If you haven’t made pasta at home before, try making this sweet potato gnocchi recipe first. Today’s recipe includes interesting facts about gnocchi, step-by-step instructions, tips on how to make it and enjoy as a side dish or as the crowning glory of National Cook a Sweet Potato Day (February 22).
It might seem like a long process, but it’s really simple. All you gotta do is keep calm and follow the recipe.
What Is Gnocchi?
Gnocchi is a type of Italian pasta dumplings, customarily made from wheat or semolina flour, potato, egg, and possibly cheese.
You can experiment and replace and/or add other ingredients to give your gnocchi more personality as well. For example, adding different kinds of herbs will give the dish more flavor.
Like other types of pasta, gnocchi can take many different shapes and sizes.
In order to shape the gnocchi, the dough is rolled into a long rope and cut into small pieces. This shapes the gnocchi into tiny pillows.
At this stage, the pillow-shaped gnocchi is ready to cook. However, you can shape them even further and create ridges on the gnocchi.
To do this, simply press the gnocchi gently with a fork, or roll while pressing it along the fork tines. This process can be easier with the help of a wooden pasta shaping board.
Once shaped, the gnocchi will have ridges— this allows it to hold sauce more effectively.
There are many ways to serve this pasta. It can either be a main course or take the role of a side dish.
Gnocchi is flexible and can accompany any type of protein like beef or pork and/or vegetables.
Generally, after being cooked in salted, boiling water, gnocchi is pan-seared with butter and herbs until crispy on the outside. Alternatively, they can be dressed with various types of sauce like pesto, alfredo, bolognese, etc.
Is Sweet Potato Gnocchi Healthy?
Yes, our sweet potato gnocchi is healthy.
This recipe also follows our healthy eating guidelines. We ensure each recipe provides enough calories and doesn’t exceed the limits for sodium and saturated fats.
In addition, our gnocchi contains about 3 grams of dietary fiber per serving— about 10% of your Recommended Daily Intake (RDI). It’s important to consume enough fiber to maintain bowel health.If you want to know how much fiber is enough for one day, check out this article. But for now, let’s get back to our gnocchi.
Calories
One serving of our sweet potato gnocchi gives your body 236 calories.
Our gnocchi is boiled, cooked in butter, and seasoned with grated parmesan cheese. If you only boil the gnocchi and skip the butter step, your pasta will be lower in calories.
That being said, 236 calories is enough calories for a side dish— you don’t need to cut it down.
It’s perfect to pair with a main dish to make a 750-calorie meal. You can even sneak in a low-calorie drink to refresh your palate after the meal as well.
Main Ingredients
There are only four main ingredients to make gnocchi:
- Sweet potatoes
- All-purpose flour
- Egg yolks
- Salt
Full measurements are available in the recipe below.
If you want to pan-sear the gnocchi as we do, you’ll also need butter, herbs, and parmesan cheese.
FAQ
1. Can You Freeze Gnocchi?
Yes, you can.
Simply place it in a single layer on a baking tray and put it in the freezer. It will stay good for one month.
Don’t worry if you have too much gnocchi, but only one baking tray. You can lay a large piece of cling film over the first layer and arrange a second layer on top.
If your freezer doesn’t have much room, you can freeze the gnocchi first and then transfer it to a ziploc bag.
2. How to Cook Frozen Gnocchi
Cooking frozen gnocchi is simple. Bring a pot of water to a boil, add gnocchi, and cook until float to the surface.
However, there are a few things to keep in mind when you cook frozen gnocchi:
- Don’t thaw the gnocchi prior to cooking: Thawing will release moisture, making the gnocchi mushy and stuck together.
- Use a large pot and fill it with lots of water: This helps cook the gnocchi more evenly.
- Stir the gnocchi when placed into the water: Doing so prevents the gnocchi from sticking to each other. It also keeps them from sticking to the bottom of the pot.
- Don’t overcrowd the pot: Cook the gnocchi in batches instead.
