Name: Ricotta Gnocchi
Total time: 40 minutes (plus 1 hour dough rest time)
Yield: 2 servings
Ingredients: 8 oz. whole-milk ricotta; Zest of ½ lemon; 1½ cups heavy cream; 1 large egg; Tiny pinch of freshly grated nutmeg (optional); 1 oz. Parmesan, finely grated (about ½ cup), plus more for serving; 1 tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt, divided, plus more; Freshly ground pepper; ⅔ cup (83 g) all-purpose flour, plus more for surface; Semolina or cornmeal (for baking sheet); Extra-virgin olive oil (for baking sheet); 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter

Ricotta Gnocchi plated in a orange bowl placed on a green surface

Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Kat Boytsova, prop styling by Gerri Williams

Homemade ricotta gnocchi have two things going over their potato gnocchi brethren: The cheesier dumplings are lighter and fluffier, and the base (ricotta cheese) is ready to go with little extra work from you. The gnocchi dough comes together easily by hand and requires no special tools or techniques for shaping, making this recipe foolproof for even the most novice of home cooks. It’s everything we love about handmade pasta with a fraction of the work.

For chef Michelle Bernstein’s ricotta gnocchi recipe, you’ll boil and drain the pillowy dumplings, then bathe them in a creamy sauce punctuated with bright lemon zest and plenty of black pepper. You’ll find the method so easy, though, you may be tempted to make weeknight gnocchi a regular thing, pairing them with a summery fresh tomato sauce, classic Italian p esto, a brown butter and sage sauce, a simple shower of grated Parmesan cheese, or some other favorite sauce (we promise not to tell if that means jarred marinara).

Interested in crispy gnocchi? Try our sheet-pan method for turning store-bought shelf-stable dumplings into crackly, chewy gnocchi nuggets with tomatoes and arugula.