Spinach & Ricotta Dumplings with Blistered Tomatoes & Basil
Recipe 19 of my weekly(ish) series, Eat Right on Monday Night.
CALORIES PER SERVING: 345 (SERVES 4)
If you are a fellow dumpling lover, then you need these simple spinach and ricotta, gnudi-style dumplings in your life, and what better flavours to accompany them than sweet roasted tomatoes and fresh basil. Making dumplings can seem a bit of a kefuffle, but here you just mix everything together in a bowl and plop heaped teaspoons of the mixture into boiling water for a few minutes - no hassle at all! I love the simplicity of this dish, and nutritionally, it covers all the bases, too.
PREP TIME: 15 mins
COOKING TIME: 25 mins (this is mainly to roast the tomatoes)
INGREDIENTS:
500g cherry tomatoes ( I used mixed colours, which look really pretty)
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Salt
Black pepper
For the dumplings
200g frozen spinach
1 clove garlic, crushed
75g plain flour
2 eggs
75g Parmesan cheese, grated
150g ricotta
1/2 tsp nutmeg
To serve
Plenty of fresh chopped basil
METHOD:
Heat the oven to 200C fan. Place the cherry tomatoes in a baking tray, drizzle with the olive oil and season well with salt and pepper. Place in the oven for 20-25 minutes. They should be roasted until they soften and their skins begin to burst.
To make the dumplings, defrost the spinach in a bowl in the microwave. Turn it out onto a chopping board and press down with a kitchen roll to remove all the excess water, roughly chop.
Place the spinach in a large bowl along with all the other dumpling ingredients and season really well. Mix with a fork until everything is thoroughly combined.
Heat a large saucepan of water until boiling, then reduce the heat to a gentle simmer. Gently add heaped teaspoons of the mixture to the pan, doing around 8 at a time. This recipe makes approximately 24 dumplings, so cook in three batches. The dumplings will sink at first, but after a minute or two, they will rise. Let them cook for another minute and remove them with a slotted spoon to a plate lined with kitchen roll.
To serve, place the dumpings in a large serving dish, top with the roasted tomatoes, and pour over all the residual juices from the pan. Season well with salt and pepper, and finish with plenty of chopped fresh basil.
Serving idea: A rocket salad with a balsamic dressing is the perfect accompaniment