Overcrowding the pot will make the temperature of the water drop quickly. It will take some time for the water to come back to a boil.
By the time your water comes up to temperature, your gnocchi will most likely be mushy and unevenly cooked.
3. How Long Does Gnocchi Last?
Raw, homemade gnocchi can only last 1 day in the fridge. So, if you’re planning to make it ahead of time, be sure to cook it the following day.
Cooked gnocchi, on the contrary, can last up to 5 days in the fridge if stored properly. Let your leftover gnocchi cool before putting into airtight containers and into the fridge.
However, refrigerated pasta tends to have a hardened texture, even after you’ve reheated it, and the same goes for gnocchi. For this reason, we recommend eating it all up within the first 3 days for better quality.
And that concludes today’s basic guide on gnocchi. Now let’s start making it.
Sweet Potato Gnocchi Recipe
This sweet potato gnocchi recipe doesn't require many ingredients, but it does call for some effort. But don't worry— it's actually very simple.
- cook TIME 5 mins
- prep TIME 35 mins
- total TIME 40 mins
- COURSE Dinner, Lunch, Side Dish
- CUISINE Italian
- SERVINGS servings
- CALORIES 236 kcal
INGREDIENTS
- 10.6 oz sweet potatoes (peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks)
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour (plus more for dusting)
- 1 egg yolk
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1/2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tsp garlic (minced)
- 3 tbsp grated parmesan cheese (divided)
- 1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper (or to taste)
- 1 tbsp fresh parsley (for garnishing)
INSTRUCTIONS
Steam sweet potatoes: Place a pot on the stove, put a steamer basket inside the pot, and add water below the steamer basket. Add 10.6 oz sweet potato into the steamer basket and cover with a lid. Turn on high heat and bring to a boil. Steam for 10 minutes or until the sweet potatoes are tender.
Mash the sweet potatoes: Transfer the sweet potato to a large mixing bowl. Mash with a potato masher until smooth. Allow to cool for 5 minutes.
Mix the dough: Add 3/4 cup all-purpose flour, 1 egg yolk, and 1/4 tsp salt to the mashed sweet potato and mix well to combine.
Knead the dough: Once the mixture begins to come together, transfer to a clean, lightly floured work surface. Knead with your hands for about 5 minutes to form a smooth ball of dough.
Shape the gnocchi: Using a knife or a pastry cutter, divide the dough into four portions and roll each into thick ropes. Then, cut each rope into 1-inch pieces.
Boil the gnocchi: Bring a large pot of water to boil on high heat. Once the water is boiling, reduce the heat to medium and drop the gnocchi into the water, a third at a time. Give them a stir to prevent sticking to the bottom of the pot, and wait for them to float to the top for about 2 minutes. Transfer gnocchi to a bowl with a slotted spoon and set aside. Repeat with the remaining gnocchi.
Pan-sear the gnocchi: In a large frying pan, heat 1 1/2 tbsp unsalted butter, 1/2 tbsp olive oil, and 1 tbsp fresh thyme over medium heat until the butter starts to brown. Add 2 tsp garlic and stir for 30 seconds. Add boiled gnocchi and cook for 2 minutes. Add half of the parmesan cheese (1 1/2 tbsp) and cook for another minute until lightly browned.
Serve: Transfer gnocchi to a plate. Sprinkle with the remaining 1 1/2 tbsp parmesan cheese. Garnish with 1 tbsp fresh parsley and 1/4 tsp ground black pepper, and serve.
NUTRITION
Tuyet Pham
Head Chef, Culinary Consultant
Luna Regina
Writer, Author
Lizzie Streit, MS, RDN, LD
Nutrition Reviewer
- Naveen Sohail
This looks so yummy, can’t wait to try this.
- Kelly
This looked amazing and I had all the ingredients. Followed the directions. When I put the gnocchi in the boiling water they disintegrated!!! What did I do wrong