{"slug":"malfatti-spinach-ricotta-dumplings","collection":"michael","is_recipe":true,"visibility":"public","title":"Malfatti (Italian Spinach Ricotta Dumplings)","description":"Rustic Italian spinach and ricotta dumplings, boiled then baked in a rich Napoli sauce until lightly golden.","body_md":"\n*Malfatti means \"badly formed\" in Italian. These rustic spinach ricotta dumplings may look irregular, but a quick bake in Napoli sauce gives them a light golden crust and deeply satisfying flavour.*\n\n*Source: Goh (RecipeTin Eats)*\n\n## Ingredients\n\n### Napoli Sauce\n\n- 2 tbsp olive oil\n- 2 garlic cloves, finely minced\n- ½ onion, very finely diced\n- 800g crushed tomatoes (or diced)\n- 15g (1 tbsp) tomato paste\n- 120ml (½ cup) water\n- 1 basil stem (leaves reserved for the Malfatti)\n- ½ tsp white sugar\n- ¾ tsp salt\n- ½ tsp black pepper\n\n### Spinach\n\n- 300g baby spinach\n- ½ tsp salt\n\n### Malfatti\n\n- 1 tbsp olive oil\n- 2 cloves garlic, finely minced\n- 1 large eschallot, finely chopped (or ½ red onion)\n- 500g ricotta (dry type — not wet or spreadable)\n- ¼ cup basil leaves, lightly packed, finely sliced (use stem for Napoli sauce)\n- 1 egg\n- 1 egg yolk\n- 100g (1 cup) parmesan, finely grated\n- 60g (½ cup) plain flour\n- ½ tsp salt\n- ½ tsp black pepper\n\n### For Serving\n\n- 25g (¼ cup) parmesan, finely grated\n- Small basil leaves (optional)\n\n## Instructions\n\n### Make the Napoli Sauce\n\n1. **Sauté garlic and onion.** Heat olive oil in a small pot or large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and onion and cook for 3 minutes until softened.\n2. **Simmer.** Add remaining sauce ingredients including the basil stem. Bring to a simmer, then reduce to low and cook, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes. Sauce should be fairly thick, not loose and runny.\n\n### Prepare the Spinach\n\n3. **Sweat and squeeze.** Toss spinach with ½ tsp salt in a large colander. Leave for 20 minutes. Roll in a tea towel and squeeze tightly to remove excess liquid. Roughly chop.\n\n### Make the Malfatti\n\n4. **Sauté aromatics.** Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic and eschallot, cook 1 minute until translucent. Add spinach and cook until just wilted. Transfer to a large bowl and allow to cool.\n5. **Mix.** Add ricotta and all remaining Malfatti ingredients to the bowl. Mix well. The mixture should be too wet to roll by hand without sticking, but firm enough to hold a shape.\n6. **Shape dumplings.** Using 2 dessert spoons, scoop about 1½ tablespoons of mixture and shape into a rough football (quenelle) using the two spoons. Place on a paper-lined tray. You should get about 24–30 dumplings.\n7. **Boil in batches.** Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil. Add 6 dumplings at a time and cook for 2 minutes — they should float to the surface. Remove with a slotted spoon to a paper towel-lined tray. Repeat for remaining Malfatti.\n\n### Bake\n\n8. **Preheat oven** to 180°C / 350°F.\n9. **Assemble.** Pour Napoli Sauce into a baking dish. Top with Malfatti and drizzle with a little extra virgin olive oil.\n10. **Bake 15 minutes** until the Malfatti develop a faint blush of gold on the surface. Do not overcook — they will dry out.\n11. **Serve.** Sprinkle with parmesan and torn basil leaves. Spoon into bowls; no starchy side needed. A leafy green salad makes a good accompaniment.\n\n\u003e **Ricotta:** Use a dry, crumbly ricotta (vacuum-sealed basket type). Avoid smooth, spreadable, or wet varieties — they make the dumplings impossible to shape. If your ricotta is wet, bundle in a tea towel and drain in a colander overnight, or squeeze several times to remove excess water.