Sweetpotato Gnocchi

by Ashley on October 10, 2013

Hi friends! I hope you’re having a good week. I’m back on the road with the hub, bouncing from town to town for the next week or so. The Gypsy Dietitian is in moving in full force.

When Dustin and I lived back in our old college town a few years ago, there was an incredible pasta vendor from Savannah, Georgia, FraLi Gourmet, at the farmer’s market every week. When we were feeling creative (and willing to spend $8 bucks on a bag of pasta), we would pick up a bag of his fresh, yummy gnocchi.

Gnocchi

For those of you that don’t know, gnocchi is similar to a dumpling, usually made out of some sort of flour and egg, cheese, potato or breadcrumbs. When we would buy it, I served it as I would any other pasta, usually with a marinara sauce and a large salad.

Last week when I told my mom that I was participating in a Recipe Redux sweetpotato challenge hosted by the California Sweetpotato Council this week, she immediately suggested that I try making a sweetpotato gnocchi.

“Yeah right, mom,” was my immediate response but after she assured me that it couldn’t be too hard, she and I gave it our best effort.

Easy.peasy.

If I can make gnocchi, you can make gnocchi.

IMG 5929

Although the thought of making a homemade “pasta” usually sends me running for the hills, this gnocchi will now be a regular staple in my dinner rotations. We made two different varieties:

  •  the first is a traditional gnocchi to be served with your favorite marinara sauce and a large salad
  • the second variety is more of sweet and savory side dish to be served anywhere you would serve a sweetpotato.

Both varieties are cooked the same, and it’s during the sautéing process that things are changed up a little bit (as detailed below). I replaced traditional sweet potatoes with the new California sweetpotato variety in creating this recipe.

IMG 5930

As I’ve mentioned all week, sweetpotatoes (spelled as one word) are different from other potatoes in that they are grown in sand and hand selected, creating a much prettier potato. These sweetpotatoes worked perfectly in this gnocchi recipe.

Disclosure: I received free samples of California sweetpotatoes  mentioned in this post. By posting this recipe I am entering a recipe contest sponsored by the California Sweetpotato Council and am eligible to win prizes associated with the contest. I was not compensated for my time. 

IMG 5926

Homemade Gnocchi Two Ways 

Traditional Sweetpotato Gnocci

Serves 2

Ingredients

  • 1 California Sweetpotato
  • 1/8 tsp salt
  • 3/4 cup Garbanzo and Fava flour (I used this Gluten-free Bob’s Red Mill Garbanzo and Fava Flour but a whole wheat flour would work as well)
  • 1/4 cup flour (separately for dusting)
  • 1 tbsp organic canola oil
  • salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

  1. Cook sweetpotato in oven or microwave until ready. Once cooled, remove the skin.
  2. In a large mixing bowl, mash the meat of the sweetpotato until a smooth texture is reached. Add salt and continue to mash.
  3. Add in flour 1/4th a cup at a time and continue to mix until evenly combined, forming a large ball with the dough.
  4. Using the edge of your hand, cut the dough ball in half and then into fourths.
  5. Dust a large cutting board or surface with 1 tbsp of flour.
  6. Roll out 1/4th of the ball, to create a snake-like rod.
  7. Using a sharp knife, cut the snake into 1/2 inch rounds.
  8. Repeat with the remaining three sections of the dough. Dusting with additional flour as needed.
  9. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Once boiling, place half of the gnocchi balls in the water. Once the balls float to the top of the water surface, continue to cook for ~90 seconds.
  10. Carefully lift the gnocchi dumplings out of the water. Repeat with the remaining balls.
  11. Heat the canola in a large skillet over medium-high heat, carefully add the dumplings and sauté on each side until evenly browned.
  12. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and serve with your favorite marinara sauce and enjoy!

