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Sweet Potato Gnocchi Recipe 

MDMBlog11.3

Serves: 2 

Difficulty: Medium 

Prep time: 10 minutes 

Total time: 25 minutes 

If there’s one cozy fall dish that feels like a hug in a bowl, it’s this sweet potato gnocchi. But unlike the heavy, butter-drenched versions at many restaurants, this one keeps things light without losing any of the comfort. The gnocchi themselves are wonderfully simple – just two ingredients plus a pinch of salt – letting the natural sweetness of the sweet potatoes shine. Tossed with tender kale, fragrant sage and just enough butter to bring everything together, this dish features comfort without being overindulgent.  

It’s easy enough for a weeknight and elegant enough to impress – especially when you tell everyone the gnocchi is made from scratch. 

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour 
  • ½ tsp. salt 
  • 2 large sweet potatoes (about 1 lb; 10.5 oz/300g per of sweet potato flesh after microwaving per 2 servings) 
  • 2 Tbsp. olive oil 
  • 1 Tbsp. butter 
  • 7-10 sage leaves, coarsely chopped 
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced 
  • 1 cup kale, ribs removed 
  • Salt and pepper to taste 
  • Sprinkle of parmesan cheese, grated or shaved 
  • Lemon juice to taste 

Instructions:

  1. Prick sweet potatoes with a fork and microwave them for 7-10 minutes until tender.  
  1. Cut them in half, scoop out the flesh, add it to a bowl, and mash with a fork. 
  1. Add all-purpose flour, salt and mix with a spoon first, then with your hands, to combine. 
  1. Transfer to lightly floured worktop and knead for a short minute until you have compact, soft and slightly moist dough, not wet and sticky. Kneading the dough for too long will result in a tough, too chewy of a dough. 
  1. Cut dough into 4 pieces, roll out into long ropes, then cut into small pillow-shaped gnocchi (about 1/2 inch or 1 cm in size). 
  1. roll them on the back of a fork to make ridges. 
  1. Cook the gnocchi in a large pot salted boiling water for 1-2 minutes. 
  1. Remove from the water with a slotted spoon. Reserve a bit of pasta water. 
  1. Make the sauce. Heat olive oil and butter in a skillet over medium-low heat. Once warm, add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes.  
  1. Add sage leaves, stirring until the oil and butter mixture has turned a light brown and has a rich aroma, around 2-4 minutes. Stir in kale until softened. 
  1. Add a couple of spoonfuls of pasta water to sauce, careful not to add too much. Add gnocchi to sauce along with salt and pepper to taste. 
  1. Serve in a bowl with grated or shaved parmesan and a sprinkle of lemon juice. 

Shanthi Appelo is a registered dietitian and health and wellness spokesperson at BCBSM. For more health and wellness information, visit ahealthiermichigan.org.