Homemade gnocchi with a tomato & thyme sauce, spinach and ricotta

by Paul Warburton on 19 February 2010  |  2 comments
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Check out this amazing recipe for homemade gnocchi with a tomato & thyme sauce, spinach and ricotta – for £1.29 per person!

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Homemade gnocchi with a tomato & thyme sauce, spinach and ricotta (Serves 4)

Making gnocchi is really quick and easy, and most of all it's really cheap and delicious. Gnocchi is often served with cream based sauces, but I feel these are too heavy and the gnocchi's best accompaniment is a tomato based sauce. Serve in a good big bowl in the middle of the table with some crusty bread and let the whole family dig in. This is social food.

Ingredients

• 500g of new loose potatoes (48p)
• 3 shallots (44p)
• 260g pack of spinach (£1.19)
• 25g of fresh thyme (68p)
• 500g of ricotta - x2 250g packs (£1.96)
• 1 can of tomatoes (44p)

The cupboard staples...

Olive oil, salt, black pepper, 2 garlic cloves and 200g of plain flour.   

Total cost

If you already have the cupboard staples, then according to mysupermarket.co.uk, this trolley was cheapest at Tesco where it came to £5.19 - that's £1.29 per head!

Instructions

• Best to make the gnocchi first. Peel and boil the potatoes as you would usually and then mash them. You really need to work those lumps out - we're looking for a smooth mash. Now place in a bowl, season well with salt and pepper and incorporate the flour into the mash - the mixture will begin to form into dough. Once you have a dough, turn out on to a dusted surface and knead for two minutes (not too rough), then break off the dough into three pieces and roll into three sausage shapes (about 3cm in thickness) and then cut the sausage shapes into pieces around 2cms in length. Set to one side for use later.
• Now for the sauce. Get a pan on the heat, add a little drizzle of olive oil, finely dice the shallots and add to the pan. Gently cook the shallots for 2 minutes and then add 2 finely chopped cloves of garlic and cook for a further 30 seconds. Now add the tomatoes and half a cup of water. Season and simmer for 20 minutes to reduce the sauce down a little (just add a little water if the sauce is getting to thick). After 20 minutes add some finely chopped thyme and turn the heat right down, but make sure the sauce stays hot.
• Now get a large pan of water up to the simmer and add the gnocchi. They will take about 2 minutes to cook and will rise to the surface when done. Remove and drain the gnocchi and place in a large bowl. Then add the ricotta (crumble between your fingers before you add), three good handfuls of spinach, and finally the hot tomato sauce (make sure the sauce is hot as you want to wilt the spinach leaves down a little) and give it all a good mix through.
• Happy eating!

A bit about the Frugal Recipes chef, Paul Warburton

Paul Warburton, a lovemoney.com staff member, had a hectic career in the world of hot kitchens and screaming chefs before joining the lovemoney.com products development team.

During these years, under the tutorage of some great chefs, he honed his skills in cooking for numbers within a tight cost and portion-controlled environment.

Now he's planning to regularly offer his help to all budding chefs in the lovemoney.com community, so you can enjoy his original, low-cost recipes with your family and friends every Friday for free!

What lovemoney.com readers have said about Paul's other recipes

"We enjoyed this recipe very much: easy to make and even easier to eat!" varneyrob

"I made this recipe and it was absolutely delicious! Seriously good! Five of us feasted on it, and feasted well..." Ibeshy

"I made this recipe on Saturday night, and my 13 year-old son promptly requested it again for the following night!" Malcolm Wheatley

"This is a cracking risotto recipe. Just had it for lunch & it's a winner. More recipes please. Thanks." SavvyLass

"Another delicious offering from Paul. Thank you - keep 'em coming!" Palefire

Please add your own comments using the comments box below!

If you like this recipe, why not also try Paul's other Frugal Recipes: Massaman curry | Roasted pheasant | Portobello mushroom, port and stilton wellington | Smoked mackerel pate on crostini and red onion confit |Rolled breast of lamb with garlic mash and Savoy cabbage | Lemon & rosemary chicken thighs |  Thai Pollock curry with egg noodles | Chunky pea and ham soup| Spaghetti alla carbonara | Pork stroganoff | Green chilli meat balls, sunflower seed couscous salad and mint yoghurt |  Tagliatelle with air dried cured ham and minted peas | Beef, thyme and mushroom loaf with potato dauphinoise | Mixed bean and coriander green curry with fragrant rice | Egg Florentine with smoked cheddar and rocket salad | Beef, mushroom and thyme pie | Spicy tuna, bean and coriander lasagne |  Beef koftas with a feta, spinach and fresh mint salad | Chorizo and pea risotto | Sausage and rosemary hotpot | Beef & thyme (Lacashire) hotpot

Remember, if you're registered on lovemoney.com, you can follow this blog and find new posts as soon as they are published, via your personal homepage. Never miss a frugal recipe again - register now.