This was only our second ever attempt at making home made gnocchi.. and I must say, this time has been far more successful than our previous try! Instead of using regular potatoes like in the traditional method, here we’ve switched these up for sweet potatoes; which I think gives them a lot more flavour because you get that subtle sweetness coming through. My favourite pairing for gnocchi is by far a good old bit of pesto.. pesto just makes everything taste good doesn’t it? It’s such a quick and simple way to pack a flavourful punch to pretty much any dish, I just love it!
I first tried gnocchi when I was working as a waitress in an Italian restaurant when I was 19 and instantly became obsessed with the stuff! The dish that we served was laden with lots of cream sauce, so probably not the healthiest of options- but it was definitely pretty tasty none-the-less! Gnocchi have quite a unique texture; they’re almost fluffy like little pillows of potato! That’s the key to a good gnocchi in my opinion; you need to get the balance of ingredients just right, as you don’t want to end up with something that’s too mushy or too dry and crumbly from too much flour. I’ve found that sweet potato actually makes the best gnocchi in my opinion because it’s a lot more moist than regular potatoes and helps to bind everything together without needed to add in any eggs. So yes, this is actually a vegan recipe too!
This would be a great date night dinner dish or starter and I think if someone knows that you’ve made your own gnocchi.. well, that’s pretty impressive isn’t it! You can also get creative and add in whatever veggies or other things that you fancy. I’ve kept this one super simple and added in some spinach, along with the pesto because I think they’re just a damn good combo.. but feel free to toss in whatever you fancy! This pesto is also something that I wanted to mention because it’s not actually one that I’ve made myself, but by a brand called Sacla and is part of their ‘free from’ range. Most shop bought pestos contain parmesan cheese, however, this one is completely dairy free and suitable for a plant based diet. They also have a delicious red tomato pesto and even a free from mayo as well! I haven’t tried the mayo myself, as it’s not something I’m overly keen on, but I know that my boyfriend was a fan of the stuff during Veganuary.
Sweet Potato Pesto Gnocchi
Ingredients
- 1 cup mashed sweet potato
- Pinch salt and pepper
- Dash mixed herbs
- 1/3 cup gluten free flour
- 1 clove garlic
- Olive oil for cooking
- Handful fresh spinach
- Sacla Free From Pesto
Instructions
- To make the gnocchi, combine the sweet potato, seasonings and flour and mix until well combined and you're left with a dough mixture.
- Spread a little flour onto a cutting board and roll out the dough to form a long sausage shape. Cut into small thumb sized pieces.
- To create the rolled effect, press each piece of gnocchi against a fork and roll towards you.
- Fill a saucepan with water and bring to the boil. Add in the gnocchi and allow to cook until they start to float to the surface, then scoop them out with a slotted spoon and place onto a side plate.
- Heat a little olive oil in a frying pan and add in the gnocchi and crushed garlic. Sauté so that they start to lightly crisp and then stir through the spinach and a few spoonfuls of the pesto.
- Once the spinach has wilted, serve onto plates and enjoy!
