Pin it
These spinach and ricotta dumplings bring Northern Italy straight to your table, topped with a rich tomato sauce that works wonders with these soft malfatti. The name actually translates to "badly formed" in Italian, honoring their uneven, rustic shapes that celebrate cooking without fussing over perfection.
I stumbled upon malfatti during my trip through Tuscany when a grandma showed me her way of making these fluffy dumplings. I loved how she just threw everything together without bothering with exact measurements, and that's the relaxed cooking style I've tried to keep.
What You'll Need
- Ricotta cheese: Go for the firm, crumbly kind instead of soft and watery to get the texture right
- Baby spinach: Gives a soft bite and gentle flavor that works beautifully with the smooth ricotta
- Freshly grated Parmesan cheese: Adds richness and a salty kick that makes everything taste better
- Fresh basil: Brings a pop of freshness and true Italian smell to your sauce and dumplings
- Plain flour: Works as the glue without making your dumplings tough or heavy
- Crushed tomatoes: Form the backbone of your classic tomato sauce with just the right thickness
- Olive oil: Carries flavors throughout both the sauce and dumplings
- Garlic and onion: Set the flavor foundation for everything in this dish
- Eggs: Help your dumplings stay together while they cook
Cooking Instructions
- Make Your Tomato Sauce:
- Cook garlic and onion in olive oil on medium heat until soft and smelling good, roughly 3 minutes. Throw in crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, water, basil stem, sugar, salt, and pepper. Let it bubble gently for 20 minutes, giving it a stir now and then until it gets nice and thick.
- Get Your Spinach Ready:
- Mix fresh spinach with salt in a colander and leave it for 20 minutes. Wrap the spinach in a clean kitchen towel and squeeze hard to get all the water out. Chop it up roughly.
- Cook Your Flavor Base:
- Warm olive oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Throw in garlic and eschallot, cooking until see-through. Add your squeezed spinach and cook until it wilts down. Dump it all into a big bowl and let it cool off.
- Mix Your Dumpling Stuff:
- Stir together the cooled spinach mix with ricotta, basil, eggs, Parmesan, flour, salt, and pepper. Mix it all up until it's a bit sticky but holds together.
- Form Your Dumplings:
- With two dessert spoons, scoop about 1½ tablespoons of the mix and shape it. Put each dumpling on a paper-covered tray.
- Boil Your Dumplings:
- Get water boiling and cook 6 dumplings at once for 2 minutes, until they pop up to the top. Drain them on paper towels.
- Finish In The Oven:
- Spread tomato sauce in a baking dish, place dumplings on top, drizzle with good olive oil, and bake at 180°C/350°F for 15 minutes.
Pin it
What I really love about this dish is how the soft, cloud-like dumplings play against the chunky, rich tomato sauce. The first time I made this for my Italian buddy Marco, he ate it with his eyes closed and told me it tasted just like his grandma's cooking. There's no better praise for Italian food than that.
Fixing Watery Ricotta
Got too-wet ricotta? Put it in a mesh strainer lined with cheesecloth over a bowl. Wrap it up and let it sit in the fridge overnight to drain. You can also gently press it with paper towels to soak up extra moisture. Getting the ricotta right is super important - if it's too wet, your dumplings won't hold their shape and might fall apart while cooking.
Prep It Earlier
These dumplings are great for planning ahead. You can make them up to the boiling part, let them cool down, and keep them in the fridge for a day. The tomato sauce stays good in the fridge for up to 3 days in a sealed container. When you're ready to eat, just put everything in your baking dish and cook it a bit longer - about 5-7 extra minutes to make sure it's hot all the way through.
What To Serve With It
Unlike most Italian pasta dishes, you don't need to add another starchy side. These go perfectly with a simple arugula salad with a squeeze of lemon and a drizzle of olive oil. For something fancier, start with a plate of marinated veggies, olives, and thin prosciutto slices. A crisp, tangy white wine like Pinot Grigio works great with the creamy dumplings.
Pin it
These malfatti show how basic ingredients and simple methods can come together to make something truly wonderful.
Frequently Asked Questions
- → What type of ricotta works best for malfatti?
Go for a thick, solid ricotta instead of runny ones. If yours seems too moist, put it in a cheesecloth over a bowl and let it drain for a few hours or leave it in the fridge overnight. Getting your ricotta nice and dry really matters if you want dumplings that won't break apart while cooking.
- → Can malfatti be made ahead of time?
You bet! You can shape your dumplings a day early and keep them in the fridge on a tray lined with parchment paper. Or you can fully cook them and store them away from the sauce. When you're ready to eat, just put everything in a baking dish and warm it up until it's hot and slightly golden.
- → Why do my malfatti fall apart when cooking?
This usually happens when your mix is too wet. Make sure you really drain both the cheese and spinach well. Sprinkle some salt on your spinach, let it sit until it wilts, then squeeze all the water out using a clean kitchen towel. If your mixture still feels too soggy to hold together, try adding a bit more flour.
- → Can I freeze malfatti?
Definitely! These dumplings freeze great after the first cooking step. Lay them out on a baking sheet until they're frozen solid, then pack them into a container. When you want to use them, let them thaw in the fridge first, then go ahead with the baking part. You can freeze the sauce separately too.
- → What can I serve with malfatti?
Malfatti are pretty filling by themselves, just like gnocchi, so you don't need another starchy side. They go great with a basic green salad with Italian or balsamic dressing. If you want a bigger meal, add some crusty Italian bread to soak up all that yummy sauce.
- → Can I substitute the spinach with other greens?
For sure! While spinach is the classic choice, you can swap it for Swiss chard, kale, or even nettles when they're in season. Just make sure whatever greens you pick are cooked thoroughly and squeezed dry so they don't make your dumpling mix too wet.