Sweet Potato Gnocchi
You’ve never tasted the most delicious part of fall until you’ve had flavorful Sweet Potato Gnocchi with savory browned butter and fresh sage!
Sweet Potato Gnocchi is full of that savory sweetness that makes sweet potatoes so crave-able, and making gnocchi is not only easy but also really fun! This fall dish is a simple mix of sweet potatoes, flour, parmesan, and ricotta, with a browned butter sauce seasoned with sage that will make everyone a lover of gnocchi!
Falling for Flavor
Everyone in the house knows when fall has arrived because I break out all my favorite sweet potato dishes. I love the versatility of sweet potatoes, especially Sweet Potato Gnocchi, which is a fun dish to make because I get to make a simple dough that I roll into ropes and slice! Once boiled and sauteed in browned butter, the texture is so satisfying, with a soft pillow center and a crispy outside. The browned butter and sage sauce absolutely take the gnocchi over the top, and this comforting side dish is perfect alongside a main dish of pork chops, ham, or whatever your family is serving!
Create more comforting Autumn dishes to keep the family warm, like Italian Sausage and Gnocchi Soup or Turkey and Sweet Potato Shepherd’s Pie!
Other Recipes to Serve with Sweet Potato Gnocchi
- Add more sweet potatoes to your favorite sides, like Sweet Potato Rolls! These rolls are amazing with all of your warm soups and stews.
- Sweater weather calls for hot chocolate or a tasty snack like Hot Chocolate Muddy Buddies!
Ingredients
Veggies: Grab three medium sweet potatoes from the produce department and while you’re there, pick up a package of fresh sage.
Pantry Items: To make these gnocchi you will need all-purpose flour, brown sugar, nutmeg, and salt.
Dairy: Whole-milk ricotta cheese, finely grated parmesan cheese, and unsalted butter will also be needed for this recipe.
How to Make Sweet Potato Gnocchi
STEP ONE: Poke holes in the sweet potatoes with a fork and microwave them for 5 minutes, flip them, and then cook them for another 10 minutes. The potatoes should be soft, but cook them for 5 minutes at a time until they are soft. Once soft, remove the sweet potato skins and mash the sweet potatoes in a large bowl.
STEP TWO: Add the ricotta cheese, parmesan cheese, brown sugar, nutmeg, and salt to the mashed sweet potatoes and mix. Add the flour a little at a time until a ball of dough forms.
STEP THREE: Separate a small portion of the dough and roll it out into a rope on a floured surface. The rope should be about 3/4 inch in diameter. Cut the rope into 1-inch pieces. Use the tines of a fork to make indents on the gnocchi.
STEP FOUR: Bring a pot of well-salted water to a boil and add small batches of gnocchi to the water. Boil each batch for a few minutes until the gnocchi begins to float. Remove the gnocchi with a slotted spoon to cool on a baking sheet.
STEP FIVE: Melt the butter over medium heat in a saute pan. When the butter develops brown solids and smells deliciously nutty, add the sliced sage leaves and cook for a few minutes.
STEP SIX: Add the gnocchi and saute in the browned butter until heated through. Serve immediately.
Tips for Success
- Sweet Potato Gnocchi can be made ahead of time and refrigerated until you are ready to make the browned butter sauce. These gnocchi keep wonderfully and you can even freeze them for later!
- If you’ve seen pictures of gnocchi before you’ve probably noticed small, grooved lines in them. These little grooves are made when pressing the gnocchi out on a gnocchi board, which is totally optional and can also easily be done by lightly pressing the tines of a fork onto each gnocchi. The purpose of the grooves is to hold more of the sauce you are serving with the gnocchi.
- When making the sweet potato dough, cutting the dough into small sections makes hand rolling the dough into ropes easier. Also, the gnocchi cooks so quickly that working with small batches is the best way to go.
What goes well with sweet potato gnocchi?
Sweet potato gnocchi is a great dish to serve as both a main dish and as a side dish. As a side dish, gnocchi compliments warm, comforting fall dishes like roasts and pork chops, or year-round favorites like fried chicken. As a main dish, filling sweet potato gnocchi is wonderful when served with hearty green vegetables like Brussels sprouts and broccoli. Spinach and kale are great options to serve either mixed in with or alongside sweet potato gnocchi.
Is gnocchi better fried or boiled?
The popular answer to whether or not to boil or fry gnocchi comes down to taste and what kind of gnocchi you have. Many people find boiled gnocchi too soft and squishy for their tastes, but often the gummy texture is a result of boiling store-bought gnocchi, which doesn’t usually need to be boiled. Store-bought gnocchi can be tossed into a pan for a quick saute, which most people seem to prefer. Homemade gnocchi, on the other hand, is great to boil and is how gnocchi gets that great pillowy inside. You can enjoy gnocchi after boiling, or toss it into a frying pan to achieve a crisp outside. Both ways of cooking gnocchi are fine for homemade gnocchi but check your store-bought gnocchi for the best way to prepare it.
More Great Fall Sweet Potato Dishes to Keep You Warm
- Baked Rosemary Sweet Potato Fries
- Sweet Potato Tots
- Sweet Potato Rounds with Goat Cheese
- Sweet Potato Stacks
- Baked Sweet Potato
*This post originally posted on 09/26/2016.
Sweet Potato Gnocchi
Ingredients
- 3 medium sweet potatoes or yams
- 1 cup whole milk ricotta cheese
- 1 cup Parmesan cheese finely grated (about 3oz)
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup unsalted butter cut into large pats
- 9 fresh sage leaves thinly sliced
Instructions
- Poke holes all over the sweet potatoes with a fork. Place them in the microwave and cook on high for 5 minutes. Carefully rotate the potatoes (they're hot!) and then cook for another 10 minutes. They should be soft at this point. If they are still hard, cook for another 5 minutes. Carefully remove the potatoes from the microwave and allow them to rest until cool enough to handle.
- Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil.
- Remove the skin from the sweet potatoes. Add the potato flesh to a mixing bowl and mash. (You want about 2 cups of mashed sweet potato.)
- To the bowl with the potatoes, add the ricotta, parmesan, brown sugar, salt, and nutmeg. Mix to combine. Add the flour in small amounts, mixing after each addition until a sticky dough ball forms. (You may end up using more or less than the recommended amount of flour.)
- Take a small amount of dough and roll it into a thick rope about 3/4-inch thick on a heavily floured surface. Then, cut the rope into 1-inch pieces. Use the tines of a fork to make indents on the gnocchi. Repeat with the remaining dough.
- Working in small batches, cook the gnocchi in the boiling water. Once they float, they're done. Remove the gnocchi from the pot with a spider strainer or slotted spoon. Set aside to cool on a baking sheet.
- Place a large skillet over medium heat. Add the butter and melt it while stirring occasionally until brown solids begin to form and it smells nutty. Add sage leaves to the brown butter and cook for 1-2 minutes.
- Add the cooked gnocchi to the brown butter and sauté until heated through, 3-4 minutes, gently tossing occasionally to coat them in the butter. Serve warm with more sage if desired.
