These spinach dumplings stuffed with ricotta cheese are the perfect meatless comfort food. You can boil or steam them for an absolutely delicious dish!
I’ve been trying to incorporate more meatless dishes into my weekly menu. So when I found myself craving meatballs, I decided to come up with a vegetarian version.
These spinach dumplings were just what I wanted! They’re stuffed with spinach, ricotta, Parmesan, and Italian seasoning for a delicious, hearty meal.
Add a little pasta sauce on top, and you’ll be craving this bowl of comfort all the time!
One thing to note about this recipe is that the dough needs to chill for 24 hours. So it’s a great dish to use as part of your meal prep on a Sunday.
The rest of the process is very straight-forward. And the dumplings are so delicious, it’s well worth the wait!
How to make spinach dumplings
These tasty bites come together in three phases: making the dough, shaping the dumplings, then cooking the dumplings.
Here are the step-by-step details:
Step 1: In a medium saucepan, combine the frozen spinach and 2 tablespoons of water. Cover and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until the spinach is completely thawed, about 15 minutes.
Step 2: Drain the spinach in a strainer and allow to cool.
Step 3: Place the spinach on a clean dish towel or cloth napkin, then grab the corners to form a pouch. Twist to squeeze out as much liquid as possible, then set aside.
Step 4: Beat the eggs in a large bowl.
Step 5: Add the bread crumbs, Italian seasoning, ricotta, Parmesan, scallions, parsley, basil, garlic, nutmeg, and black pepper. Mix well. Add the spinach and mix again until the spinach is well incorporated.
Step 6: Cover and refrigerate for 24 hours.
Step 7: Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Lightly dust with flour.
Step 8: Take a generous teaspoonful of the chilled dough, roll it into a ball, then place on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining dough, making sure the dumplings don’t touch.
Step 9: Make a dent in the middle of each dumpling with the end of a wooden spoon or your thumb.
Step 10: Select a saucepan that will fit a bamboo steamer. Fill it half-full with water and bring to a boil.
Step 11: Place the dumplings in a steamer basket, making sure they don’t touch.
Step 12: Place the basket on top of the saucepan and steam over high heat for 10 minutes.
Step 13: Transfer the dumplings to a covered dish to stay warm while you steam the remaining dumplings.
I like to serve mine with oven-roasted tomato sauce and a hearty serving of grated Parmesan!
Boiling the dumplings
I’ve tried cooking these dumplings both by boiling them and by steaming them. Both versions tasted amazing!
I will say that when I boiled the dumplings, some of them fell apart. They still tasted great, but didn’t look very pretty.
Steaming takes a little longer because you can only cook a few at a time, but they hold their shape better.
If you prefer to boil your dumplings, start by bringing a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add half of the dumplings, then reduce the heat to medium.
After about 5 minutes, the dumplings should start to float to the surface. Continue to cook them for another 4 minutes, then use a slotted spoon to drain them and transfer to a covered dish.
Repeat with the remaining dumplings.
Storage
If you have any leftover dumplings, allow them to cool fully before storing them covered in the refrigerator. They will stay fresh for up to 5 days.
You can also store the uncooked dumplings after you shape them. Just keep them covered in the refrigerator.
Then, once you’re ready to eat a few, just steam or boil your desired number of dumplings! That way, you can enjoy them hot and fresh whenever you like.
Other meatless comfort food recipes
Are you trying to incorporate more vegetarian dishes into your diet? There are so many delicious and satisfying recipes out there! Here are a few of my favorites I know you’ll enjoy:
- Sweet Potato Noodles with Black Beans and Peppers
- Indian Spinach Curry (Palek Paneer)
- Butternut Squash Ravioli with Sage
When you’ve tried this dish, please don’t forget to let me know how you liked it and rate the recipe in the comments below!
Spinach Dumplings
Ingredients
- 20 ounces frozen chopped spinach (2 packages)
- 2 large eggs
- 1 ⅔ cups bread crumbs
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 ½ cups ricotta cheese
- ¼ cup finely shredded Parmesan cheese
- 3 scallions (minced)
- ⅓ cup fresh parsley (chopped)
- 2 teaspoons fresh basil (finely chopped)
- 1 clove garlic (minced)
- Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
- Freshly ground black pepper
- White whole wheat flour (for dusting)
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, combine the frozen spinach and 2 tablespoons of water. Cover and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until the spinach is completely thawed, about 15 minutes.
- Drain the spinach in a strainer and allow to cool.
- Place the spinach on a clean dish towel or cloth napkin, then grab the corners to form a pouch. Twist to squeeze out as much liquid as possible, then set aside.
- Beat the eggs in a large bowl.
- Add the bread crumbs, Italian seasoning, ricotta, Parmesan, scallions, parsley, basil, garlic, nutmeg, and black pepper. Mix well. Add the spinach and mix again until the spinach is well-incorporated.
- Cover and refrigerate for 24 hours.
- Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Lightly dust with flour.
- Take a generous teaspoonful of the chilled dough, roll it into a ball, then place on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining dough, making sure the dumplings don’t touch.
- Make a dent in the middle of each dumpling with the end of a wooden spoon or your thumb.
- Select a saucepan that will fit a bamboo steamer. Fill it half-full with water and bring to a boil.
- Place the dumplings in a steamer basket, making sure they don’t touch.
- Place the basket on top of the saucepan and steam over high heat for 10 minutes.
- Transfer the dumplings to a covered dish to stay warm while you steam the remaining dumplings.
Just wrote down the ingredients to pick up at the store. They sound perfect. Will steam. Thank you.
Yummy! Love spinach:-)