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Writer's pictureTWB
Jul 12, 20203 min read

Low Sodium Ricotta Gnudi

Updated: Jul 18, 2020

Like most people during quarantine, I have been binging TV shows non-stop. My TV show lately has been Bravo's Top Chef starting from Season 1. Watching these types of cooking shows, it always amazes me how much salt they use in their dishes, and how the judges critique them for lack of salt during judges tables.


After binging season after season (currently on Season 12), I really wanted to try and make one of the recipes that the chefs kept making that I never heard of before - Gnudi, with a low sodium twist.


So what is Gnudi? It is the pasta cousin of Gnocchi. Gnudi uses ricotta cheese in its base, instead of potatoes like the traditional Gnocchi. Gnudi in Italian means naked, and this dish is called that because its thought to be the naked filling of a ravioli.


So why Gnudi? Gnudi is made with ricotta cheese, which has one of the lowest sodium contents of all cheeses.






I prefer to use Galbani Ricotta Cheese made with part skim milk. This has 65 mg of sodium per serving, which is 1/4 cup. Most part skim milk ricotta's will have this low amount, but I find this at most grocery Stores.





Frigo's Whole Milk Ricotta is also a good option if you cannot find Galbani. This Ricotta cheese has 85 mg of sodium per serving, which is 1/4 cup.




It does not matter which Ricotta cheese you choose. I go for the part skim milk option, just for its slightly lower sodium content, and skim milk option since more cheese is being added on.


The rest of the Gnudi recipe only calls for 3 more ingredients: Parmesan, Egg and Flour.




Parmesan cheese, when used in moderation and with the right product can be lower in sodium.I prefer to use BelGioioso Freshly Shredded Parmesan Cheese, since it is one of the lowest in sodium content for this type of cheese.





Eggs naturally contains sodium, averaging around 72 mg of sodium per raw egg and reduced to an average of 62 mg of sodium when boiled. This recipe only calls for 1 egg for the entire recipe.


Flour also naturally contains sodium, and with white all purpose flour that is used here it contains under 5 mg of sodium per cup.


This entire recipe, with the 4 ingredients, is under 108mg of Sodium per serving, and has about 4 servings (depending on the size of your Gnudi). The great thing about this Gnudi recipe is since the dumplings include cheese, you have more sodium wiggle room for your sauce and/or vegetables you mix in!


So for this weeks #LowSaltSundays here is my Low Sodium Ricotta Gnudi version!



Low Sodium Ricotta Gnudi


Ingredients:

3/4 cup All Purpose White Flour

1 egg

1/2 cup shredded Parmesan

8 oz. ricotta cheese












Instructions:

  1. Mix all of the ingredients together in a bowl.  The dough will be sticky. If it is too sticky too handle, add more flour about a tablespoon at a time.

  2. Put the bowl with the mixture in the refrigerator for about 45 minutes. 

  3. After 45 minutes, separate the dough into quarters. Pinch off a piece and roll into balls about 3/4 inch in size or so. (You may need to coat your hands in flour to keep the mixture from sticking)

  4. Once all the balls of dough are made, bring a pot of water to a boil.

  5. Once water is boiling, add the dough to the water. Cook for about 7 minutes, stirring so they do not stick to the bottom of the pot.

  6. Once the Gnudi stays floating to the top, take out and drain.

  7. Your Gnudi is now cooked and ready to be eaten!


Now you have your basic Gnudi! You can use marinara, no salt tomato sauce, olive oil, or my personal favorite Truffle Oil.


Here is how I prepared my Gnudi:


By adding the following:


2 cups of Broccoli Florets

1/2 Onion

1 tbsp Red Pepper Flakes

1 tbsp Lemon Juice

1tbsp Vegan butter (Earth Balance is my preferred brand)

2 tbsp Truffle Oil (my favorite is this one from amazon Truffle Hunter's White Truffle Oil)


to the cooked Gnudi in a skillet, it only added 73 mg of sodium total to the entire recipe for a whopping 181 mg of sodium per serving. So you can even add some shredded parmesan on top and be under 200 mg of sodium!


While this recipe may not fly on Top Chef for its lack of salt, it's becoming one of my favorite things to make and eat, and hopefully yours too!


Let me know what shows you've been binging during quarantine! If you try this recipe, let me know by tagging me online with @travelingwithoutboundaries and #LowSaltSundays.

See you next week for another Low Salt Sunday Recipe!





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