Whether you have a family member with special dietary needs or just want to try something different check out this gluten-free, vegan and refined sugar-free recipe from the food blog, Veggies Don’t Bite. Crispy on the outside, soft and pillow-like on the inside, these gnocchi are packed with flavor and nutrients. Inspired by Fork and Beans Sweet Potato Gnocchi, this easy and delicious dish will be your next weekly staple.
Makes 70 one-inch gnocchi
Ingredients:
Gnocchi:
1 cup sweet potato
½ cup finely chopped spinach (about one cup tightly packed whole leaves)
1 ¾ cups almond meal (plus another ½ cup to dust while slicing)
¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons arrowroot powder (plus another ¼ cup to dust while slicing)
¾ teaspoon garlic powder
¾ teaspoon Himalayan pink salt
Fresh tomato sauce:
4 fresh tomatoes
3 cloves fresh garlic
½ cup white cooking wine (make sure it is vegan to make this dish fully vegan)
½ cup fresh basil
Note from the Chef: If you want to make this nut free, I tried it using sorghum flour and got a pretty good result. The taste was a little different as was the texture, but it was pretty similar to my original. You can sub kale for the spinach, or another leafy green.
Tips to prep ahead: You can make both the gnocchi and the sauce ahead of time. These keep well raw in the refrigerator overnight lightly dusted with a bit of flour to keep them from sticking. You can also freeze them in this same way and cook at a later date. If you freeze remove them and place them on the counter the morning you want to make them to allow them to defrost slowly. The sauce is easily kept in the refrigerator or frozen.
Method:
Gnocchi:
1. Clean and boil the sweet potato until just soft, a fork should go in but you don’t want it mushy. Wash and chop the spinach in a food processor.
2. Once the potato is done, take it out of the water and set aside to cool. You can also cool faster in the refrigerator or freezer. When cooled, peel the skin off the potato.
3. Using a grater or ricer, grate the potato into a bowl. Mix in the spinach. In a separate bowl, whisk together the almond meal, arrowroot, garlic powder and salt. You can make the extra flour for dusting in a separate bowl or you can make it all in one bowl. Sprinkle some on a flat surface then put the potato/spinach mixture on top. Add the rest of the mixture ½ cup at a time and mix with your hands until you get a dough that does not stick to your fingers. You want it just pliable but not sticky. Be careful not to add too much flour or it will get too doughy and gum like when cooked. Depending on how wet and cooked your potato got, you may need less or more flour mixture.
4. Once the dough is ready, separate it into 8 equal parts. Roll each part out into long snake like rolls. If they get sticky at all, sprinkle a little more flour on them. Cut each into 1 inch pieces, but depending on how big you want your gnocchi you can cut bigger or smaller.
5. For crisp on the outside, soft on the inside gnocchi, preheat oven to 325. Bake for 8-10 minutes, until just beginning to brown on top.
6. You can also boil your gnocchi the traditional way if you prefer them all soft. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Carefully drop gnocchi in and watch for them to float to the top. Once they float remove from the water with a slotted spoon.
Sauce:
1. Wash and chop tomatoes and garlic. Slice the fresh basil into small shreds.
2. Cook garlic in a sauté pan with the white wine for about 2-3 minutes, or until about half the wine evaporates. Add the fresh tomatoes and cook until they just begin to soften. Turn off stove.
3. Serve over gnocchi with a small handful of fresh basil on top.
Do you have a kiddo at home with special dietary needs? Tell us if you plan to make this vegan, gluten- and refined sugar-free dish in the Comments below!
Sophia DeSantis is the author of Veggies Don’t Bite, a vegan, gluten free and refined sugar free food blog targeted to all types of eaters. She is the mom of two beautiful boys and wife to an amazing husband. Her and her family live a vegan, gluten free and refined sugar free life 90% of the time because she believes that the stress of having to be perfect shouldn’t overpower the benefits that their healthy lifestyle brings. Through her website, she hopes to reach anybody interested in making a positive health change in their life.