Sweet and Savory Sweetpotato Gnocci 

Serves 2

Ingredients 

  • 1 California Sweetpotato
  • 1/8 tsp salt
  • 3/4 cup Garbanzo and Fava flour (I used this Gluten-free Bob’s Red Mill Garbanzo and Fava Flour but a whole wheat flour would work as well)
  • 1/4 cup flour (separately for dusting)
  • 1 tbsp coconut oil
  • 1/8 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp pure maple syrup or honey
  • salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

  1. Cook sweetpotato in oven or microwave until ready. Once cooled, remove the skin.
  2. In a large mixing bowl, mash the meat of the sweetpotato until a smooth texture is reached. Add salt and continue to mash.
  3. Add in flour 1/4th a cup at a time and continue to mix until evenly combined, forming a large ball with the dough.
  4. Using the edge of your hand, cut the dough ball in half and then into fourths.
  5. Dust a large cutting board or surface with 1 tbsp of flour.
  6. Roll out 1/4th of the ball, to create a snake-like rod.
  7. Using a sharp knife, cut the snake into 1/2 inch rounds.
  8. Repeat with the remaining three sections of the dough. Dusting with additional flour as needed.
  9. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Once boiling, place half of the gnocchi balls in the water. Once the balls float to the top of the water surface, continue to cook for ~90 seconds.
  10. Carefully lift the gnocchi dumplings out of the water. Repeat with the remaining balls.
  11. Heat the coconut oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat, carefully add the dumplings and sauté on each side until evenly browned.
  12. Sprinkle with cinnamon, maple syrup/honey, salt and pepper and serve as a side to any delicious meal!

IMG 5922

IMG 5923

IMG 5925

Have you ever made homemade pasta? Or are you like me, run at the sheer thought of even attempting homemade pasta? I tried to make homemade butternut squash ravioli a few years ago and although they tasted pretty good, they tasted nothing like traditional ravioli! Oops!

Happy gnocchi making!

Good health!

Name

P.S. In case you missed any of the other sweetpotato posts from this week, here they are:

 

An InLinkz Link-up


Deanna Segrave-Daly October 10, 2013 at 1:04 pm

YUM! So glad you did this – I made butternut squash gnocchi last year and you are right, it’s really simple – love your sweet & savory version – must try that.
Deanna Segrave-Daly recently posted…Sweetpotato ChutneyMy Profile

Ashley October 10, 2013 at 10:15 pm

Yum! I bet butternut squash gnocchi is delicious!! I will have to try that! What a great way to sneak in veggies 😉 Thanks Deanna!

Madeline Foley October 10, 2013 at 7:23 pm

This is off topic, but I would love a post on infant nutrition. Specifically on starting solid foods. Thoughts on cereals (many are against it, but some studies I’ve read say it’s important to introduce wheats), and any other things you learned in your training as far as first foods for babies. Thanks so much!

Ashley October 10, 2013 at 10:14 pm

I’ll work on it…I love that idea! Thanks for stopping by Madeline!

Jenny Shea Rawn October 12, 2013 at 5:08 pm

We almost tried making sweetpotato gnocchi too! But then we went with a galette instead. So glad you make them – we will def try this recipe. Looks relatively simple too.
Jenny Shea Rawn recently posted…Sweetpotato GaletteMy Profile

Ashley October 17, 2013 at 11:33 pm

I am so happy that I did! Yes, it was SOO simple!! I bet the galette was tasty too!!

Jenni @ Fitzala October 13, 2013 at 12:46 am

So brave to try this! How do you usually develop your recipes? I feel like I’d be a complete disaster coming up with a gnocchi recipe

Ashley October 17, 2013 at 11:37 pm

My mom always taught me to never use a recipe in the kitchen! She always says that through trial and error, magic happens in the kitchen! As a young cook, I still need a little bit of a guide so I usually call her and ask “what normally goes in this particular recipe?” and after she tells me the basics, I “do a little bit of this and a little bit of that” until a perfect creation is made (and then I write it down as quickly as possible!!)! My husband has definitely been the victim of many failed recipes! Ha!

Comments on this entry are closed.

Previous post:

Next post: