Spinach & Cottage Cheese Gnudi (Naked Ravioli) – Fast & Easy Vegetarian Meal!

Gnudi (pronounced nood-ee) is an easy vegetarian dish to make for pasta night – except, it isn’t exactly pasta, it’s more like naked ravioli. Snicker-snicker, the name makes me giggle.

Just imagine that cheesy, spinach filling in ravioli, minus the doughy wrapper – and that’s gnudi. Also kinda like a cross between gnocchi and a southern dumpling.

Fast and easy to make, comforting to eat, and absolutely delicious in warmed pasta sauce of your choice. I always keep this pasta sauce in my pantry because it’s yummy, tastes homemade, and has no added sugars like many other jarred varieties do.

Traditional gnudi recipes use ricotta cheese, a smooth and mild cheese used frequently in sweet and savory Italian recipes. I prefer to use 2% milkfat cottage cheese because, cup for cup, it has less than half the calories (428 cal vs 203 cal) and a little more protein!

A great vegetarian meal solution if you’re looking to get enough. A serving of five gnudies (w/o sauce) has 295 cal, 25g protein, 31g carb, and 6g fat. I used all-purpose flour in my recipe, but you can substitute a gluten-free baking blend flour if needed.

Cottage Cheese Tips as a Substitute for Ricotta

General: Cottage cheese (in any milk fat percent) can be substituted for ricotta. The are both cheese made from cow’s milk and have a similar taste, although cottage cheese is saltier with larger curds.

Draining: In recipes where you don’t want excess moisture, like this spinach gnudi recipe, the cottage cheese will need to be drained. Simple measure your desired amount into a  mesh strainer and set over a bowl for 10 minutes to allow the excess liquids to drain out (actually this is the whey protein, so in other recipes I do use the cottage cheese as is – curds and whey.)

Blending: In other recipes where I use cottage cheese (like this cottage cheese waffle recipe), I blend the cottage cheese, including the whey liquids) to make in smoother and have more of the ricotta texture.   

Salt Considerations: Because cottage cheese is saltier that ricotta (which seems very lightly sweet to me), you may want to omit any added salt in the recipe. You can always add more salt later if, by tasting, it seems to need it, but you really can’t take oversalting out of a recipe.

Freshness and Freezing: Sometimes I have extra cottage cheese left in my tub. It stays fresh, covered tight, in the fridge for 7 to 10 days. If you turn the carton upside-down so that it rests on the lid, you can create a vacuum seal that will help extend freshness. When it’s time left in the fridge is drawing near, I will stick in the freezer (either blended or still curds) to save and defrost later for a recipe. An opened tub of cottage cheese will stay fresh in freezer for about 3 months.

5 from 6 votes
Spinach & Cottage Cheese Gnudi is a 15 minute vegetarian meal that is delicious and fun to eat (and say)! Soft dumpling-like pillows of cheese and spinach, served atop your favorite warmed pasta sauce. Lower fat, lower carb than traditional recipes.
Spinach & Cottage Cheese Gnudi (Naked Ravioli)
Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
5 mins
Total Time
15 mins
 
Course: dinner, Pasta
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: 15 minutes, cottage cheese, pasta, vegetarian
Servings: 3 servings
Calories: 295 kcal
Ingredients
  • 1 cup cottage cheese 2%
  • 6 ounces fresh baby spinach
  • 1 tbsp. water
  • 3/4 cup flour divided
  • 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese extra for garnish
  • 1 tsp. Italian seasoning
  • 1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 cups bottled pasta sauce of choice warmed
Instructions
  1. Drain cottage cheese in strainer for 5-10 minutes, discard liquids.
  2. Meanwhile, add spinach and water to microwave steamer or vented bowl and microwave on high for about 90 seconds.
  3. Let spinach cool to touch, about 5 minutes. Chop and then squeeze to remove as much liquid as possible. Set aside.
  4. Start boiling a pot of water.
  5. In a bowl, mix together 1/2 cup of the flour, Parm cheese, Italian seasoning and pepper. Next stir in drained cottage cheese, an egg, and the squeezed spinach. Dont throw the whole spinach clump in, it will never stir up. Instead, use fingers to break in up into the chopped bits.
  6. Sprinkle remaining 1/4 cup flour on plate. Use hand to form 15 small balls of the spinach mixture, about 2 tbsp. each or so.
  7. Roll each ball around in the flour to coat. Drop into boiling water for about 4 to 5 minutes or until gnudies ride to the top.
  8. Use slotted spoon to remove gnudies and, for each serving, place 5 gnudies in a bowl with about 2/3 cup warmed pasta sauce. If desired, sprinkle with more Parm cheese

