vegan and gluten-free sweet potato and sage gnocchi
Mmmm…dumplingy, toothy, potato-y, satisfying gnocchi! You may know from my previous posts that I sure do love potatoes. I also love me some pasta. OK, who doesn’t love pasta? This sweet potato and sage gnocchi is the perfect marriage of these two great foods. Flavorful and healthy sweet potatoes with the mood-improving, memory boosting savory sage, tossed around with a bit of gluten-free flour…together they create a food that promises to please the tongue, body and mind 😉
These sweet potato and sage gnocchi are super easy and super fun to make, especially if you like to play with your food. Simply put, if you can mold and roll a rope of play-doh, you can make gnocchi! I can’t believe I had to be vegan before I even considered trying this out.
sweet potato and sage gnocchi dough comes together easily and rolls out like play-doh
I decided to use sweet potatoes because, well, I really like them and nutritionally speaking, they are are a bit of a superstar. Loaded with vitamins, specifically A (think vision and immune system), they have phytonutrients that decrease inflammation and well as blood sugar stabilizing properties. And here is a super-fun fact…sweet potatoes contain a wee bit of naturally occurring valium! Maybe I should call this post “Chillin with Gnocchi”?
Anyway, to make this recipe even easier, I used a few leftover sweet potatoes and scooped the flesh into a ricer rather than mashing. I’m sure you could mash them but I really think a ricer just makes them fluffier. I bought this one before Thanksgiving last year and love it.
scooping the sweet potato
ricing makes them fluffy
Alternately, you can microwave the sweet potatoes for about 3 1/2 minutes, then bake for 15 minutes in the oven. This recipe uses only 4 ingredients (5 if you count the vegan Parmesan ) and can even be made ahead of time and frozen. Flour, fresh sage and salt are added to the riced potatoes and blended into dough. After rolling and cutting this dough into cute little pillows (see picture above), you just plop the gnocchi in boiling salted water for a few minutes then drain. (If you want to freeze these guys to use later, simply lay out on a baking sheet after cutting, freeze, then toss into a freezer- safe plastic bag. When you’re ready to make, don’t thaw them, just proceed with the hot water bath.)
After draining, I tossed the gnocchi with some tasty olive oil and the Minimalist Baker’s vegan parm.
sooo yummy
And then there were none!
- 1 pound sweet potatoes about 2 medium
- 3 tbsp fresh chopped sage
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 1/4 cup gluten free flour
- 8-10 cups water
- 1 tbsp salt
- 1-2 tbsp good quality olive oil
- a sprinkle of vegan parm see Sound Bites
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Preheat oven to 350F.
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If using leftover sweet potatoes, skip down to **.
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Wash and dry sweet potatoes.
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Microwave potatoes on high for about 3 1/2 -4 minutes until they easily pierce with a fork.
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Poke them a few more times and place in oven on rack for about fifteen minutes.
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Remove and cool.
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Turn oven to "warm" setting.
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While potatoes cool, **chop sage and set aside.
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Fill a large pot with water and salt and set on stove top.
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Slice cooled potatoes (cool enough to handle) lengthwise.
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Scoop out flesh into ricer (or medium bowl and mash with fork).
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Rice over medium bowl.
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Add sage, salt and flour and mix together until dough is formed.
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Grab a bocci ball sized piece of dough and form into a rope that's about 1/2 inch thick.
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Using a sharp knife, cut into 1/2 inch pillows and lay on top of a baking sheet covered with saran or parchment paper. Repeat with rest of dough.
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(You can freeze now if you want to and save for a later date)
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Turn water on to boil.
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Once boiling, carefully add about 20 gnocchi at a time to the water. (I arranged them on a large slotted spoon then gently placed in the water.)
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Once they all rise to the top, set a timer for two minutes.
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After two minutes, remove to a baking sheet covered with a paper towel to drain. (You can place this sheet in the warm oven while you continue with the rest of the gnocchi.)
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To plate, divide into 2 bowls, toss with a little olive oil and top with vegan parmesan or a sprinkle of kosher salt and pepper.
The Minimalist Baker is one of the first websites I discovered when I was a newbie vegan. Dana is an inspiration and if you haven't already done so, I highly recommend checking out her blog and cookbook.
This s the recipe for Vegan Parmesan
3/4 cup cashews, 3T nutritional yeast, 3/4 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp garlic powder...food process it and enjoy!
