes). Dice reserved chard stems and add to pan along with shallots, then cook until just softened (about 2 minutes). Stir in sliced mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until starting to brown (about another 8 minutes). Add in garlic, tomato paste, white wine and broth. Stir until sauce is well combined, then bring to a slow simmer, adjusting the heat as necessary, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Stir in cream cheese until melted and fully incorporated. Remove sauté pan from heat and taste, adjusting seasoning with salt as desired.

Using two spoons, form ricotta mixture into golf ball-sized rounds and gently nestle into hot sauce in pan. Transfer pan to oven and bake until sauce is bubbling and gnudi are puffed and starting to turn golden brown on top (about 20 to 30 minutes). Garnish with extra grated parmesan cheese while hot and serve straight from pan.