Malfatti means “badly formed” in Italian. These rustic spinach ricotta gnocchi-like dumplings may look a bit wonky, but they taste incredible – the very definition of the perfectly imperfect!
Malfatti – rustically delicious!
I love being proven wrong when it comes to food.
As I dubiously fished the totally unimpressive-looking, slippery dumplings from the poaching liquid and plonked them in tomato sauce to pop into the oven, I was mentally preparing for what I could do to save the dish if it came out as bland as I was expecting. Bury in cheese and stick it back in the oven, I thought to myself. Cheese’ll save anything!
How very wrong I was about Malfatti! This is one of the most delicious things I’ve made all year. (Yes, yes, I know I’ve said that a few other recipes I’ve shared this year, but this time*, I really mean it!!) Those plump little gnocchi-like balls are delightedly savoury, ultra-soft and incredibly juicy on the inside. They’re often paired with a tomato-based Napoli Sauce like here, and finished with a shower of parmesan.
Like all addictively tasty things that come in bite-size packages, they’re dangerously difficult to stop popping them in your mouth once you start. One, two, three, five, ten …
* I really meant it the other times I declared this as well. There is room in my life for more than one “most delicious thing I’ve made all year”. I have a big appetite!!
What exactly are Malfatti, anyway?
Malfatti are traditional Italian dumplings made out of spinach and ricotta. They’re bound together with a little flour and egg, and flavoured with parmesan and basil.
Meaning “badly formed”, the name malfatti is an affectionate jibe at their rough and rustic looks. They’re also known as gnudi in other parts of Italy, which means “naked” – a reference to their appearance like pasta-less ravioli.
They are often served with a tomato-based Napoli sauce, though you also see it with other sauces such as brown butter and sage.
Here’s an up close and personal look at the inside of Malfatti. Looks good, eh? 🙂
Boiled like gnocchi, baked in the oven
Malfatti are cooked much like gnocchi in boiling water. Like gnocchi, the most common way serve them is also just like that – simply drained, and topped with the sauce.
Sometimes however you see baked versions, where the Malfatti is placed in the sauce and finished in the oven and is my preferred way of making them. Baking them “sets” the surface of the dumplings so they don’t seem soggy (they’re quite wet and slippery straight out of the boiling water). Plus, you get the benefit of a little browning on the edges of the Napoli Sauce which has a change to meld with the dumplings.
I’d be interested in opinions on this (even bold?!) statement from any Italians reading this!
Ingredients in Malfatti Dumplings
Here’s what you need to make the dumplings.
Ricotta (dry and crumbly = good!) – The key ingredient here! Whereas ordinarily ricotta-based recipes will call for the freshest, softest and creamiest ricotta you can find, for Malfatti, we are after drier ricotta so the mixture is firm enough to shape into dumplings.
Rule of thumb – If you can spread the ricotta like butter, it’s too wet and needs to be drained to remove excess water (just set over a colander or wrap in tea towels, see recipe notes). If you can virtually crumble it with your hands, it’s perfect!
Emergency fix: If you decide to proceed anyway with a ricotta that you suspect is too wet and find the mixture is so loose you can’t form dumplings, just add the minimum amount of flour required to thicken the mixture (I did);
Garlic and eschalot (US: Shallots) – For flavour and sweetness. If you don’t have eschalots, use 1/2 a red onion instead. (PS. Eschalots are the little tear-drop shaped alliums sometimes labelled as “French Onions” here in Australia);
Parmesan – Much of the seasoning (flavouring and salt) for Malfatti. It also helps to firm up the mixture;
Flour – Just 1/2 a cup, far less than most dumplings. Required to bind the mixture;
Egg – The universe’s natural food glue, this is what holds the dumplings together! We use one whole egg as well as one egg yolk because one egg alone is not quite enough to make the Malfatti hold together. Bonus: An extra yolk makes them just that little bit richer and delicious!
Basil – Just a handful, for its lovely fresh flavour. If you don’t have fresh basil, just leave it out rather than substitute with dried basil (dried basil really has no flavour)
Ingredients in Napoli Sauce for Malfatti
One of the most popular sauces for Malfatti is a classic Italian tomato sauce called a Napoli Sauce (after the city of Naples, capital of the region where tomatoes and basil are staple flavours). Here’s what you need:
Onion and garlic – Classic foundation flavourings;
Tomato paste – For a small boost in tomato intensity, and to thicken the sauce slightly (the sauce for Malfatti is typically thick and chunky, rather than loose and runny);
Basil – Please pretend the basil sprig pictured here has been picked! 😂 The leaves are used in the dumplings, while we use pop the stem into the sauce to give it a small hint of fresh basil flavour.
