Gnocchi is one of my favourite forms of pasta, but the original recipe from white potatoes, flour and eggs was always a bit heavy for my stomach. So I fell in love when I tried sweet potato gnocchi made out of just three ingredients – sweet potato, gluten-free flour and salt!
Compared to white potatoes, sweet potatoes have more fibre, Calcium and Vitamin A. Also, sweet potatoes deliver a slightly sweet but earthy taste, which I prefer.
If gluten concerns you, you can replace all-purpose flour with any gluten-free flour. I don’t particularly have a problem with gluten. Still, I’ve noticed that a combination of sweet potato and gluten-free flour always leaves my stomach feeling happy, which I can’t say the same about the original version.
Making sweet potato gnocchi is a fun soul-healing experience, so I highly recommend you invite your kids into the process. We always make gnocchi together as a family, and it has become my son’s favourite cooking activity.
Nothing beats eating freshly made gnocchi with your family that you just made together from scratch!
If you don’t have any pasta-making experience, then be prepared that your first batch may not be perfect. It happened to us when we did gnocchi for the first time, as they turned out very chewy. It happens if you add too much flour, so make sure you add small amounts as you go. The key is to add just enough flour so the dough is not sticking to your hands or counter, and a smooth dough ball is formed.
It is also advised to cut your gnocchi into similar bite-size pieces so they all cook evenly. You can use special gnocchi-making sets to cut and roll your gnocchi, or you can do it as we do, using a knife and a fork!
Once gnocchi are cooked, you can get creative with the sauce. I used premade vegan pesto in this recipe, which I blended with some air-fried cherry tomatoes for a more saucy consistency. I also served them with a dash of vegan cream cheese, a fantastic combination!
Homemade Sweet Potato Pasta (Gnocchi)
Ingredients
- 2 sweet potatoes baked
- 2 cups gluten-free flour
- 2 tsp salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200 degrees. Make a few holes in the sweet potatoes with a fork, then bake them for 40-50 minutes or until tender. They are done when a fork can be pressed into the centre easily. Set aside to cool them down.
- Combine the salt and 2 cups of the flour. Flour a work surface and pour your flour mixture onto the surface. Make a well in the middle of the flour.
- Once the sweet potatoes are cool, remove the skin and mash the flesh with the fork. You want to achieve a doughy consistency.
- Begin working the sweet potato into the flour. Continue to work the mixture until it's thoroughly combined. Keep adding flour until you get a nice dry dough.
- Once thoroughly combined, roll the dough into a ball and cut it into even pieces. Next, roll each piece into a long, thick log. Next, cut it into 3 cm pieces. Gently toss each piece into flour to ensure it's dry and not sticky at any edges. Continue until you've cut out pieces from all of the dough.
- Shape gnocchis by pressing fork grooves into each piece.
- Heat a pot of salted water to a boil. Add in the gnocchi and let cook for a couple of minutes. Once the gnocchi floats to the water's surface, let it boil for 30 more seconds and then remove it using a slotted spoon.
- You can keep gnocchi in the fridge, or freeze for a few weeks. To serve, toss them in your favourite sauce and enjoy!
