Sweet Potato Gnocchi

This sweet potato gnocchi is served with a quick bolognese sauce to make a hearty and deliciously filling fall meal.

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I am totally not one of those people wishing summer away as we get to the tail end of the season with thoughts of pumpkin spiced this and cider donuts that, I swear.

But, my morning walks have been met with that amazing fall-like crispness in the air that signals the beginning of fall. Half of me loves it, half of me is already mourning our all-too-short summer season.

The part of me that loves this weather is the same part that craves comforting “fall-like” food, and that’s why it felt like a great idea to make homemade sweet potato gnocchi and serve it with a meaty bolognese sauce for dinner.

I can’t eat or make a dish with gnocchi without thinking of one of the first dates with my husband. We went to this horrific local pasta restaurant for dinner. Think Olive Garden but multiply the gaudy Italian-American white, green and red décor by about 10 and take away the chain restaurant aspect.

Among the standard parmesans of every type of protein imaginable, there was a gnocchi dish. We silently looked over the menus for a minute or two when Ulysses blurted out “what’s GA-NOTCH-EE?”

I looked up, stared at him and said “I’m not sure we can date anymore.”

Having been married 18 years this week, I clearly didn’t stand by that statement, but I will never let him live that one down either. 

What You’ll Need To Make Sweet Potato Gnocchi

For the Sweet Potato Gnocchi

• Sweet Potatoes: All gnocchi are made with potato so I figured why not try a sweet potato approach? If it works in ice cream, it can work in gnocchi!
• Egg: Binds the dough together and helps with the texture of the gnocchi.
• Nutmeg: Adds a warm, slightly spicy flavor that complements the sweet potatoes.
• Cinnamon: Brings a hint of sweetness that pairs well with the sweet potatoes.
• Grated Parmesan: Adds a savory depth and slight creaminess to the dough.
• Almond, Buckwheat and Coconut Flours: This combination is definitely unique and non-traditional for gnocchi making, but it works well for a gluten-free and grain-free approach to the recipe.

The Bolognese

The meat sauce to serve with it is optional, but I enjoy making a hearty meal with the sweet potato gnocchi. It’s an abbreviated bolognese recipe so if you’re looking for something more authentic, try this Instant Pot bolognese or my personal favorite, this lamb bolognese. You can also keep the meal meatless by pairing it with a lentil bolognese recipe.

The main difference with the bolognese in this recipe (you can see the full recipe details below) is the added fall spices to mimic the flavors in the sweet potato gnocchi recipe. If you’re thinking adding cinnamon and nutmeg to a beef sauce sounds odd, just trust me and go with it, it’s surprisingly delicious.

How to Make Sweet Potato Gnocchi

Start by cooking your sweet potatoes until they’re soft and fork tender —microwave or oven works! 

Once cool, scoop out the flesh and mash it smooth. This is where you’d use a potato ricer if you have one instead of mashing but mashing well works fine too. Mix in the egg, spices, and cheese until well combined throughout the dough.

Roll the dough into logs, then cut into bite-sized pieces. Use a fork to create the signature gnocchi ridges or a gnocchi board that creates these lines if you’re fancy like that. 

Arrange them in a single layer on a parchment-lined sheet and cook in boiling water until they float. Remove promptly with a slotted spoon and use or serve as desired whether that’s the bolognese sauce included here or a more simple approach like butter, olive oil, sage or rosemary.

How to Make the Bolognese Sauce

Heat some olive oil in a pan over medium heat and sauté garlic, onions, and carrots until soft. Add the ground beef and cook until it’s browned. Toss in chopped tomatoes, fresh herbs, and spices for a rich, savory flavor. 

Simmer the mixture until it thickens and all the flavors meld together. Top your sweet potato gnocchi with this hearty bolognese for the ultimate comfort food.

Recipe Notes and Expert Tips

• If you prefer, you can bake or air fry the gnocchi instead of boiling them. Place them on a baking sheet, lightly coat them with olive oil, and bake until golden brown.
• Use a potato ricer for smoother gnocchi dough. If you don’t have a ricer, a regular potato masher or even a fork can work.
• Use a bench scraper to cut the gnocchi dough into pieces easily. It helps in achieving uniform sizes.
• Adjust the amount of flour as needed to keep the gnocchi dough from being too sticky. If it’s too sticky, add a little more flour.
• When cooking sweet potatoes, ensure they are fork-tender before removing them from the microwave or oven. This ensures they mash smoothly and you don’t end up with lumps in the gnocchi dough.
• Boil the gnocchi just until they float as this indicates they are cooked. If they are overcooked, they will easily become mushy.
• To freeze gnocchi, cut them to shape and either roll them on a gnocchi board or make the indents with a fork. Toss each piece in extra flour and place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Do not boil or bake the gnocchi. Freeze them in this state until you want to cook them off and use. Once they’ve frozen solid, you can transfer them from the baking sheet to a freezer bag to save space. Cook the gnocchi from frozen without thawing for best results. You can use them in this gnocchi carbonara recipe in the future!