Crushed or diced tomato – As always, the better the quality, the better the sauce;
Sugar – 1/2 a teaspoon, to soften the tartness of the sauce a touch. It’s a shortcut for this sauce, which we only simmer for 20 minutes. If you have the time to simmer on a very, very low heat for 1 hour or so to let the flavours really develop and the sauce to sweeten naturally, feel free to skip it. 😇
How to make Malfatti
The key thing here is to NOT get too hung about about perfectly perfect dumpling shapes. Remember, Malfatti means “badly formed”. Stick to the spirit of the name, a licence for imperfection!
Part 1: Remove water from spinach
Firstly we need to remove the excess water from the spinach otherwise it makes the Malfatti mixture too loose.
Sweat spinach with salt to remove water – Sprinkle spinach with a little salt and leave for 20 minutes. The salt will draw some moisture out of the spinach, which makes it easier to squeeze out the water;
Wring out water – Put a handful of spinach on a clean tea towel. Gather up the the corners of the tea towel and twist it firmly to squeeze out the water;
Roughly chop – Not too finely. We don’t want minced spinach dumplings!
Sauté lightly – Lastly, we sauté the garlic and eschalots, then add the spinach in and toss it through.
Finally, cool the spinach before stirring into the ricotta mixture.
Part 2: Make the Malfatti dumplings
Malfatti mixture – Once the spinach is cool, add it into the bowl with the remaining Malfatti ingredients. Then gently mix until combined;
Form dumplings (wonky or neat!) – Use two dessert spoons to form “football” shaped dumplings. Remember the name and don’t get too hung up about perfect shapes!!
Boil – The Malfatti are cooked in boiling water, just like other dumplings. Bring a pot of water to the boil and carefully lower 4 to 6 dumplings in. Don’t crowd the pot, you don’t want the Malfatti bashing into each other;
Cook until they float (~2 minutes) – You’ll know exactly when the Malfatti are cooked because they float to the surface! Don’t worry about whether they’re fully cooked through because remember we finish them in the oven. 🙂
Use a slotted spoon to fish them out and place onto paper towels to drain.
Part 3: Making Napoli Sauce and baking the Malfatti
The sauce is as simple as a sauté, a stir and a simmer. As the sauce takes 20 mins, I typically start the sauce while I’m sweating the spinach.
Make the sauce – Nothing ground breaking here! The usual sauté garlic and onion → add tomato → simmer 🙂 This sauce is only simmered for 20 minutes, but long enough for it to thicken and develop some flavour. If you’ve got the time, add a bit of extra water and simmer it on super low heat for 1 hour. This will make the sauce even more delicious!
Baking time! – Pour the sauce in a pan and top with Malfatti. Drizzle with olive oil and bake for just 15 minutes, long enough to just give the surface of the Malfatti the faintest hint of gold blush. More importantly, it gives the Malfatti a light crust, rather than being slippery and wet straight out of the boiling water;
Baked Malfatti result – In the photo above, you can see how the Malfatti is very lightly browned compared to the photo in Step 2. The other benefit of baking is that you get some tasty sauce caramelisation around the edges of the pan; and
Finish with parmesan – Give the Malfatti a generous dusting of parmesan and sprinkle of fresh basil. Then dish it out!!
How to serve Malfatti
Initially, I was confused about how to serve Malfatti. Over pasta? Over polenta?? Slop it up with bread??
Nope. Think of it like gnocchi. So just like you do with gnocchi, serve yourself a big bowl of Malfatti just like that.
There’s a fair amount of vegetables in this dish in the form of the spinach and tomato. But if you want to add more, add a big leafy salad tossed with Italian Dressing, or a simple Balsamic Dressing.
I also would not turn down a side of garlic bread, normal or cheesy. But hey, that’s just me! 😂 – Nagi x
Watch how to make it
Hungry for more? Subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for all of the latest updates.
