I sort of have an addiction to making handmade pasta dough at home, but making pasta dough can be time consuming and tricky. In my opinion, gnocchi is one of the simpler pastas to make and you don’t need a pasta machine or fancy rollers to make the dough. Your hands and fingers are your best gnocchi making tools.
With fall upon us, I find that I am drawn to sweet potato recipes even more. It may be the vibrant color that some sweet potatoes come in or it could be that I just simply love the flavor of sweet potatoes on their own and look for any excuse to utilize them in more recipes. Nonetheless, sweet potatoes are packed with fiber and nutrients, so I don’t feel guilty about eating them in the form of pasta.
Sweet potato gnocchi is light, delicate, and fluffy. This sweet potato gnocchi is paired with a super easy, garlic sage butter sauce that adds a complimenting amount of richness that makes the gnocchi melt in your mouth.
INGREDIENTS
- sweet potatoes – roasted in the oven or microwaved
- egg
- all-purpose flour
- butter
- fresh sage leaves
- garlic – minced
- parmesan cheese – grated
- salt & pepper
HOW TO MAKE SWEET POTATO GNOCCHI WITH GARLIC SAGE BUTTER SAUCE
STEP 1: COOK SWEET POTATOES
You can roast the sweet potatoes in the oven OR you can cook them much quicker in the microwave. I opted to use the microwave. First, wash the sweet potatoes and pierce the skin all over with a fork. Wrap the sweet potatoes in damp paper towels and microwave on high for 8 to 10 minutes or until the potatoes feel soft and tender. (You can test with a fork to see how easily the fork goes through the potato.) Once the potatoes are fully cooked, let them cool enough to comfortably touch. Cut in half and scoop out the flesh. You will need 3 cups of mashed sweet potato. (I got about a cup of sweet potato puree from 1 whole sweet potato.) Make sure the sweet potato flesh is room temperature.
STEP 2: MIX AND MASH
In a large bowl, completely mash the sweet potato using a potato masher, large wooden spoon, or a potato ricer. Mix in the egg, salt and pepper.
STEP 3: FOLD TO COMBINE
Gently fold the flour to combine with the sweet potato. Start with 1 cup of flour and add another half cup as needed. You don’t want to over mix the sweet potato and flour mixture as this will result in a heavy gnocchi with a gummy texture. (Not what you want!) Form the dough into a ball in the bowl. The dough should still feel sticky.
STEP 4: ROLL AND FORM
Transfer the dough to a well floured surface. Cut the dough into four equal portions. Roll each portion into 1-inch thick ropes. Cut the rope into 1/2-inch pillows.
You can add ridges to your gnocchi using a fork. The ridges will allow the sauce to adhere better to the pasta.
STEP 5: BOIL PASTA
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Drop the gnocchi into the boiling water. Fresh gnocchi only takes 2 to 3 minutes to cook. You’ll know when the gnocchi is done when they start to float. Drain the gnocchi and set aside.
STEP 6: MAKE SAUCE
In a saucepan, melt butter on medium high heat. When the butter has melted, add minced garlic, sage leaves, and gnocchi. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle some parmesan cheese and cook gnocchi for 7-10 minutes until lightly browned.
STEP 7: Top with more parmesan cheese and serve immediately.
Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Garlic Sage Butter
Ingredients
- 3 medium or large sweet potatoes
- 1 large egg
- 1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour plus more as needed
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1/3 cup parmesan cheese shredded
- 10-12 sage leaves
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- COOK SWEET POTATOES: First, wash the sweet potatoes and pierce the skin all over with a fork. Wrap the sweet potatoes in damp paper towels and microwave on high for 8 to 10 minutes or until the potatoes feel soft and tender. Once the potatoes are fully cooked, let them cool enough to comfortably touch. Cut in half and scoop out the flesh.
- MIX AND MASH: In a large bowl, completely mash the sweet potato using a potato masher, large wooden spoon, or a potato ricer. Mix in the egg, salt and pepper.
- FOLD TO COMBINE: Gently fold the flour to combine with the sweet potato. Start with 1 cup of flour and add another half cup as needed. You don’t want to over mix the sweet potato and flour mixture. Form the dough into a ball in the bowl. The dough should still feel sticky.
- ROLL AND FORM: Transfer the dough to a well floured surface. Cut the dough into four equal portions. Roll each portion into 1-inch thick ropes. Cut the rope into 1/2-inch pillows. You can add ridges to your gnocchi using a fork. The ridges will allow the sauce to adhere better to the pasta.
- BOIL PASTA: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Drop the gnocchi into the boiling water. Gnocchi only takes 2 to 3 minutes to cook. You’ll know when the gnocchi is done when they start to float. Drain the gnocchi and set aside.
- MAKE SAUCE: In a saucepan, melt butter on medium high heat. When the butter has melted, add minced garlic, sage leaves, and gnocchi. Season with salt and pepper. Add 1/4 cup parmesan cheese and cook gnocchi for 7-10 minutes until lightly browned.
- SERVE: Top with more parmesan cheese and serve immediately.
