How to Make The Belt Gnocchi from Mootz Pizzeria + Bar

The Detroit eatery offers up a recipe for one of its pastas
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The Belt Gnocchi - mootz pizzeria + bar
The Belt Gnocchi // Photograph courtesy of Mootz Pizzeria + Bar 

Detroit-based eatery Mootz Pizzeria + Bar is known for its pizza. The restaurant has an impressive lineup of New York-style pies with options such as the hot honey-topped Bee Sting, a Lasagna Pie featuring a three-meat Bolognese sauce, the spinach and cheese-forward Popeye, and more. But Mootz offers more than that, too.

To get a taste of what else the restaurant has up its culinary sleeve, the restaurant is sharing the recipe for its The Belt Gnocchi. The dish, which is currently featured on the pasta section of Mootz’s menu, is served over a ricotta mixture and topped with cheese and parsley. Find it below and give it a go at home.

The Belt Gnocchi Recipe from Mootz Pizzeria + Bar

Ingredients

½ white onion, minced

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 banana pepper, minced

1 Tbsp. crushed red pepper flakes

8-10 basil leaves, chopped

¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped

2 cups high-quality prepared pasta sauce

1 cup grated pecorino romano or parmesan cheese

¾ cup heavy cream

1 cup ricotta cheese

1 Tbsp. garlic powder

24 ounces fresh gnocchi

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

In a 4-qt. stockpot, add butter and sauté minced onion, garlic, and banana pepper on low heat until soft.

Add crushed red pepper flakes, pasta sauce, and basil to the mixture, and let slow simmer for 10 minutes.

Puree sauce with hand mixer. Add heavy cream and ¾ cup of pecorino romano or parmesan. Whisk thoroughly.

In a mixing bowl, whisk ricotta, garlic powder, and a pinch of salt and pepper until slightly fluffy.

In an 8-qt. stockpot, boil water and salt. Add fresh gnocchi and cook until all gnocchi are floating at the top of the water. Strain immediately and thoroughly.

Add gnocchi to sauce and cook on medium for up to 5 min until sauce coats pasta.

With a large spoon, smear ricotta mixture around the serving bowl and spoon gnocchi and sauce to the center.

Garnish with remaining pecorino romano or parmesan and parsley.

Mootz Pizzeria + Bar, 1230 Library St., Detroit; 313-243-1230; mootzpizzeria.com