Malfatti (Italian Spinach Ricotta Dumplings in Napoli Sauce)
Ingredients
Napoli Sauce:
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves , finely minced
- 1/2 onion , very finely diced
- 800g / 24 oz crushed tomato (or diced)
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 basil stem (leaves kept for the Malfatti)
- 1/2 tsp white sugar
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
Spinach for Malfatti:
- 300g / 10oz baby spinach (~6 tightly packed cups, Note 4)
- 1/2 tsp salt
Malfatti:
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic , finely minced
- 1 eschallot (large), finely chopped (or 1/2 red onion)
- 500g / 1 lb ricotta (must be dry type, not wet and spreadable, Note 1)
- 1/4 cup (lightly packed) basil leaves, finely sliced (use stem for sauce)
- 1 egg (Note 2)
- 1 egg yolk (Note 2)
- 1 cup parmesan , finely grated
- 1/2 cup flour , plain / all-purpose
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
Serving:
- 1/4 cup parmesan , finely grated
- Basil leaves , small (optional)
Instructions
Napoli Sauce:
- Saute garlic and onion: Heat oil in a small pot or large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and onion and cook for 3 minutes until onion is softened.
- Simmer sauce: Add remaining ingredients plus the stem of basil. Bring to a simmer, then reduce stove to low and cook, stirring every now and then, for 20 minutes. It should be fairly thick rather than a loose runny sauce.
Malfatti:
- Drain ricotta, if needed: The ricotta should be the dry and fairly crumbly type rather than wet, soft and almost spreadable. If it's wet, see Note 1 for removing excess water (wet ricotta makes Malfatti hard to shape and cook!)
- Sweat spinach: Toss spinach with 1/2 tsp salt in large colander. Leave for 20 minutes. Roll up in tea towel and squeeze tightly to remove excess liquid. Roughly chop.
- Sauté garlic, eschalot and spinach: Heat oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Add garlic and eschalot, cook for 1 minute until translucent. Add spinach and cook until just wilted. Transfer to large bowl, allow to cool.
- Malfatti mixture: Add ricotta and all remaining Malfatti ingredients into the bowl. Mix well to combine. It should be too wet to roll with hands without sticking, but still firm enough to shape into dumplings.
- Form dumplings: Using 2 dessert spoons, scoop up about 1 1/2 tablespoons of mixture then shape into a football (quenelle) using the two spoons. Place on a paper-lined tray. You should get about 24-30.
- Boil dumplings: Bring a large pot of water to the boil, then carefully put 6 dumplings in. Cook for 2 minutes, they should float to the surface. Remove with slotted spoon on to paper towel lined tray. Repeat for remaining Malfatti.
Baking:
- Preheat oven to 180°C / 350°F.
- Assemble: Pour Napoli Sauce into a baking dish, then top with Malfatti. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil.
- Bake 15 minutes or until the Malfatti has a faint blush of gold on the surface (Note 3).
- Serve! Sprinkle baked Malfatti with parmesan and basil leaves (tear large leaves). Spoon into bowls and served as-is. No starchy side is required, think of these as like gnocchi. Just add a leafy green salad with Italian Dressing or Balsamic Dressing!
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
More meatless Italian
Life of Dozer
When Dozer came shoe shopping. I live in a VERY dog friendly area!!!
(PS In case you re wondering, he is anti stilettos and pro sneakers. Something about me not being able to play with him in heels. 🤷🏻♀️)
Hi, I have this dish server also times and love it. I want to thank Cate for her freezer tip and I have frozen mine also. I found it easier to make a big batch freeze some and it makes dinner easier and a quick meal. I have shared this with friends and give it the thumbs up also . Thank you
That’s great – thank you Lynda (and Cate!) for the feedback on freezing!! N x
Love this recipe but Spinach and Kale type products disagree with me, any ideas for a substitute ?
Do you think you could use a mix of button mushrooms and dried porcini?
I made the Malfatti recipe for the first time today. I can’t tolerate cow’s milk products, so I made a vegan tofu ricotta and also used Pecorino Romano (in lieu of Parmesan). It turned out great, and I will make this again! Thanks, Nagi!
Thanks for those tips – so good to know for people who can’t take milk! N x
I am not familiar with sweating spinach. Can you elaborate? When I google it, the result is always wilting the spinach with heat. Is that what you mean? Thanks!!
Yes Tasha – that’s what it means sometimes but in this recipe it means to scrunch up the spinach with the salt and to leave it to give up some moisture (sweat) then to squeeze that out with a tea towel! N x
Nagi! HELP! My mixture is so dry and I don’t have any more eggs! What should I do?
