Gnocchi

GNOCCHI
Fresh Ingredients

2 eggs

1 cup ricotta cheese

8 tsp. butter

1 cup Romano cheese, grated

Storage Ingredients

1 cup instant potato flakes

1 tsp. salt

3 cups flour

Prepare instant potatoes as directed on package. Combine potato with eggs and salt and whip until fluffy. Add ricotta cheese, butter, Romano cheese and flour. Knead until smooth. Shape into 1/2″ rolls and cut into 1″ lengths. Make impression with thumb in each piece, then lightly dust with flour. Drop into boiling water and cook only until they rise to the surface. Drain and serve with your favorite red sauce, cream sauce, or both!

***NOTE: Before cooking, gnocchi may be frozen on a cookie sheet, then placed in a plastic bag to store for up to a month in the freezer.

KILLER CHEESE SAUCE

Fresh Ingredients

1 cup butter

16 oz. cream cheese

2 c. whipping cream

Storage Ingredients

1/2 tsp. dry minced garlic

1/2 tsp. salt

Combine all ingredients and heat very slowly. Stir until smooth and pour over pasta.

RED SAUCE WITH SAUSAGE

Fresh Ingredients

1-2 lbs. mild Italian sausage

Storage Ingredients

2 jars spaghetti sauce (1 lb. 10 oz. each)

Bake or saute sausage as instructed on package, until fully cooked. Slice and add to jarred sauce. Heat and serve over pasta.

This recipe for homemade gnocchi makes two pans full of potato dumplings, smothered in a deliciously rich, creamy blend of cheese, cream, tomato, and sausage. Everyone, including very little children, absolutely loves it. I like to prepare the gnocchi days ahead of time, keep them frozen in the freezer, and then boil them about 20 minutes before we’re going to eat. I also prepare both the cream sauce and the red sauce with Italian sausage slices the day before and slowly warm them ahead of time.

After boiling the gnocchi, I drain and divide them equally between two 9 x 13 inch cake pans, cover each with the Killer Cheese Sauce, and store in a warm oven (300 degrees) until ready to serve. When we’re ready to eat, I also like to garnish the cream sauce with a little additional grated Parmesian cheese and chopped fresh basil or Italian parsley. I serve the red sauce separately so that the guests may help themselves and select the amount of meat they prefer. The preparation for this dish takes some work, mostly ahead of time, but is sooo worth the effort.

Tags: instant mashed potato recipe, provident living, using your food storage