Ricotta Gnocchi with Brown Butter Sauce

I found this recipe in a Pampered Chef cookbook called 29 minutes to dinner volume 2. There are a handful of recipes I have tried in this book and I have loved every single one. 

The portion shown above is a double portion, and in my opinion I made the Gnocchi too big. They would have been better at half this size. 

Serves 4

1 lemon, divided

1 cup whole milk ricotta cheese

2oz (60 g) Parmesan cheese, grated (about 1/2 cup packed)

1 egg

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup all purpose flour, plus extra for dipping

1/4 cup butter, divided

2 tbsp olive oil

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

1 garlic clove pressed

1 tbsp snipped fresh parsley

Fresh baby spinach leaves and shaved Parmesan cheese (optional) 

*Tip: prep as much as you can first (lemon zest, garlic, butter divided, parsley etc)  so when you start cooking you are just adding the ingredients makes life much easier! 

Prepare gnocchi dough.

Zest lemon to measure 1 tsp. Combine zest, cheeses, egg and salt in medium bowl; mix well. Set lemon aside for use in sauce. Fold in flour just until incorporated (do not overmix). Lightly flour a 13in piece of parchment paper. Using a small scoop (or two small spoons, drop 28 scoops of ricotta mixture onto parchment paper, forming gnocchi.

Cook gnocchi.

Add 1 tbsp of butter and oil to skillet; heat over medium-high heat 4-5 minutes or just until mixture begins to brown. Add gnocchi to skillet. Cook 2-3 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Remove gnocchi from skillet and keep warm.

Prepare Sauce.

Reduce heat to medium. Add remaining 3 tbsp butter to skillet; cook 3-5 minutes or until butter is a deep brown color, occasionally swirling skillet. Juice lemon to measure 1 tsp. Remove skillet from heat. Immediately add juice, pepper flakes, pressed garlic and parsley, swirling to combine. Serve gnocchi with sauce. If desired, served with fresh baby spinach leaves and shaved Parmesan cheese.

Weight Watchers Point Plus Values: 10 point plus per serving

Nutrition Facts:

Calories 380

Total Fat 28g

Saturated Fat 14g

Cholesterol 110 mg

Carbohydrate 16g

Protein 16g

Sodium 700mg

Fiber 1g