I really love homemade gnocchi and I think people don’t realize how simple they really are to make. Honestly, what I do is make extra baked potatoes when I am making them for dinner another night. Then I rice them up and boom, gnocchi comes together quickly and easily.
Gnocchi is a super versatile dumpling and can be made with so many different sauces. In this recipe I make it with a delicious tomato basil cream sauce, but you can also add in some vodka for vodka sauce if you’d like. You can also toss them with pesto sauces, marinara and pesto on top. That is one of my other favorite ways. Gnocchi can also stand up to hearty sauces like braised meat sauces or creamy cheese sauces. So, have fun and jazz them up however you like.
What you need to make gnocchi
Idaho baking potatoes- you need these nice starchy potatoes to get the best, lightest gnocchi. Bake them off, you don’t even need to peel them. After they are baked, cool enough to handle and rice them through a ricer and boom, ready to go
Eggs- Always when cooking with eggs use large eggs, they are the most versatile when being called for in different recipes
Kosher salt- always kosher salt in the kitchen… throw away that like blue can with the little girl with the umbrella on it! That is iodized salt which we do not need and will end up making our food taste salty, not seasoned. Kosher salt we use less and it seasons the food, not salts it heavily
Flour-Just regular all purpose flour here, nothing fancy
That is literally it! Probably all things you have in your pantry right now. No reason to even go to the store, just get baking those potatoes! LOL
Chef’s Notes
The only thing to really remember here is to not make your gnocchi dough too sticky and do not over cook it. You will end up with mush instead of gnocchi. Just mix your dough until it is combined, don’t over mix it. This will help the dough not be sticky. Also, make sure you dust the work surface, your hands and any tools you are using with flour before working with the dough.
Place the made gnocchi onto a floured sheet pan and lightly toss them with flour before cooking them off. Once the gnocchi float to the top, they will only take about 1-2 minutes more to cook at maximum. They are very quick to cook.
When finishing the gnocchi in your sauce, add them to the warm sauce in the pan and lightly toss to coat them. Add some extra Parmesan cheese to the top and ENJOY!
Link to the Tomato Basil Cream Sauce-
Homemade Gnocchi
Ingredients
- Ingredients
- 2 lbs baking Idaho potatoes
- 2 large egg yolks
- Kosher salt
- 1 cup all-purpose flour plus more for dusting
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Place potatoes directly on middle rack in preheated oven. Bake until very tender when pierced with a paring knife, 1 hour and 15 minutes to 1 hour and 30 minutes. Carefully cut potatoes in half lengthwise; let stand until cool enough to handle, about 20 minutes. Using a paring knife, peel potatoes, and discard skins or if using a ricer, you can rice without peeling.
- Press potatoes through a potato ricer (or thoroughly mash in a bowl and then place) onto a clean work surface; spread in an even layer. Let cool until almost room temperature, about 8 minutes. Drizzle egg yolk evenly over potatoes. Sprinkle salt and 1/2 cup of the flour evenly over potatoes and egg yolk. Using a bench scraper or a rubber spatula, very gently fold mixture over onto itself several times, gradually folding in remaining 1/2 cup flour just until all flour is incorporated, and dough comes together in a mass. Do not knead or overwork.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and lightly dust with flour; set aside. Clean work surface, and lightly dust with flour. Divide dough evenly into 4 pieces, about 5 1/4 ounces each. Roll 1 dough piece into a 3/4-inch-thick rope, about 9 inches long. Cut rope crosswise into 3/4-inch-long gnocchi pieces. Roll each piece against tines of a fork to make ridges, transfer to prepared baking sheet. Repeat process with remaining 3 dough pieces. Cook them now or place them of a sheet tray to freeze for another day. ENJOY!
