Gnocchi Salad
I love a fresh Gnocchi Salad! Made with homemade gnocchi (makes 40-50), they are crisp served on a bed of summer veggies–green beans, shelled peas, and fresh corn! Add fresh mint and radishes for this wonderful, fresh salad! Instead of croutons, serve the salad with gnocchi. Your people will love you!
Everyone gravitates toward salads in the Gnocchi Salad when we serve it at a party. I know, because we often serve several salads when we host. Of course if it’s just two people coming over, that is not necessary, but several salads are a BIG PARTY HIT!
Gnocchi Salad
I always say, this Summer Crispy Gnocchi Salad is filled with a lot of love. With little soft pillows of homemade gnocchi, what’s not to love!? We’ve even hosted just a “salad” dinner party. We make several salads, and our guests each bring one of their favorites.
What is gnocchi?
Basically gnocchi (NO-chee) is a type of dumpling, made of thick, small, and soft dough. Which is why I call these little puffy pillows :)
This recipe is made with whole-milk ricotta cheese. But the secret is in how you fry them nice and crispy!
Gather these ingredients
Any recipe that takes a little bit longer than usual is filled with a little more love, right? (wink-wink) And who doesn’t like homemade gnocchi?
Homemade gnocchi
- Whole-milk ricotta
- Eggs
- Kosher salt and black pepper
- Lemon zest
- All-purpose flour, sifted
Salad
- 3 ears corn
- Green beans, blanched
- Shelled peas, blanched (we buy at Trader Joe’s)
- Radishes, thinly chopped
- Olive oil divided, plus some to drizzle
- Lemon
- Fresh mint, roughly chopped
- Salt and Pepper
How to make homemade gnocchi
- Combine gnocchi ingredients and mix the dough (be careful not to overwork it!) Stop mixing when all ingredients are combined.
- Flour the surface of a baking sheet and 1 heaping tablespoon of dough, creating a flat side on the gnocchi.
- Keep them cold, and don’t let them touch each other when you place them on the baking sheet.
- Boil the gnocchi and then pan fry it (to get a crisp outside).
How to assemble the Gnocchi Salad
- Blanch the green beans and the peas: Bring a large pot of water to a boil with 1/4 cup of salt. When water comes to a boil, add in green beans for 5-6 minutes, then strain and move to ice bath to stop any further cooking. Repeat this for the peas, making sure to only boil them for 45 seconds-1 minute before straining and moving to an ice bath. Strain the green beans and peas and set aside.
- Cook the corn separately at the same time. Drain and set aside. Cut off the cob.
- Assemble: On a large serving platter, layer the green beans, corn, peas, gnocchi, radish, and mint.
- Add the gnocchi on top as you would croutons.
- Drizzle with olive oil, a squeeze of fresh lemon, and fresh cracked salt and pepper.
Tips and substitutions
- Feel free to skip the step of making homemade gnocchi and buy store-bought. This would involve cooking it for a few minutes, and then letting it cool. But homemade is the best!
- This salad does not have a dressing – we just squeeze fresh lemon over the salad. You can always drizzle a light vinaigrette over the salad if you choose to.
- Feel free to change up the veggies. For example you can add cooked asparagus, broccoli, or other veggies.
- For spring – we ove this combination!
- Optional to replace the mint with basil. YUM.
- Instead of croutons, serve gnocchi on your salad! Your people will love you! And the mint? We all agree, that this is the best herb “touch,” that really makes the salad flavors pop!
How do you serve a gnocchi salad?
We love to serve this salad for a spring or summer party. We grab a large platter and just start layering the ingrdients after they are all cooked. It’s a gorgeous presentation.
End with the gnocchi as you would croutons!
Serve it with chicken, a fruit salad, and this dessert. If you have any gnocchi leftover, you can always make these fun Tomato Gnocchi Apricot Skewers for an appetizer.
More gnocchi recipes to try:
- Slow Cooker Meatball Gnocchi Soup
- Easy Lasagna Recipe with Gnocchi
- Ricotta Gnocchi with Berry Compote
- Gnocchi Mac & Cheese
Get the Recipe:
Gnocchi Salad
Ingredients
Gnocchi
- 2 cups whole-milk ricotta
- 2 large eggs
- Kosher salt and black pepper
- 2 tsp lemon zest
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour, sifted
Salad
- 3 ears corn, boiled with kernels cut off
- 1 lb green beans, blanched
- 1 cup shelled peas, blanched
- 5-6 radishes, thinly chopped
- ½ cup olive oil divided, plus some to drizzle
- ¼ lemon, juiced
- Fresh mint, roughly chopped
- Salt and Pepper
Instructions
Make the homemade gnocchi:
- In a medium bowl, combine ricotta, eggs, salt, zest, 1 tsp vanilla, and flour. Stir until thoroughly mixed, but be careful not to overwork! Stop mixing when all ingredients are combined.
- Using a sifter, flour the surface of a baking sheet thoroughly.
- Next, scoop 1 heaping tablespoon of dough onto a spoon, then scrape the spoon on the edge of the bowl at an angle to create a semi flat side on the gnocchi. Dip your finger in flour, then—pushing from the handle of the spoon to the tip—scrape the dumpling off onto the floured baking sheet. Make sure the dumplings don’t touch, or they will stick. When all the dumplings are on the sheet, top with more sifted flour. Use two baking sheets if needed.
- Side note–don’t let them sit for too long, or the dough will stick to the sheet. Keep em’ cold!
- Bring a pot of water to a boil with ¼ cup kosher salt. When the water is bubbling, carefully drop in each dumpling—I did this in two batches. Allow dumplings to boil for 4-5 minutes (they will begin floating to the top), then remove from water with a slotted spoon and strain gently. Repeat this until all dumplings are cooked.
- In a medium skillet, heat ¼ cup olive oil. When oil is hot, place dumplings in the pan—allow each side to crisp and brown for 3 minutes before flipping to the other side.
- Repeat this step (using a new ¼ cup of olive oil if needeuntil all dumplings are fried.
Blanche the veggies:
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil with ¼ cup of salt. When water comes to a boil, add in green beans for 5-6 minutes, then strain and move to ice bath to stop any further cooking. Repeat this for the peas, making sure to only boil them for 45 seconds-1 minute before straining and moving to an ice bath. Strain the green beans and peas and set aside.
Assemble the salad:
- On a large serving platter, layer the green beans, corn, peas, gnocchi, radish, and mint. Add the gnocchi as you would croutons. Drizzle with olive oil, a squeeze of fresh lemon, and fresh cracked salt and pepper. Serve!
Notes
Hello and welcome to my home and table!
I’m Sandy—lover of food, family, cooking, THE BIG BOARD, travel, and bringing people together. Through great recipes and connection around the table, we become better, stronger, and more courageous people. Feasting on Life is real, and every time we do it, we grow a little more. Read more...
