I get some inspiration from food blogs and bizarre social media trends, but I have a special fondness for perusing food magazines from other countries. Can I read all the languages? Well, I can read the spirit of the food (and a translation app never hurts). One of my favorites, La Cucina Italiana, recently featured a pasta recipe that seemed way too easy: three ingredients (one is salt) and no special tools required. I had to try it. It’s called gnocchetti di ricotta and I think I’m in love.

You’re probably familiar with gnocchi (gnocchetti’s big brother), an Italian potato-centric dumpling about the size of a pecan. Traditional potato gnocchi requires the patience of boiling and cooling potatoes, using a masher (a tool that manually pushes the potato through small holes to create a silky, lump-free consistency), and a little elbow grease to shape the dough. While you can also roll and slice potato gnocchi into the petite gnocchetti, it’s the overall ease of this ricotta-based version that has me hooked.

Calphalon Classic 3.5 liter pot

Bench scraper with ruler edge