Gnocchis are pillowy-soft, plump little dumplings that love to soak up savory sauces – though the Italian translation, either knot, lump or knuckle doesn’t exactly make my mouth water. Gnocchi is a good pasta to make if you are like me and can’t seem to master the rolling out and cutting of typical pastas. I end up with goofy-shaped scraps, tangles of noodles and flour all over the place.
These dumplings are quite forgiving, freeze beautifully and cook very quickly. They’re delicious with a tomato-based sauce or with a light and buttery sage drizzle.
Sweet Potato Gnocchi
Feeds an army
2 sweet potatoes, baked, cooled and peeled
6 oz. unsweetened soy yogurt
1 tbsp. flaxseed meal + 3 tbsp. water (whisk together and set aside for a few minutes)
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1 tsp. dried thyme
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour
~2 1/2 cups AP flour
In a large bowl, mash the sweet potato and then add the yogurt and flaxseed meal mixture. Stir in the remaining ingredients – you may not need all of the AP flour, or you may need a little more – until a soft dough forms. Cover dough and let rest for about 15 minutes.
Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. If you are going to cook the gnocchis right away, fill a big pot with water and bring to a rolling boil.
Dust a work surface lightly with flour. Divide the dough into four pieces. Cover three pieces and roll the fourth into a log that is about 3/4″ in diameter (you may need to break the log down further). Now cut the log into pieces that are about 1″ long. You can either roll each piece over the tines of a fork or on one of those handy-dandy gnocchi rollers. Or do neither – they’ll cook up just fine without the lines. Place the dumplings on the prepared baking sheets. Proceed with the remaining pieces of dough.
If you are going to freeze the gnocchis for later, first freeze the dumplings right on the pan – then transfer them to gallon freezer bags. (You can cook them directly out of the freezer – no need to thaw.)
If cooking immediately, carefully drop the dumplings into the boiling water. They will sink, then rise as they finish cooking. Fresh gnocchi cooks fast. Scoop the dumplings up and drain them. It’s a good idea to cook gnocchi in batches so you don’t overcrowd the pot.
Dress the gnocchis immediately with your favorite sauce and serve. I’ll be sharing a recipe that includes these sweet potato gnocchis soon (sneak peak below)!
