Homemade Sweet Potato Gnocchi tossed with savory mushrooms, sautéed spinach and fresh rosemary!
Every holiday season brings back the memories of making gnocchi with my Grandma Josie. She passed many years ago and we miss her every day. It’s been years since I made them last and I’ve never made them without her. We never made sweet potato gnocchi together and I’m not sure if she would approve of the deviation from the classic Italian gnocchi, but I gave it a whirl anyway!
There’s something about homemade pasta that turns an ordinary dish into something special. If you’ve never made gnocchi before, I encourage you to try. It’s not as hard as it seems, in fact it’s not hard at all. It’s actually quite relaxing! I used whole wheat pastry flour, but I’ve seen recipes that use all-purpose gluten free flour instead. I can’t say if it yields a similar outcome, but it’s worth a shot if you are gluten free.
- 2 large sweet potatoes
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground pepper
- 2¼ - 3 cups whole wheat pastry flour (or white AP flour)
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 cups mushrooms, sliced
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary or ¼-1/2 teaspoons dried rosemary
- sea salt and pepper to taste
- 2 large handfuls of baby spinach
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Pierce sweet potatoes with a fork and wrap with aluminum foil. Bake for 45-60 minutes or until tender when pierced with a fork. Remove from oven and let cool. When cool enough to handle, remove skins and mash. Stir in salt, nutmeg and pepper. (For reference, my baked sweet potatoes measured 2 cups mashed) Place mixture into a large bowl. Add ¼ cup of flour at a time until desired consistency is reached. You want the dough to be soft yet slightly sticky. (I used 2¼ cups flour) Divide dough into 6 portions. Dust surface and roll each section into 12 inch ropes. Use a sharp knife and cut each rope into 1 inch portions. Use the back of the knife to make decorative indentations.
- Fill a large saucepan with water and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and gently add gnocchi as to prevent clumping. Wait for gnocchi to float to the surface of the water and cook an additional 30 seconds to 1 minute. Use a slotted spoon to remove from water.
- Add oil to a large skillet over medium heat and sauté garlic until fragrant. Add mushrooms and sauté until caramelized on the bottom. Stir in balsamic vinegar, rosemary and season with sea salt and pepper. Cook an additional 3-5 minutes until both sides are caramelized. Add in spinach and cook until wilted. Spoon in boiled gnocchi and sauté until lightly golden on each side, ~1-2 minutes on each side.
- Adjust seasoning as desired and serve, enjoy!
Helpful Tip: Homemade gnocchi can be frozen and used at a later time! Store in an air-tight container using parchment paper to separate layers. Do not thaw before cooking, add frozen gnocchi straight to boiling water. Cook time will be a bit longer, but they will taste just as good!
so we extended our trip by a few days just to soak in the desert energy a bit longer!
