The spinach dumplings are a traditional dish from my region, Trentino Alto Adige. They are quick and easy to make. Simple and wholesome, they are perfect for everyone, including children who might not eat many vegetables. You can cook the dumplings in water or broth. Here, they are first cooked in vegetable broth and then sautéed in a pan with melted butter and sage, a classic approach. Dumplings are large bread gnocchi from the peasant kitchen. In this variant, we use bread, milk, egg, spinach, onion, and grated cheese. I used grated Grana cheese, but you can also use Parmesan if you prefer. This recipe makes about 8 medium-sized dumplings. If you like dumplings, you might also try:
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Rest time: 10 Minutes
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: 4 People
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients for Spinach Dumplings
- 5 oz stale bread
- 5.3 oz frozen spinach
- 1.4 oz yellow onion
- 0.4 cups milk
- 1 egg
- 2 tbsps grated Grana Padano
- to taste salt
- to taste pepper
- to taste nutmeg
- 3 tbsps all-purpose flour
- to taste butter
- 3 leaves sage
Tools
- Pot
- Pan
- Cutting board
- Bowl
- Spoon
Steps to Make Spinach Dumplings
To prepare the spinach dumplings, first clean the onion, slice it thinly, and sauté it in a pan with some extra virgin olive oil. Once sautéed, add the frozen spinach leaves, let them flavor for a minute, then add a little water, just enough to cook the spinach. Lower the heat and let them cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Once dried, turn off the pan.
While the spinach is cooking, take a cutting board and cut the bread into small cubes. Place them in a large bowl and pour the room-temperature milk over them, let them soak for about 10 minutes. When the spinach is ready, squeeze them well with your hands, then put them in a tall container, along with an egg, salt, pepper, grated Grana, and nutmeg, and blend everything well. Now, work the bread and milk mixture well, pressing everything well with your hands.
Then add the blended spinach and mix everything well, finishing by adding the all-purpose flour, about 3 tablespoons. Add it little by little; if they seem too soft, add a bit more, but be careful because the consistency of the dumplings can be tricky; if you add too much flour, they will become too compact and hard.
Put a pan with broth to cook. I used a vegetable bouillon cube for convenience. In the meantime, with slightly wet hands, take a portion of the mixture and form balls, trying to shape them round.Once the dumplings are ready, drop them into the broth and cook them for about 10 minutes on low heat. After 10 minutes, prepare the pan with melted butter and sage. Remove the dumplings from the broth and now cook them in the butter and sage for a couple of minutes to flavor them.
Turn off the heat and serve them, with melted cheese on top and a generous sprinkle of grated Grana.
Storage and Tips
You can store spinach dumplings in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 2 days.
If you like, you can prepare the vegetable broth at home or use a bouillon cube.
Add flour little by little, otherwise the mixture will become too compact.
You can also freeze the dumplings before cooking them.
