Tender, cloud-like gnocchi built from cottage cheese instead of potatoes—quick to mix, quick to cook, and ready in thirty minutes. The large curds give you texture, and the milk solids make them hold together without much flour. Brown some butter, toss it all together, and you have dinner.

Serves 2. 30 minutes, 20 at the stove.

About 790 calories a serving, 40 g protein, 61 g carbohydrate, 43 g fat. From USDA figures for 88% of the ingredients; amounts are the recipe's.

Cook mode

1. Press the cottage cheese through a fine sieve set over a bowl to drain off excess liquid, or wrap it in cheesecloth and let it sit in a strainer for five minutes. You should have about 1 1/4 cups drained curds. Mix them with 1 cup flour, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper until a soft, slightly sticky dough forms.
2. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Dust your counter with flour and roll the dough into a rope about 1/2 inch thick, then cut it into 1 inch pieces. Press each piece lightly with the tines of a fork to create a small indent and help them cook evenly.
3. Drop the gnocchi into the boiling water and stir gently. Cook for two minutes after they rise to the surface, then lift them out with a slotted spoon and set them aside on a clean plate. While they cook, mince 2 garlic cloves and tear 2 handfuls of spinach or sage leaves.2 min
4. Melt 4 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the minced garlic and cook for one minute until fragrant. Add the spinach and cook until it wilts, about one minute.2 min
5. Add the cooked gnocchi to the butter and greens, tossing gently to coat. Shave 2 ounces fresh parmesan over the top and toss again. Taste and adjust salt and pepper, then serve at once.

Note Swap the spinach for any tender herb—basil, parsley, chives. Leftovers keep three days in the fridge and reheat gently in a skillet with a knob of butter. Serve with a green salad or bitter greens dressed in lemon.