This homemade, grain-free gnocchi is crispy and buttery on the outside, and pillowy soft on the inside.
The Story:
Each little gnocchi pillow is like a warm hug. Gnocchi is a pasta made from potatoes and it is so comforting, so filling, and so satisfying. This homemade gnocchi made from almond flour, is then nestled in a creamy, deliciously savory, dairy-free pumpkin sauce that is so flavorful for the ultimate comforting Fall meal. I've been wanting to get homemade gnocchi on the blog for a long time, and let me tell you, it will not disappoint! This is a great weekend meal when you want to pour a little extra love into your meal, or you can make it a super quick weekday meal by using store bought gnocchi. Cappello’s is a great brand that offers grain-free pastas!
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The Ingredients:
Here is the list of ingredients you will need to make this gnocchi with pumpkin sauce:
- Russet Potatoes: The star ingredient! Who knew potatoes could be turned into such a sophisticated, comforting meal!? Gnocchi is a pasta made from potatoes and it is so good. Russet and yukon potatoes are the preferred varieties of potato for gnocchi as they have the ideal level of starch.
- Almond Flour: Just a bit of almond flour gets added to the potatoes to create the pasta dough.
- Tapioca Flour: This grain-free flour helps absorb any liquid to create the perfect gnocchi dough.
- Egg Yolk: An egg yolk is added to the dough for structure and texture to help the dough hold together.
- Cashew Cream: This will go into the savory and creamy pumpkin cream sauce. You can find my recipe for cashew cream here! You may be able to find it at grocery stores too, or you can sub in some full fat coconut milk. The sauce will taste just a bit different with coconut milk, but it will still work beautifully!
- Pure Pumpkin: Another star ingredient of this dish! The pumpkin gives a comforting fall flavor to the sauce but is mild and has almost a tomato taste when combined with the other flavors for the sauce. I could drink the sauce, it is so good!
- Shallot: I love using shallots. They have a mild, delicious flavor to them. So good. If you can’t find a shallot, an onion would work here as well.
- Dairy-Free Butter: For frying your gnocchi and for sauteing the shallot for the sauce.
- Vegetable Broth: You can use vegetable broth or chicken broth for the sauce. I love using vegetable broth so it doesn’t compete with the other flavors.
- Salt/Pepper/Nutmeg: These seasonings knock this sauce out of the park. They combine so nicely for flavor and warmth.
Step By Step Preparation Instructions:
- Step 1: First, you are going to cook your potatoes until nice and soft. I cook mine in the microwave until they are soft all the way through. It is important to get them completely soft and cooked so the dough has the correct texture. Cooking them in the microwave is the lazy girls way, but it saves time, produces the desired outcome, and doesn’t add moisture to the potatoes. Once soft, peel the potatoes completely. Now it’s time to “mash” the potatoes. You need to thoroughly mash/rice the potatoes. I use a serrated muddler and it works perfectly. You will not be able to use a regular potato masher like you would for mashed potatoes, as you will not be able to get the dough smooth enough. You could try placing your potatoes in a food processor or use a potato ricer if you have one. You will know you are getting the texture smooth enough when the potatoes are starting to become dough-like just upon mashing. Once completely smooth, add in the yolk and flours and mix together well. The dough should hold together well at this point. If it is still sticky, add a tablespoon of more flour at a time until it holds together, but is not crumbly.
- Step 2: Pat the dough into a disk, then divide the dough into 4 equal sections. Roll each section into about 10 inch long strips/logs that are about an inch thick in diameter. Now, cut the strips into individual “pillows” about ¾-1 in thick. They don’t need to be perfect, just aim for getting them similar in size.
- Step 3: Now for cooking the gnocchi. Get a large pot of water heated to a gentle boil. You don’t want it aggressively boiling or it will disrupt the gnocchi’s structure during cooking. Working in small batches, using a slotted spoon, gently place the gnocchi in the water and let them boil for about a minute. They will float to the surface when they are done cooking. Once they have floated to the surface, gently spoon them out and place them on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet.
- Step 4: Once they have all been boiled, get a large skillet warm over medium heat. Working in batches, you are going to fry up the gnocchi. This is what creates the buttery, crispy and delicious texture and flavor to them. Place 2 tablespoon of butter in a skillet and cook the gnocchi until golden and crispy on all sides, adding more butter if needed. Once all the gnocchi are golden and crispy on all sides. Set the gnocchi aside.
- Step 5: Lastly, it’s time to make the sauce. Add a tablespoon or 2 of butter to the skillet and saute the shallot until fragrant and soft. Add in the cashew cream, vegetable broth, pumpkin and spices. Stir and heat the sauce until warm. Add the gnocchi to the sauce, then serve immediately.
The Recipe:
The Finished Product:
It’s cozy season, and this is the perfect hearty and comforting meal. Each bite invites you to slow down and savor the moment, much like Fall begs you to do. This would be good all Fall and Winter long!
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