This Gnocchi recipe is a fun project, and the results are positively perfect! Soft pillowy potato pasta, this needs just a few ingredients you likely have on hand like potato, egg, and flour.
Simply make a dough, roll and boil!
Potato gnocchi has just a few easy to find ingredients and, while it takes a bit of time, it’s not difficult to make. This particular gnocchi recipe is one I learned attending classes at our local culinary school and have made it ever since.
What Is Gnocchi?
Gnocchi is an Italian homemade pasta that resembles a little dumpling. At its most basic level, it’s made with potato, egg, and flour. Several regions in Italy have their own variations with combinations of ricotta cheese, herbs, or spinach, the possibilities are endless.
Shaping Gnocchi
The dough is rolled into ropes and cut into pieces. Each rope of dough is about 1/2″ to 3/4″ thick and then cut into 1/2″ pieces. The gnocchi dough is soft and delicate, so be gentle when working with it.
Once cut into pieces, roll each gnocchi along the back of a fork to create ridges (you can purchase a gnocchi board but unless you make gnocchi frequently, a fork works just fine).
The purpose of creating ridges is to help the gnocchi “grab” the sauce it is mixed with.
How To Make Gnocchi
It’s really simple to make these pillowy little dumplings.
- Mix all the ingredients together except flour. Add flour a little at a time, until dough forms.
- After “resting” the dough, roll it out into long “ropes,” and cut per recipe instructions.
- Use a gnocchi board or even just a fork to create ridged pasta!
Tips for Perfection
- Boil your potatoes but drain them very well. Baked potatoes work in this recipe too.
- Leftover mashed potatoes aren’t ideal as they have other additives such as cream etc that will affect the consistency of your dough.
- Ensure the potatoes are perfectly smooth once mashed
- Add just enough flour to make a dough, excess flour can make tough gnocchi
- Don’t overwork the dough, these should be soft and pillowy. Use a delicate touch.
How To Cook Gnocchi
It takes just a few minutes to cook potato gnocchi!
- Bring a pot of salted water to a rolling boil.
- Gently add pasta and wait until it floats to the top (about 90 seconds).
- Transfer to a skillet with a bit of butter/olive oil and sauce if you’re using one. Toss the gnocchi and serve.
It’s that simple!
How To Serve It
It can be served as a soup, side dish, or as the first course in a full Italian-style meal! For a very special experience, gnocchi can be served as the primo, or first course, in a full Italian meal consisting of several courses.
Sauces for Gnocchi:
- Serve it with butter, parmesan, and fresh herbs
- A simple marinara sauce
- Homemade pesto
- Baked into a gnocchi casserole
- Topped gnocchi with a creamy mushroom sauce
Of course, it’s always a treat to have homemade pasta as a side dish with chicken, beef, or fish!
More Perfect Pasta
- Baked Gnocchi Casserole
- Roasted Vegetable Lasagna
- Caprese Pasta Salad
- Pasta Primavera
- Cheese Cannelloni
You can’t go wrong with homemade potato gnocchi! No matter how you choose to serve it up, there is one thing you can count on: you won’t have any leftovers!
Homemade Potato Gnocchi Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 ½ lbs potatoes cooked and riced
- 2 tablespoons butter melted
- 2 egg yolks
- ¾- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Combine riced potatoes, butter, and eggs in a bowl. Slowly mix in ¾ cup flour and knead until dough forms adding additional flour as required until the dough holds together (it will still be slighlty sticky). You may not need all of the flour.
- Dust counter with flour and roll out a ½" to ¾" thick rope of dough. Cut into ½" slices.
- Gently roll gnocchi pieces on a gnocchi board or the back of a fork to create ridges.
- Cook in boiling salted water, about 3 minutes, or until it begins to float.
- Remove from boiling water and transfer to an ice bath for about 1 min.
- Toss with oil and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Main Course, Pasta
Cuisine Italian© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
Can these be made without a ricer? Just mashed potato?
Yes, they should work well with mashed potatoes. Just make sure you aren’t using leftover mashed potatoes that have other additions like cream or butter already in them.
Can these be frozen before cooking to pull from the freezer when needed?
Yes! Gnocchi freezes well for up to 2 months.