What are sweet potato gnocchi made of?

You can make gnocchi a variety of ways, but our recipe includes cooked sweet potato, egg, salt, spices, parmesan cheese and a combination of flours.

Are sweet potato gnocchi gluten-free?

This recipe uses almond flour, coconut flour and buckwheat flour, all of which are gluten-free flours. You can swap these for a simple gluten-free all-purpose flour instead if preferred.

How to store leftover sweet potato gnocchi?

Place leftover cooked gnocchi in an airtight container and store it in the refrigerator. Consume within 3-4 days.

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Sweet Potato Gnocch

By: Gina Matsoukas

Servings: 4 servings

Prep: 30 minutes mins

Cook: 15 minutes mins

Total: 45 minutes mins

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This sweet potato gnocchi is served with a quick bolognese sauce to make a hearty and deliciously filling fall meal.

Ingredients 

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For the Sweet Potato Gnocchi

• ▢ 2 large sweet potatoes
• ▢ 1 egg
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• ▢ 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• ▢ 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• ▢ 1/3 cup grated parmesan
• ▢ 1/2 cup almond flour
• ▢ 1/2 cup buckwheat flour
• ▢ 1/4 cup coconut flour

For the Bolognese

• ▢ 1 pound ground beef, I use 85% lean
• ▢ 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• ▢ 1 clove garlic, minced
• ▢ 1 small yellow onion, chopped
• ▢ 3 small carrots, chopped
• ▢ 2 large tomatoes, chopped
• ▢ 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped
• ▢ 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
• ▢ 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• ▢ 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• ▢ 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• ▢ salt & pepper to taste

Instructions 

For the Sweet Potato Gnocchi

• Clean and scrub potatoes well. Poke holes around the outside of each potato using a fork or knife. Wrap loosely in a paper towel and microwave until fork tender. This took me two rounds of the “potato” setting on my microwave.
• Remove potatoes from microwave, set aside and let cool.
• Once cooled, scoop flesh out of skins and transfer to a medium bowl.
• Mash sweet potato until smooth.
• Add remaining ingredients and mix until dough forms. Turn dough out onto a floured surface and knead into a ball. Add additional flour as needed to get the dough into a workable state so that it’s not too sticky. I added about 2-3 tablespoons of buckwheat flour.
• Generously flour a surface and cut the ball of dough into 4 sections.
• Roll each section out into a long, even snake-like roll.
• Using a knife, cut off in 1/2-1 inch sections.
• You can leave gnocchi as is or roll each section with your thumb along the tines of a fork (see video above) to get the standard lines.
• Set gnocchi pieces aside on a parchment lined sheet pan.
• You can freeze them at this point and cook off later (from frozen) or, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook until they start to float (about 3 minutes).
• Remove gnocchi from cooking water carefully with a slotted spoon or strainer and transfer to a serving bowl.

For the Bolognese

• Add olive oil to a large skillet over medium-high heat.
• Once hot, add garlic, onions and carrots and saute for 3 minutes until softened.
• Add ground beef and cook until browned. Drain fat from pan carefully if desired at this point.
• Add tomatoes, rosemary, parsley, seasonings and tomato paste and simmer over medium-low heat for about 10 minutes.
• Top gnocchi with spoonfuls of bolognese and serve.

Notes

-Potatoes could also be cooked by baking or roasting in the oven if you’d rather not use a microwave. Prep time will obviously increase if doing so.

-You can substitute regular all-purpose flour or gluten-free all-purpose flour for the almond/buckwheat/coconut mixture in this recipe.

Nutrition

Serving: 1SERVINGCalories: 684kcalCarbohydrates: 48gProtein: 44gFat: 36gSaturated Fat: 11gPolyunsaturated Fat: 21gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 155mgSodium: 676mgFiber: 10gSugar: 13g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Main Dishes

Cuisine: Italian

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Gina Matsoukas

Founder and Writer at Running to the Kitchen | About

Gina Matsoukas is an AP syndicated writer. She is the founder, photographer and recipe developer of Running to the Kitchen — a food website focused on providing healthy, wholesome recipes using fresh and seasonal ingredients. Her work has been featured in numerous media outlets both digital and print, including MSN, Huffington post, Buzzfeed, Women’s Health and Food Network.