Ravioli Nudi, "Little Field Mice" or Spinach and Ricotta Dumplings

These dumplings have been a favorite at our house for a couple of years. They are not that hard to make and they have very little flour. So if you use low fat dairy, this would be a great phase 3 South Beach dish. My daughter also loves them, and I don't think she realizes she is eating spinach. So if you have trouble getting your little ones to eat green vegetables, this might do the trick. You can make these with more ricotta cheese than the recipe calls for. In fact, the photos below are done with more cheese than the recipe. But I have added photos at the bottom with a more accurate ratio of cheese to spinach, and you can see that the dumplings hold their shape better. Also, this recipe calls for the dumplings to be tossed with butter. I think they would be just as good in a vodka sauce, a pesto, an olive oil sauce or a plain tomato sauce. I think a cream sauce would be overkill.

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