No-cook Tomato Artichoke Pasta & Wildgrain Box

Out of necessity, I’ve been minimizing my time in the kitchen this summer. The last couple months has been such a record-breaking scorcher that it’s been too hot to grill outside and even climbing into the sunbaked car to grab a meal out is unappealing.

But, one can only live on so many salads and charcuterie boards for dinner. What I really craved was a homemade pasta dinner (with dreamy noodles and warm bread) with that “I spent all day in the kitchen” taste without actually spending all day in the kitchen. Basically, SHOW ME A SHORTCUT!

My recipe for No-cook Tomato Artichoke Pasta (jump to recipe) came to the rescue served on fresh, hand-cut pasta from Wildgrain. Wildgrain is an amazing subscription box that sends artisanal pastas, breads and pastries to your door that are frozen and ready to prepare in a flash – no more than 25 minutes from freezer door opening to your mouth opening for the first bite!

Check out the video inspo for this recipe!

No-cook Tomato Artichoke Pasta involves absolutely no-simmering to turn out a flavorful tomato “sauce” for pasta (or even to top on fish, chicken or bruschetta). It’s based on an Italian uncooked tomato sauce pasta recipe called “Pasta Alla Checca.” Zero cooking, except for prepping the fresh noodles from Wildgrain on the stove top, which only takes 6 minutes. The tomato-artichoke sauce mixture gets “warmed up” as it is immediately stirred into the drained hot pasta. Basically, the pasta does the sauce heating – this puts new meaning into “using your noodle.” Lol!

Used fresh freezer-ready fettuccini from Wildgrain!

I used the season’s sweetest tomatoes plucked from my backyard. You could use any medium-sized variety of tomato such as Roma tomatoes – they are meaty, not overly juicy/easy, and easy in most markets. Then all that’s to be done is chopping tomatoes up very finely along with marinated artichokes, basil and garlic to create a fresh, light sauce that’s a lovely way to top off noodles and top off these long, long days.

For even more of a shortcut, you can make the raw chunky tomato artichoke sauce ahead and keep chilled in the fridge in a Mason jar for a couple days. Use on pasta or pile on crusty bread with mozzarella and stick under the broiler. Or toss into your egg scramble – so many uses!

Save $30 with code THEFITFORK (offer thru 8/30 . . . then it’s $10 off)

So let me tell you a little more about my new obsession, the Wildgrain Subscription Box (which BTW, you can save $30 on your first order with code THEFITFORK). Every month (pause or cancel at any time), I get a frozen shipment of tender pastas, artisan breads and pastries delivered to my door. All the labor-intensive work has been done for me – the dough has been hand-cut, the breads have been proofed, and the pastries prepped. Plus, no mess was made at my house, lol! All I do to enjoy these delights is place the breads straight oven or drop pasta into a pot, straight from frozen – no defrosting of anything needed meaning you can truly rely on Wildgrain for last-minute meals.

Other things I appreciate about Wildgrain: They use clean, non-GMO ingredients and their fermentation process provides benefits you won’t find at the grocery store. Items are always shipped free in and eco-friendly box and recyclable stay-cold packaging. Plus, they also support small bakeries and responsible source products from some of the best bread and pasta makers around the country. Honestly, I can taste the talent and love that goes into these breads, pastas and pastries.

Here’s a peek at what you get in a “mixed” box, although some contents will vary from month-to-month to keep those taste buds tantalized!