Hi Kathy – was your ricotta very dry? I suggest maybe add ing a tiny bit of milk or cream to correct the consistency and see if that helps – they should hold together like in the video. N x
Hi Nagi, thanks for reply. I ended up adding some water. Wasn’t sure if that was going to make them fall apart when boiling, but they turned out amazing! We are having the left overs again tonight. Can’t wait!! xx
Love this recipe. I used prewashed baby spinach in a bag and didn’t salt it, as last time it didn’t seem to make any difference – there really wasn’t any water after the process, so hopefully it will work out. Looking good so far – the quenelles are made. Also, I froze them after boiling them in take away containers (no sauce) and just thawed them and made your sauce the day I defrosted them and cooked them in that. Makes for an easy dinner another time, as it makes more than our little family can eat in one meal. We love this recipe!
That’s a great tip, Cate, as this is a recipe that takes a bit of time! N x
I made this for the first time tonight. I’m coeliac, so replaced the flour with gluten free flour. It was delicious! Thank you! This is another one of your recipes that I’ve tried that has been very successful 😊
I was trawling the comments specifically to see if anyone had tried to make these GF – I’m so happy to see it worked!! Can I ask, did you use any specific GF flour? 😊
I used a standard GF flour from my supermarket.
Hi Alana
I just used a standard gluten-free flour from my local supermarket. Hope this helps 😊
I just made this tonight and it was delicious! I couldn’t find the dry ricotta so I had to squeeze mine which added an arduous extra step that made my kitchen an even BIGGER mess! They were not as solid as I would’ve liked, but lovely flavor… thanks for the detailed instructions and helpful tips.
I am glad you enjoyed it Kathy! The ricotta does affect this dish as it’s so variable. Another good option is draining it through a tea towel set inside a sieve – much less mess!!! N x
I managed to forget the spinach and Parmesan when I went to the shops! My husband wanted this tonight so we used pecorino and frozen chopped spinach. It turned out wonderfully.
Will make again soon using the correct ingredients.
Those subs would work fine Angela! Glad you enjoyed it!! N x
Just made this for the first time tonight. Worked really well! Looks attractive and light and tasty.
Thanks Nagi!
OK – this is the fourth time I have cooked this in the last month. It is AMAZING! We love it Nagi -thank you or another hit recipe.
We made another recipe for malfatti last night, and it was good, but afterward we were like, “They should really have had garlic, the sauce was bit lacking, maybe if we’d baked it the texture would have been better…” etc. And then we found your recipe and it’s everything we were imagining. I can’t wait to try it.
Awww thanks Heather! N x
I can’t wait to share this with my daughter in Lafayette Louisiana
This recipe is now a family favourite. My carnivore children love it: “I can’t believe it’s vegetarian!” My 14 year old son cooked it recently, and found it super easy to do. Thank you!
These are so good and the wonderful thing is, they can be prepared in advance and frozen. Have cooked them with normal plain flour and gluten free flour and there is no notable difference.
They are so good, I have now cooked them twice and had two requests for the recipe.
Another brilliant Nagi recipe.
Great to know gluten free flour works just as well!
Thanks! N x
These were great, the toddler (and everyone up) loved them and though they required a bit of time they were easy!
My malfatti mix didn’t seem as wet as I expected, so I ended up making balls with my hands (messy, but faster, and the clock was ticking).
The malfatti I used to make had an alternative name in Spanish: “spoon gnocchi” as you just dropped them in the water, from the spoon. The batter probably had more flour and was wetter, so I really appreciate how these are almost fluffy. Also, the baking step is definitely worth it!
AMAZING!!! Just made this for my family and they loved it 😍😍😍 thank you
Made yesterday, amazing. Thank you for the great and clear recipe!! 🙂
Absolutely delicious! I have to admit I added some red wine and chilli to the sauce, and a pinch of nutmeg to the dumplings. Definitely going on the permanent rotation! Thank you!
Absolutely delicious. Definitely going to be a firm favourite in our house. Although first time round the prep time was definitely more than 25 minutes 🤣. I’m sure with time that will be reduced.
The steps are simple and easy to follow (there’s just quite a lot of them), so do allow enough time. I’ll definitely make a double batch next time and freeze some. A great tasty way to get greens into my toddler. She’s been refusing most foods but enthusiastically ate 5 last night!