Traditionally made from a careful combination of potatoes and flour, gnocchi are melt-in-your-mouth pillows of carbs. But, in the spirit of fall — and adding pumpkin to everything — I wanted to try giving gnocchi a seasonal twist. These Sweet Potato Pumpkin Gnocchi are simple, nutritious and, when tossed with olive oil and crispy sage, are a decadent autumn meal.
Sweet Potato Pumpkin Gnocchi
Ingredients
- 3 sweet potatoes
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon salt
- Pinch of pepper
- 1½ to 3 cups all-purpose flour (plus more, as needed)
- 3 to 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 6 whole sage leaves
- 1 clove garlic, minced
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Prick sweet potatoes with a fork, place either right on the oven rack or a pan. Bake sweet potatoes for 45 minutes, until fork tender.
- Remove sweet potatoes from oven, let cool slightly and remove skin. Puree sweet potato using a potato ricer, a wire mesh sieve or a potato masher. In a large bowl, stir sweet potato puree, pumpkin puree, egg, salt and pepper.
- Add 1½ cup flour and mix only until flour is hydrated. If dough is still very sticky, add more flour, a few spoonfuls at a time, until dough can be formed into a loose ball. The combination should still be moist — the goal is to use as little flour as possible while achieving a good consistency.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
- Transfer dough onto a floured surface and knead a few times. Portion dough into fist-sized balls. Roll each out to about 1-inch-thick ropes. Cut the ropes into 1-inch-long pieces.
- Gently press one side of each gnocchi over the tines of a fork to create the classic ribbed appearance.
- Gently drop each gnocchi into the boiling water. When the gnocchi floats to the top, it is done! Remove with a slotted spoon and set on a dry paper towel, face-up.
- Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add sage leaves and minced garlic. Cook a few minutes, until the sage is crispy. Remove pan from heat and add the gnocchi, tossing to coat with sage leaves, oil and garlic.
- Garnish gnocchi with feta, parmesan or goat cheese, if desired.
Cooking Notes
- When purchasing pumpkin puree, look for a variety that is not liquidy and does not include additional sugars or spices.
- Or, make you own pumpkin puree using a small or medium-sized pie pumpkin! Remove the pumpkin's top and scrape out the seeds. Cut pumpkin into pieces. Place pieces face-down on a baking sheet. Bake at 350°F for 1 to 2 hours, until soft. Remove from oven, let cool slightly and remove skin. Puree in food processor or blender. Store puree in refrigerator for several days, or freeze for later use.