July Wildgrain Mixed Box: Plain Sourdough Loaf, Cranberry Pecan Sourdough Loaf, Everything Sourdough Loaf, Fettuccine Pasta, Tonnarelli Pasta, Peach Pie Bites, and free Croissants. 

Free croissants for life! Don’t miss this deal!

*Oh, and did I mention that if you order Wildgrain by the end of July, you get a free four-pack of croissants with every order “for life.”  Remember to use code THEFITFORK to save $30. These buttery, flakey, crescent-shaped pastries are truly heaven straight out of the oven.

No-cook Tomato Artichoke Pasta | Pasta alla Checca
Prep Time
4 mins
Cook Time
6 mins
Total Time
10 mins
 

Whip up a fresh fit meal in minutes with this easy, no-cook pasta sauce that features tomatoes, marinated artichokes, garlic and feta cheese – plus a little EVOO. It's tossed with hot noodles that warms it up! A delicious summer meal!

Course: dinner, dinner, entree, Pasta
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: 10 minute meal, artichokes, fetuccini, pasta, summer, tomatoes
Servings: 4 servings
Ingredients
  • 1 lb. fresh tomatoes about 3 to 4 medium
  • 3/4 cup marinated artichokes
  • 3 tbsp chopped basil
  • 1 tbsp minced garlic
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 12- oz package fresh pasta
  • ¼ cup crumbled feta cheese
  • Optional: garnish with additional chopped basil
Instructions
  1. Finely chop tomatoes and artichokes.
  2. Scrape into bowl along with any seeds and liquids that came out while chopping.
  3. Add chopped basil, minced garlic, salt, pepper and olive oil to bowl; stir to toss.
  4. Set tomato mixture aside to marinate while making pasta.
  5. Boil water in a large pot and cook pasta according to package instructions.*
  6. Drain pasta in colander and add back to pot while still hot.
  7. Pour in tomato mixture from bowl and toss around to coat pasta.
  8. Divide among 4 plates and top with crumbled feta cheese. Garnish with additional basil, if desired.
Recipe Notes

*The pasta I used from Wildgrain is put frozen into boiling water and cooks in 6 minutes.

Garlic Lover’s Mushroom Chickpea Pasta and More 30-minute Gluten-free Meal Inspo

This post is sponsored by Barilla but the content and opinions expressed here are my own.

 

In the late afternoons, I often begin to feel overwhelmed, over-scheduled and over-drawn physically and mentally. Planning a balanced meal option to make my family for dinner can sometimes push me over the edge — yet, as a healthy living advocate, I’m not a big fan of hitting the drive-thru or grabbing take-out.

Barilla Chickpea Pasta - plant based, vegetarian

Enter Barilla Chickpea Pasta , this pantry staple has been a life saver (maybe literally!) and has definitely saved dinner on dozens of occasions. Read on to learn more about this plant-based pasta and check out the TWO fast and flavorful alternative pasta recipes I’m sharing today —Garlic-Lover’s Mushroom Chickpea Pasta and Pesto Chickpea Rotini with Spinach, Pistachios & Feta: Continue reading

Zoodles Marinara with Three Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms

Life is crazy enough, there is no need to make dinner harder than necessary. My Zoodles Marinara with Three Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms takes only about 15 minutes to make and is perfectly suited for meal prepping. Sure, you may be all “been-there-done-that” over spiralized zucchini with tomato sauce, but the addition of the hearty mushrooms oozing with a trio of cheese kicks up the YUM to a whole ‘nutha level. Zoodles Marinara with Stuffed Mushrooms for meal prep

Read on to learn more about this easy zucchini noodle recipe which is low-carb, gluten-free, vegetarian and meal preps beautifully for quick weeknight dinners and workday lunches. Continue reading

12 Minute Boiled Egg Pesto Pasta

I have no shame in saying this quick dinner is built on convenience products, but healthier options – naturally! My 12 Minute Boiled Egg Pesto Pasta is a busy weeknight meal that is equally delicious packaged up and eaten cold for lunch.12 minute Egg Pesto Pasta Salad

Read on to get the easy-peasy directions: Continue reading