1. Wrap the beet in a moist paper towel and microwave on high for 5 minutes. It won’t be completely soft. Once it’s cool enough to handle, peel the beet and grate it on the medium holes of a box grater into a mixing bowl.

2. Add the ricotta, Parmigiano Reggiano, egg, nutmeg, and salt, and stir thoroughly to combine. Stir in 1 cup of Caputo “00” Pasta Fresca until it is completely combined. Add the remaining flour a little at a time, pulling the dough away from the sides of the bowl. When it is no longer tacky, turn it out onto a floured surface and knead gently into a ball, adding flour as needed to keep the dough from sticking to the surface. Knead for about 2 minutes, until the dough is uniform. Do not over knead or the gnocchi will be tough.

3. Cut the dough into 4 pieces and roll each piece into a rope that is 2/3″ in diameter. When you’re rolling the ropes, keep in mind that they will roll more uniformly if you can use as little flour as possible, but you’ll want to roll quickly back and forth sot hat the snakes don’t stick to the surface.

4. Line the ropes up next to one another and flour them so they don’t stick together. Using a pastry cutter, cut the ropes into 1/2″ pieces. Repeat with the remaining four ropes. Roll a gnocchi between the palms of your hands until its rounded, and repeat with the remaining gnocchi. Toss the gnocchi in the flour.

5. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and lightly dust it with flour. Arrange gnocchi on the sheet pan, uncovered. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or up to 2 hours. 

6. Preheat the oven to 425F. Bring a large, salted pot of water to boil. Working in batches of 15 or so at a time, boil the gnocchi until they float to the top of the pot, about 1-3 minutes. Test gnocchi doneness by removing one with a slotted spoon and cutting it in half. If it looks (and tastes) cooked through, the batch is ready to remove. If it is gooey, continue boiling and retest. 

7. Meanwhile, place the butter and Olitalia Extra Virgin Olive Oil in a 9×13 baking dish.

8. Remove the gnocchi with a slotted spoon and add them to the baking dish. Repeat until you have cooked all the gnocchi. Stir to coat well with butter and oil, then place in the preheated oven for 10 minutes, stirring once halfway through cooking. Toss with your desired sauce and serve immediately.