\n\u003e\n\u003e **Make ahead:** Assemble up to the point just before baking (dumplings in sauce) and refrigerate until ready. Cooked Malfatti keeps for 3 days in the fridge; reheat in the microwave.\n","draft":false,"servings":"4","prep_time":"25 minutes","cook_time":"45 minutes","total_time":"1 hour 10 minutes","source_name":"Goh (RecipeTin Eats)","created_at":"2026-03-23T05:00:00Z","categories":["Main"],"tags":["Baked","Dumplings","Italian","Ricotta","Spinach","Vegetarian"],"methods":["Oven","Stove-Top"],"themes":["Vegetarian"],"ingredients":[{"section":"Napoli Sauce","items":["- 2 tbsp olive oil","- 2 garlic cloves, finely minced","- ½ onion, very finely diced","- 800g crushed tomatoes (or diced)","- 15g (1 tbsp) tomato paste","- 120ml (½ cup) water","- 1 basil stem (leaves reserved for the Malfatti)","- ½ tsp white sugar","- ¾ tsp salt","- ½ tsp black pepper"],"parsed":[{"raw":"- 2 tbsp olive oil","qty":2,"unit":"tbsp","item":"olive oil"},{"raw":"- 2 garlic cloves, finely minced","qty":2,"item":"garlic cloves","prep":"finely minced"},{"raw":"- ½ onion, very finely diced","qty":0.5,"item":"onion, very finely diced"},{"raw":"- 800g crushed tomatoes (or diced)","qty":800,"unit":"g","item":"crushed tomatoes"},{"raw":"- 15g (1 tbsp) tomato paste","qty":15,"unit":"g","item":"tomato paste"},{"raw":"- 120ml (½ cup) water","qty":120,"unit":"ml","item":"water"},{"raw":"- 1 basil stem (leaves reserved for the Malfatti)","qty":1,"item":"basil stem"},{"raw":"- ½ tsp white sugar","qty":0.5,"unit":"tsp","item":"white sugar"},{"raw":"- ¾ tsp salt","qty":0.75,"unit":"tsp","item":"salt"},{"raw":"- ½ tsp black pepper","qty":0.5,"unit":"tsp","item":"black pepper"}]},{"section":"Spinach","items":["- 300g baby spinach","- ½ tsp salt"],"parsed":[{"raw":"- 300g baby spinach","qty":300,"unit":"g","item":"baby spinach"},{"raw":"- ½ tsp salt","qty":0.5,"unit":"tsp","item":"salt"}]},{"section":"Malfatti","items":["- 1 tbsp olive oil","- 2 cloves garlic, finely minced","- 1 large eschallot, finely chopped (or ½ red onion)","- 500g ricotta (dry type — not wet or spreadable)","- ¼ cup basil leaves, lightly packed, finely sliced (use stem for Napoli sauce)","- 1 egg","- 1 egg yolk","- 100g (1 cup) parmesan, finely grated","- 60g (½ cup) plain flour","- ½ tsp salt","- ½ tsp black pepper"],"parsed":[{"raw":"- 1 tbsp olive oil","qty":1,"unit":"tbsp","item":"olive oil"},{"raw":"- 2 cloves garlic, finely minced","qty":2,"unit":"clove","item":"garlic","prep":"finely minced"},{"raw":"- 1 large eschallot, finely chopped (or ½ red onion)","qty":1,"item":"large eschallot","prep":"finely chopped"},{"raw":"- 500g ricotta (dry type — not wet or spreadable)","qty":500,"unit":"g","item":"ricotta"},{"raw":"- ¼ cup basil leaves, lightly packed, finely sliced (use stem for Napoli sauce)","qty":0.25,"unit":"cup","item":"basil leaves","prep":"lightly packed, finely sliced"},{"raw":"- 1 egg","qty":1,"item":"egg"},{"raw":"- 1 egg yolk","qty":1,"item":"egg yolk"},{"raw":"- 100g (1 cup) parmesan, finely grated","qty":100,"unit":"g","item":"parmesan","prep":"finely grated"},{"raw":"- 60g (½ cup) plain flour","qty":60,"unit":"g","item":"plain flour"},{"raw":"- ½ tsp salt","qty":0.5,"unit":"tsp","item":"salt"},{"raw":"- ½ tsp black pepper","qty":0.5,"unit":"tsp","item":"black pepper"}]},{"section":"For Serving","items":["- 25g (¼ cup) parmesan, finely grated","- Small basil leaves (optional)"],"parsed":[{"raw":"- 25g (¼ cup) parmesan, finely grated","qty":25,"unit":"g","item":"parmesan","prep":"finely grated"},{"raw":"- Small basil leaves (optional)","item":"Small basil leaves"}]}],"servings_int":4,"qc":{"status":"passed","last_checked_at":"2026-07-30T02:01:31.951999Z","checked_by":"robert@sigler.io","standard_version":"2026-07-29","findings_count":0,"stale":false}}