Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Maple Pumpkin Sauce

I was inspired to make my own Sweet Potato Gnocchi when I went to Whole Foods recently and saw some in the fresh pasta section. I picked it up, looked at the ingredients and almost put it in my cart. For $9 it would have been very easy to just take the gnocchi home, drop it in some boiling water and dinner would be ready in ten minutes...but where is the fun in that? :) I have found that making your own pasta, while messy, is actually quite simple and equally rewarding.

Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Maple Pumpkin Sauce

Prep Time: 90 Min (includes 60 min to bake potatoes)

Cook Time: 15 Min

Ingredients

Gnocchi

- 2 Large Sweet Potatoes  (approx 2 cups of flesh)

- 2/3 Cup of Ricotta

- 1 Tsp of Salt

- 1 Tbs of Cinnamon

- 1 1/4 Cup of Flour

Sauce

- 1/4 Diced Onion

- 1 Minced Garlic Clove

- 1/2 Cup of Pumpkin

- 1/2 Cup of Hazelnut Milk (can substitute heavy cream)

- 1 1/2 Tbs of Organic Maple Syrup

- 2 Tsp of Cinnamon

- 1/2 Tsp of Cloves

- 1/2 Tsp of Nutmeg

- Pinch of Crushed Red Pepper

- Salt and Pepper to Taste

- Pinch of Basil

Directions

Gnocchi

- Preheat oven or toaster oven to 425 degrees

- Bake Sweet Potatoes for 55-60 minutes until tender enough to pierce easily with a fork

- Cut the Sweet Potatoes in half and scoop the insides into a large mixing bowl

- Add the Ricotta, Salt, Cinnamon and mash together with a potato masher

- Add the flour in 3 separate batches, mixing together with a large spoon in between each batch

- Dough will be very sticky - on a floured surface, split the dough into 6 balls

- Sprinkle each ball with some more flour (to reduce it sticking to your hands) and toss each ball of dough back and forth in your hands to knead and shape

- Roll each dough into a 1inch wide rope using the palms of your hands, then slice into 1inch pieces

Making the Gnocchi - Roll, Slice and Shape

- You can then shape the pieces into Gnocchi. The way I did this was taking each piece and rolling it back in my hands to form an oval shape then pressing each side with the tines of a fork. You can also just roll each piece off the tip of a fork to give it the indentations.

Press the back of a fork into the Gnocchi on each side to shape

                                                             

- You can make the gnocchi ahead of time and place in the freezer for future use.

Place the Gnocchi in separate servings in Ziploc bags before putting in the freezer.

- When you want to use the Gnocchi, just grab a serving from the freezer and drop in a pot of boiling water for 5-6 minutes. Stir the pot once or twice to keep from sticking on the bottom. When Gnocchi is ready it will float to the surface. It will be tender but slightly firm on the outside.

-This recipe makes several servings of Gnocchi, if you are not freezing it ahead of time, drop the gnocchi in the boiling water in batches. When the gnocchi floats, use a slotted spoon to remove from the water. Drop the next batch in the boiling water and repeat.

Sauce

- In a saute pan, saute garlic and onion on medium heat with a little olive oil

- Add the next 8 ingredients

- Stir the sauce on medium heat for 5 minutes and then reduce to low. If sauce is too thick you can always add more hazelnut milk or cream.

Maple Pumpkin Sauce

- Toss the Gnocchi with the sauce and a pinch of basil. Sprinkle with Parmesan or Pecorino cheese if you desire. Enjoy!

This dish is delicious and a reminds me of Fall, my favorite season. I ended up spending less than the $9 I would have paid at Whole Foods making it myself because I had everything I needed in my pantry except for the Sweet Potatoes and Ricotta Cheese. I also love that this dish is entirely Vegan except for the Ricotta and Pecorino Cheese. I will make some more in the near future (with the leftover Gnocchi I put in the freezer) and a Hazelnut Mascarpone Sauce to go with it. Be on the lookout for that blog :)