If you’re looking for a simple 3 INGREDIENT vegan dinner the look no further! This Sweet Potato Gnocchi comes together in no time and it’s SO GOOD!
And if you like this recipe, check out my Spinach Gnocchi, and my Baked Gnocchi Casserole!
Today I’m revamping this old post of mine which has been going WILD on the blog lately! It’s one of my all time favorite recipes as well so I’m glad that so many people have been making and loving it as well.
This is largely like traditional gnocchi except that we’re using sweet potatoes instead of white potatoes. I also used a gluten free 1-1 flour BUT you can easily make this with plain all purpose or wheat flour
I’ve wanted to make my own gnocchi for the longest time. Instead I’ve just been buying all the fresh gnocchi that I could find around town. I bought some really yummy gnocchi from a little pasta place here in Nashville called Nicolettos Pasta Co. and had an AMAZING bowl of sweet potato gnocchi at a Nashville Food Bloggers event at the Family Wash. But here I am with my very own HOMEMADE version!
Sometimes people complicate it but making gnocchi is actually SUPER easy! I cut out all the extra ingredients that are sometimes added and kept this recipe super simple with only THREE ingredients: sweet potato, gluten free flour, and salt.
Potato Gnocchi Substitutes:Pasta: If you’re making a pasta dish, you can substitute gnocchi with various pasta shapes, such as penne, rigatoni, or farfalle. These will provide a similar starchy texture.
How to Make this Easy 3 Ingredient Sweet Potato Gnocchi
Here’s how this works. The sweet potatoes are baked until they’re fully cooked through and then left to sit until they’re cool enough to hold. They’re then mashed (the proper way to do this is to use a potato ricer) into a flour/ salt mixture. If you don’t have a potato ricer, you can instead just mash the sweet potato in a large bowl with a fork. You just want to make sure that it very mashed with little to no lumps left in it.
Because there’s really no other way to do it, the mixture is mushed together (we’re using technical terms here) with your hands, flour being added when necessary, until a nice ball of dough is formed.
I cut mine into quarters and then eventually eighths just to make it all easier to work with. Then it’s rolled into long pieces that are about half an inch thick and finally cut into little pieces about an inch long.
I’ve found that it’s best to re-coat each individual piece of gnocchi in more flour which seems tedious but really only takes a few extra minutes.
I used one of these seemingly fancy gnocchi board because I wanted to be official but really it’s not necessary. You could either create grooves with a fork OR not worry with them at all. The grooves are designed to trap in the flavor of whatever yummy sauce you toss your potato balls in.
And you’re pretty much done! The gnocchi can be cooked right away by tossing it in some boiling water for a few minutes and taking it out with a slotted spoon after it begins to float to the top. OR you can put it in the fridge or even the freezer to save for later. While you’re at it, I suggest just making a big ole batch of it and saving some for a later, lazy dinner. Future you will be so happy that you did!
See how easy that is?! Again, I’m really not sure why gnocchi isn’t a more popular dish. It’s SO YUMMY!
Stephen likes his gnocchi with pasta sauce but I’m a fan of simply tossing it in a bit of melted oil or dairy free butter with a few fresh herbs and maybe a touch more salt and pepper. Mmmmmmmmmmm.
Do yourself a favor and make some gnocchi ASAP 🙂
Roasting is the perfect way to cook your vegetables for gnocchi for two reasons. First, you want to eliminate as much moisture as possible, because the drier your vegetable mash, the less flour you’ll have to add to make the dough. (More flour means denser, less flavorful dumplings.) Second, you want to concentrate the flavor of the vegetable as much as possible, so it will shine through in the final gnocchi. Without taking care to preserve the flavor of your carrots, for example, Brioza says, “you’ll end up with a bunch of plain orange balls.”
At Faro, Adey says, “We run very few potato gnocchi.” Instead they stick to the less common side of the root vegetable family: “Parsnip, gilfeather turnip, and salsify work great.” Broccoli and cauliflower, which are sturdy and dry, also hold up well to the test.
According to Kevin Adey, chef and owner of Faro in Brooklyn, swapping out potato for other vegetables works in a number of different gnocchi preparations. “Almost anything could be made to work with gnocchi à la Parisienne (created like choux pastry, with hot water) or gnocchi alla romana (which are semolina-based),” he says. The simplest and most foolproof method, however, which I’ve turned to again and again, is a hybrid between classic potato gnocchi and ricotta gnocchi, made of just vegetables, ricotta cheese, and all-purpose flour. Read on for a homemade gnocchi-how to using this technique—and any sturdy, starchy vegetable you like.
Scoop more ricotta than you think you’ll need (you can always put the extra back into the container) onto a few layers of paper towel, to sop up some of the extra moisture. You don’t need to be too crazy about this because you have the dry vegetable mash on your side; true ricotta gnocchi—which are just the cheese, eggs, and flour—require a bit more effort here, ringing out most of the liquid.
Not that gnocchi is a bad thing—quite the opposite. Soft, doughy dumplings that comfort like little else, they’re perfect for when I need a distinctly pleasurable dinner experience, often to counteract a non-pleasant day. A few bites are enough to right the ship: chewy, tender, filling, and bad vibe erasing. (Gnocchi is also the name of my parents dog, so the word on a menu alone fills me with love for a dumb, fluffy creature.)
Watch THIS before you make potato gnocchi
FAQ
What is a substitute for potato gnocchi?
What is the difference between potato gnocchi and regular gnocchi?
Can you replace gnocchi with pasta?
What is a good substitute for potato gnocchi?
Carrot gnocchi can be served with a variety of sauces such as pesto or tomato sauce. It makes an excellent substitute for potato gnocchi because it’s lighter in texture and has fewer calories than traditional potato gnocchi. Additionally, it provides more vitamins A and C than potatoes do.
What are the best substitute for shallot?
The best substitute for a shallot would be something with a similar taste and cooking properties. The first thing that comes to mind is a red onion, although this might have a stronger flavour than a shallot, it might be the closest you can get. Other options would be any other type of onion, either white, sweet, or yellow.
Can gnocchi be made from potatoes?
Though many recipes for gnocchi use potato as the base, a number of vegetables can be used to create the same enjoyable texture. In fact, when making gnocchi at home, turning to whatever sturdy produce is languishing in your fridge is a great place to start.
Can you have long pasta as a gnocchi substitute?
Yes, it is possible to have long pasta as a gnocchi substitute. However, this does not mean that it comes with fillings of any sort. You would have to pair your replacement with any ingredient you desire to make a filling for your pasta.