Malfatti (Italian Spinach Ricotta Dumplings in Napoli Sauce)

Name: Malfatti (Italian Spinach Ricotta Dumplings in Napoli Sauce)
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 1 h 10 min
Yield: 4 - 5 people
Ingredients: 2 tbsp olive oil; 2 garlic cloves; 1/2 onion; 800g / 24 oz crushed tomato; 1 tbsp tomato paste; 1/2 cup water; 1 basil stem; 1/2 tsp white sugar; 3/4 tsp salt; 1/2 tsp black pepper; 300g / 10oz baby spinach; 1/2 tsp salt; 1 tbsp olive oil; 2 cloves garlic; 1 eschallot; 500g / 1 lb ricotta; 1/4 cup (lightly packed) basil leaves, finely sliced; 1 egg; 1 egg yolk; 1 cup parmesan; 1/2 cup flour; 1/2 tsp salt; 1/2 tsp black pepper; 1/4 cup parmesan; basil leaves

User Reviews

4.9

171 reviews

Excellent

Prep Time
25 mins
Cook Time
25 mins
Total Time
1 hr 10 mins
Servings
4 - 5 people
Calories
503 kcal
Course
Main Course
Cuisine
Italian

Malfatti (Italian Spinach Ricotta Dumplings in Napoli Sauce)

Kai Walton

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Recipe video above. Malfatti means “badly formed” in Italian. These irregular spinach ricotta gnocchi-like dumplings may look a bit wonky, but they taste incredible!Like gnudi except with the addition of spinach, this traditional Italian dish can be served straight after boiling them. But it's really worth a quick 15 minute bake to get a light golden crust on the Malfatti as well as caramelisation on the edges of the Napoli sauce. It really takes it in a deliciously different direction!Servings: This will serve 4 very hungry people, or 5 standard servings.

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Ingredients

Servings

Napoli Sauce:

2 tbsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves , finely minced
1/2 onion , very finely diced
800g / 24 oz crushed tomato (or diced)
1 tbsp tomato paste
1/2 cup water
1 basil stem (leaves kept for the Malfatti)
1/2 tsp white sugar
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper

Spinach for Malfatti:

300g / 10oz baby spinach (~6 tightly packed cups, Note 4)
1/2 tsp salt

Malfatti:

1 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic , finely minced
1 eschallot (large), finely chopped (or 1/2 red onion)
500g / 1 lb ricotta (must be dry type, not wet and spreadable, Note 1)
1/4 cup (lightly packed) basil leaves, finely sliced (use stem for sauce)
1 egg (Note 2)
1 egg yolk (Note 2)
1 cup parmesan , finely grated
1/2 cup flour , plain / all-purpose
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper

Serving:

1/4 cup parmesan , finely grated
basil leaves , small (optional)

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Instructions

Napoli Sauce:

Saute garlic and onion: Heat oil in a small pot or large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and onion and cook for 3 minutes until onion is softened.
Simmer sauce: Add remaining ingredients plus the stem of basil. Bring to a simmer, then reduce stove to low and cook, stirring every now and then, for 20 minutes. It should be fairly thick rather than a loose runny sauce.

Malfatti:

Drain ricotta, if needed: The ricotta should be the dry and fairly crumbly type rather than wet, soft and almost spreadable. If it's wet, see Note 1 for removing excess water (wet ricotta makes Malfatti hard to shape and cook!)
Sweat spinach: Toss spinach with 1/2 tsp salt in large colander. Leave for 20 minutes. Roll up in tea towel and squeeze tightly to remove excess liquid. Roughly chop.
Sauté garlic, eschalot and spinach: Heat oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Add garlic and eschalot, cook for 1 minute until translucent. Add spinach and cook until just wilted. Transfer to large bowl, allow to cool.
Malfatti mixture: Add ricotta and all remaining Malfatti ingredients into the bowl. Mix well to combine. It should be too wet to roll with hands without sticking, but still firm enough to shape into dumplings.
Form dumplings: Using 2 dessert spoons, scoop up about 1 1/2 tablespoons of mixture then shape into a football (quenelle) using the two spoons. Place on a paper-lined tray. You should get about 24-30.
Boil dumplings: Bring a large pot of water to the boil, then carefully put 6 dumplings in. Cook for 2 minutes, they should float to the surface. Remove with slotted spoon on to paper towel lined tray. Repeat for remaining Malfatti.

Baking:

Preheat oven to 180°C / 350°F.
Assemble: Pour Napoli Sauce into a baking dish, then top with Malfatti. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil.
Bake 15 minutes or until the Malfatti has a faint blush of gold on the surface (Note 3).
Serve! Sprinkle baked Malfatti with parmesan and basil leaves (tear large leaves). Spoon into bowls and served as-is. No starchy side is required, think of these as like gnocchi. Just add a leafy green salad with Italian Dressing or Balsamic Dressing!

Notes

Ricotta – The type that comes in vacuum-sealed 1kg baskets is best eg. Casa del Formaggio, Paesanella or from the deli counter at Coles and Woolworths (Australia), or good delis. Do not use Perfect Italiano or brands in small sealed tubs, these are not good enough quality for our purpose. Do not use or any "spreadable" or "smooth" ricotta, they are too loose and wet.
We need the drier type of ricotta here, the type you can virtually crumble with your hands. If the ricotta is wet and spreadable, it will be too wet and the dumplings will be too hard to shape. In this case, reach excess water. Either bundle in tea towels and set in colander overnight to drain (best for very wet ricotta), or roll up and squeeze lightly (do this a few times).
Egg yolk – We need a bit of extra egg to hold the dumplings together, I found that 1 whole egg was not quite enough, but 2 whole eggs made the mixture too loose. Add the leftover egg white in your scrambled eggs tomorrow morning!
Baking is to get a light crust on the otherwise slippery surface of dumpling. Be careful not to overcook as they will dry out.
Spinach - Sub with about 200g/7oz frozen spinach, thawed then squeeze out extra water very well.
Make ahead / storage - Malfatti bake can be assembled to the point prior to baking, ie. dumplings sitting in the tomato sauce. It can then refrigerated and baked when ready to serve. Cooked Malfatti (ie. after baking) will keep for 3 days in the fridge. Best reheated in the microwave.
Nutrition per serving, assuming 5 servings.

Nutrition Information

Show Details

Calories 503cal (25%) Carbohydrates 32g (11%) Protein 29g (58%) Fat 31g (48%) Saturated Fat 16g (80%) Trans Fat 1g Cholesterol 151mg (50%) Sodium 1601mg (67%) Potassium 1050mg (30%) Fiber 5g (20%) Sugar 10g (20%) Vitamin A 6852IU (137%) Vitamin C 34mg (38%) Calcium 623mg (62%) Iron 5mg (28%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 4- 5 people

Amount Per Serving

Calories 503 kcal

% Daily Value*

Calories	503cal	25%
Carbohydrates	32g	11%
Protein	29g	58%
Fat	31g	48%
Saturated Fat	16g	80%
Trans Fat	1g	50%
Cholesterol	151mg	50%
Sodium	1601mg	67%
Potassium	1050mg	22%
Fiber	5g	20%
Sugar	10g	20%
Vitamin A	6852IU	137%
Vitamin C	34mg	38%
Calcium	623mg	62%
Iron	5mg	28%