Ever since I started eating eating plant-based, I put decadent Italian food on the back burner. Not on purpose, but because most authentic Italian recipes incorporate eggs, dairy, or meat. The key to nourishing your body isn’t by telling yourself what you can’t eat. It’s about making healthy changes to what you like. I was craving something new and was ready for a kitchen challenge, so I decided to try gnocchi, the delicious pasta pillows, with sweet potatoes and whole wheat flour.
First, get your sweet potatoes cooked and mashed. I roasted two medium sized sweet potatoes then scooped out the insides. This left me with delicious caramelized potato skins.
I pureed my sweet potatoes in the food processor with some cinnamon, nutmeg, and nutritional yeast. You could add whatever spices you like.
Then I added in the whole wheat flour 1 tablespoon at a time. It actually took a lot more flour than I was expecting. Slowly incorporate the flour until a dough is formed that won’t stick to your fingers. Cut the dough ball into quarters.
On a well floured workspace, roll the quarters into long ropes. Then, cut the ropes into little gnocchi pillows. I took a fork and pressed gently on each one for decoration.
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil, and drop the gnocchi in batches. After about 3-4 minutes, they start to float. Give them another minute after they float, and scoop them out with a slotted spoon.
After the pasta drained, I threw them into a large saute pan with garlic, onions, apples, mushrooms and sage. This combined all of the flavors and gave them a little sear on the outside.
I was going to make a sauce, but ended up just squeezing some fresh lemon juice over the top and it was insanely good.
They were a little bit more dense than your traditional gnocchi, so I would incorporate some all purpose flour next time for a fluffier pasta.
The garlic and onions paired with the sweet apple, meaty mushrooms, and savory sage create the perfect blend for the tender sweet potato gnocchi.
Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Apple, Mushroom, and Sage
Ingredients
Sweet Potato Gnocchi
- Two medium sweet potatoes
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast
- 1 ½ cups whole wheat flour
Saute Mixture
- 1 onion yellow, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, diced
- 5 large baby bella mushrooms, sliced
- 1 apple, diced
- 8-10 large sage leaves, chopped
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450° F. Roast potatoes with skins on for one hour or until they are completely cooked through. You could also peel them and microwave if you’re short for time.
- When the potatoes are cooked, allow them to cool. Once they are cool enough to handle, slice each potato in half, and scoop the orange flex into a bowl or food processor.
- Mix in the spices and nutritional yeast. Transfer to a bowl if you haven’t already, and slowly incorporate flour until a dough is formed that doesn’t stick to your fingers.
- Cut the dough ball into quarters. On a well floured workspace, roll out each quarter into a long rope, and slice into your desired gnocchi size. Press a fork into the gnocchi for a pretty design.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add gnocchi in batches and cook for about 4 minutes until it begins to float. Cook for another minute after it floats, then remove with a slotted spoon and transfer to a strainer.
- While the gnocchi drains, heat a large non stick skillet to medium heat. If you don’t have a non stick skillet, add in a tablespoon of oil. Add onions and garlic, and cook for a few minutes until brown. Then add mushrooms, apples, and sage, and cook until mushrooms have softened, about 5 minutes.
- Add the drained gnocchi to the skillet, and toss to combine the flavors. Add salt and black pepper to taste. Top with fresh lemon juice, a little olive oil, or balsamic vinegar.
