There are often lessons I learned in childhood that I still have to work on as I begin adulthood.
I can't even begin to count how many times I was told to not "judge a book by it's cover." I think this is something with which society struggles. We often take things at face value or hearsay which I think often leads us to missing some of the greatest things in life. Maybe it's my drive for knowledge and understanding, but I try hard to not take things at face value.
While it's a lesson that goes beyond cooking, these little gnocchi were a gentle nudge that even after twenty-five years, I still need a reminder.
I've never made gnocchi before and if I'm being honest, I've never even tasted one. Living in a less diverse area, I've only ever seen gnocchi pre-packaged and they always looked unappetizing. I've never attempted to make them because without even looking at a recipe I wrote it off as labor intensive and not worth my while. I judged this dish without even thinking twice.
Then I started seeing more and more gnocchi recipes pop up around the web. So I set aside time in the afternoon, looked for a recipe, and realized that gnocchi are actually one of the easiest, not time-intensive recipes.
This recipe screams fall with the sweet potato, cinnamon, and maple syrup. The whole wheat flour also adds a bit of earthiness to the gnocchi as well. I will be making this again (and again!)
PrintWhole Wheat Sweet Potato Gnocchi
- Prep Time: 45 mins
- Cook Time: 15 mins
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 3-4 1x
Ingredients
- Gnocchi:
- 1 medium sweet potato
- ¾-1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- Brown Butter:
- ¼ cup butter
- 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary
- 2 teaspoons maple syrup
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425˚. Pierce sweet potato with a fork, place in oven, and bake for 30-40 minutes or until soft. Remove from oven and let cool slightly.
- Cut sweet potato in half, scoop out insides, and mash. Measure out 1 cup to use and save the rest for another time. Stir in salt, pepper, cinnamon, and ¼ cup of the wheat flour. Continue to stir and add flour until the mixture forms a soft dough (the dough might be sticky, just use more flour on your hands and surface). Place onto a surface covered in flour. Divide dough into three balls and roll each out into 1" ropes and cut gnocchi 1" at a time. Indent gnocchi with the tines of a fork. Repeat with remaining dough.
- Bring a pot of water to a boil. Place half the gnocchi in the boiling water and let cook for 5-6 minutes. I let the gnocchi go for a minute or two after they float to the top.
- While gnocchi cook, melt butter in a skillet and add rosemary. Continue to cook butter until the foam stops and the butter begins to brown. Remove from the heat and stir in the maple syrup, salt, and pepper. Once gnocchi are done, toss with brown butter and serve.
Denise @ TLT says
Looks delicious! I love gnocchi, but still haven't made them myself. Need to change that...
Veronica says
Hi Erin!
I visit your blog regularly and absolutely love it! I know how great it feels to just get a random comment from a reader, so I figured I would do that for you! I looooove gnocchi!
Hope you're doing well!
Veronica
erin says
Thank you Veronica!
Maren says
This looks so good! Can't wait to make some. Can you substitute all-purpose whole wheat flour for the whole wheat pastry flour? I have a bunch of the regular whole wheat flour that I would love to use up instead of buying new stuff. Thanks!
erin says
You can- the texture might be slightly different but there isn't really any big change!
Vanessa says
They look beautiful!
Guest says
Made this tonight and they were delicious! I used Gluten Free flour and made a homemmade marinara with fried sage and it was soo good. The gnocchi were very light and fluffy!
Tracy says
Yum! I sauteed mine in butter with zucchini, whole garlic, and spinach and topped with a little goat cheese. Thanks for showing me how easy gnocchi can be!
Kari says
yummmmm!!! i am making these this week, possibly with the mac and cheese version integrated in. have been cooking from your blog lately and i love it mucho mucho!
Lauren Hb says
Yum! Can you substitute butternut squash for sweet potato? I have one lying around. Thanks!
elalderson says
I've not tried it before but I think it would work- you might need to play around with the amount of flour added!
Jodi says
In many recipes calling for sweet potato I have substituted squash, pumpkin, etc and they have come out great. The only thing is you have to watch how "wet" your substitute is. If it is much wetter then you might have to add more flour and if it's super dry then maybe a little water. I have been pleasantly surprised with some of the different tastes!
april says
I'm going to make this for dinner tonight, and I was wondering if you cooked the other half of the gnocchi after cooking the first half? Or did you store it for later? I couldn't quite tell if you just broke it up into two batches for easier cooking. Thanks!
erin says
Sorry I haven't been around for a couple of days- I just cooked it in two batches. I'll be updating the recipe!
april says
I used just regular all purpose flour, and it was one of the tastiest things I've ever made. That maple brown butter is too much! I paired it with roasted brussel sprouts with romano cheese, and goat cheese on the side for the gnocchi. Perfect!
★★★★★
Ellie L. says
I will be making this on Monday! And the only reason I will be waiting so long is because I will be out of town until then. I will use sage instead of the rosemary, and maybe add a tad less maple syrup. I will also add some roasted Brussels sprouts!
★★★★★