Low-Carb Baked Ricotta Dumplings

Happy New Year everyone!

Is there anything more comforting than a bowl of pasta? These meat-free dumplings, a riff on gnudi which is basically ‘nude’ ravioli (ie the filling only, without the pasta), are fluffy and flavoursome, and are perfect on top of a bed of zucchini noodles.

The vegetarian keto dumplings are baked in a sugar-free tomato sauce, which may seem a lot at first but they will soak up some of that sauce as they bake, taking on all the delicious flavours.

A few things to get the best outcome with this dish. The amount of eggs required will depend on how wet your ricotta is. I would suggest mixing in one egg to start, and then the other if needed.

The coconut flour is kept to a minimum so that you can’t taste the coconut, but you do need it to help bind, the mixture holds together much better with it.

Lastly, you can use your fingers to shape into more compact little dumplings, however I prefer to use two teaspoons which creates a more loosely-formed, rustic dumpling, which cling to the sauce better.

Note: If you follow a vegetarian keto diet, Parmesan cheese is technically not vegetarian but you can find vegetarian alternatives.

Preparation time

Hands-on:    20 minutes
Overall:     1 hour

Nutritional values (per serving)

Total Carbs	14.4	grams
Fiber	4.3	grams
Net Carbs	10.2	grams
Protein	14	grams
Fat	38.9	grams
of which Saturated	9.5	grams
Energy	452	kcal
Magnesium	68	mg (17% RDA)
Potassium	638	mg (32% EMR)

Macronutrient ratio: Calories from carbs (9%), protein (13%), fat (78%)

Ingredients (makes 6 servings)

• 1 pack fresh spinach (100 g/ 3.5 oz)
• 1 pack firm full-fat ricotta cheese (250 g/ 8.8 oz)
• 2 medium eggs (see note above)
• pinch of ground nutmeg
• 1/3 cup almond flour (33 g/ 1.2 oz)
• 2 1/2 level tbsp coconut flour (20 g/ 0.7 oz)
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan (45 g/ 1.5 oz)
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (45 ml)
• 3 cups sugar-free tomato pasta sauce (720 g/ 1.6 lb) - you cab make your own Marinara Sauce
• 3 medium zucchini, spiralized (600 g/ 1.3 lb)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 180 °C/ 350 °F. Instead of fresh spinach, you van use frozen & thawed spinach (make sure to squeeze any excess water out).
2. Prepare the spinach first by blanching it in boiling water until wilted, about 30 seconds. Remove from heat and place in a colander. Once cool, wring out excess moisture, and finely chop.
   
   
3. Combine all ingredients in a bowl, and mix well. Shape the dumplings into small balls, a little smaller than a golf ball, either using two teaspoons or your hands. You can either make 12 larger dumplings (about 45 g/ 1.5 oz each, 2 dumplings per serving), or 18 smaller dumplings (about 30 g/ 1.1 oz each, 3 dumplings per serving).
   
4. Pour the tomato sauce into an oven proof dish. Place the meatballs on top of the tomato sauce.
   
   
5. Drizzle with olive oil, and bake 35–40 minutes, until starting to brown on top.
   
   
6. Serve immediately on top of lightly cooked or raw zucchini noodles.
   
   

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