This is a recipe I wanted to write on my blog for a long time because years ago, when I worked in Ivrea and had many Tuscan colleagues, I tasted them and liked them very much. Now that I eat plant-based I had to make a few changes, so here I present my vegan gnudi.
This is a traditional dish of Tuscan cuisine: they are essentially ravioli without the pasta shell; “gnudi” in dialect means naked, i.e. only the filling. Typically they are made with spinach and ricotta, but in this vegan version I used tofu. They can be dressed in many ways; the classic is butter and sage, which is exactly how I enjoyed them. They are also excellent with tomato sauce.
It’s a very simple and tasty dish, obviously light, and can be prepared in a few steps!
You can find some other first-course ideas here:
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Very inexpensive
- Preparation time: 30 Minutes
- Cooking methods: Boiling, Stovetop
- Cuisine: Healthy
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients
- 10.6 oz (about 10 cups fresh) spinach (fresh or frozen)
- 17.6 oz tofu (firm, not silken)
- 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil (1 measuring teaspoon)
- to taste garlic powder
- to taste dried onion
- 3.5 tbsp cornstarch
- to taste nutmeg
- 5 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1 oz durum wheat semolina (re-milled) (we will only use half of this amount)
- to taste salt
- 1.5 tbsp vegan butter (or alternatively 1 2/3 tbsp (25 ml) extra virgin olive oil)
- 3 sprigs sage
- Total WW points for 14 gnudi = 23 points WW
- Total WW points for 2 gnudi = 3 points WW
- Total WW points for 4 gnudi = 7 points WW
- Total WW points for 14 gnudi dressed = 30 points WW
- Total WW points for 4 gnudi dressed = 8 points WW
Tools
- Pot
- Wooden spoon
- Colander
- Frying pan
- Bowl
- Immersion blender
- Deep plate
- Tray
- Ice cream scoop
- Slotted spoon
Steps
I didn’t take photos for the spinach preparation, but I’ll explain my no-cook method: place them in a pot with a little salt, bring some water to a boil and pour the hot water over the spinach. Stir quickly and as soon as they are wilted, drain them, rinse with cold water and squeeze them very well.
There is no need to press the tofu because we will dry it in the pan. Heat a teaspoon of oil and add the tofu crumbled by hand to the pan with a bit of garlic and onion powder to season. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring often: the tofu just needs to dry out and should not brown. Turn off the heat and let it cool.
Place the tofu, spinach, cornstarch, nutritional yeast, nutmeg and a little salt in a large bowl.
Using the immersion blender, or a regular blender if you prefer, blend everything very well until you obtain a homogeneous mixture.
Prepare a deep plate with the semolina and a baking tray or serving tray to place the gnudi once they are ready.
Using a large ice cream scoop (diameter 2 in), scoop the dough and roll it between the palms of your hands as if you were forming a meatball.
Place the ball of dough into the semolina and coat it thoroughly.
Put the first gnudo on the tray and continue until all the mixture is used.
Here are our vegan gnudi ready to be cooked or stored!
Bring water to a boil with a little salt in a large pot. Add the gnudi a few at a time; for 14 gnudi I recommend cooking them in two batches.
After about 4 minutes you’ll see them rise to the surface: remove them with a slotted spoon.
Place them in a colander and let them lose some of the cooking water.
At this point, simply melt the vegan butter in a pan, or use olive oil if you prefer, and sauté the sage leaves. When they are crisp remove them from the pan, otherwise they will lose their crispness, then add the gnudi. Gently toss to coat them all and serve on a serving plate.
Add the sage leaves and our gnudi with butter and sage are ready to be served!
I’ve made them several times because here at home they received full approval from the Dutchman. He only complains about the small amount of butter, but adding more would make it a too-rich first course and not suitable for a diet. But perhaps on holidays you can add a bit more dressing!
I really enjoyed them; they’re very flavorful even though they’re made with tofu — and to think I used to hate it. Anyway, let me know if you liked them, and meanwhile:
Enjoy your meal!
by Giovanna Buono
Storage
You can prepare the vegan gnudi the day before: place them on a tray and cover them with a cloth not treated with fragranced detergents.
I haven’t tried it but I’m certain you can also freeze them on a tray and, once frozen, transfer them to a proper freezer bag. You can cook them in boiling water without thawing first; it will take a few extra minutes of cooking time.
FAQ (Questions and Answers)
What is nutritional yeast?
In this recipe you’ll also find nutritional yeast, which is a deactivated yeast rich in vitamin B12. It is widely used in vegan cooking because it gives a cheesy flavor to dishes. To learn more read here: Nutritional Yeast: what it is, how to use it and why! You can omit it, but in that case add spices to taste to give more flavor to the final dish.
I’m gluten intolerant, how can I adapt this recipe?
Certainly you can: make sure the cornstarch does not contain gluten and use gluten-free breadcrumbs/semolina as needed.
