If you have never had sweet potato gnocchi... your mind is about to be blown! It is comforting, wintery, and cozy. Cuddling up on the couch with a bowl of this is just pure joy. Gnocchi is a mix between pasta and dumplings. Traditionally they are made with potato, but using sweet potato gives this dish all the fall feels. Plus, the brown butter sage sauce just pairs perfectly!
When I was making this, I thought of the first time I ever made gnocchi. It was 2017 in my college Mediterranean cooking class. I had to have an elective credit and thought, "Hmmm, I like to cook, I should give this class a try." Little did I know three years later, I would be obsessed with cooking the way I am now. On that assignment, I received a 98%, and my professor gave me a note, "It is pronounced näkē.. not whatever you said". I have come a long way!
Sweet Potato Gnocchi in a Brown Butter Sage Sauce
Ingredients
Sweet Potato Gnocchi
- 2 sweet potatoes medium
- ½ cup whole milk ricotta
- ¼ cup fresh grated parmesan
- 1 egg
- 2 cloves minced garlic
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2-2 ½ cups all purpose flour
- 1 ½ tablespoons olive oil
Brown Butter Sage Sauce
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- 5 fresh sage leaves
- salt and pepper to taste
- fresh parmesan cheese to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Pierce the sweet potatoes with a fork or knife and place onto the prepared baking sheet. Bake for about 1 hour or until tender. Let cool completely.
- Once completely cooled, cut in half. Scoop the sweet potato into a bowl and mash. Transfer 1 ½ cups of sweet potato to a medium bowl and mix in ricotta, parmesan, egg, garlic, salt, and pepper. Slowly add in the flour, ½ cup at a time until a dough forms. Be careful not to over-knead the dough.
- Lightly flour a work surface. Transfer the dough from the bowl to the floured work surface. Divide the dough into 6 even pieces. Roll each piece into a long rope, about 1 inch in diameter. Using a sharp knife, cut into bite-sized pieces about 1 inch.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Work in batches to ensure no sticking. Boil gnocchi until tender for about 5 minutes. Drain well and set aside.
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add gnocchi and cook until the exterior is golden brown, about 3 minutes per side. Also, do this in batches with none of the gnocchi touchings to ensure every gnocchi gets a crispy exterior.
- Now time for the brown butter sage sauce. Make the sauce while crisping the gnocchi. Cook the butter in a medium skillet over medium-high heat until the butter begins to brown. This should be done in a light-colored pan to see the color of the butter and ensure the butter doesn't burn. It should take about 4 minutes to brown the butter.
- Add the sage, salt, and pepper to the sauce. Take the pan off the heat.
- Add gnocchi to the sauce and toss. Top with some fresh parmesan!
Lydie says
This was my first time making gnocchi EVER. And it actually went well! And not to mention my entire family raved about it. The sweetness of the gnocchi goes amazing with the salty/rich brown butter sage sauce. I would 100% recommend this to anyone. The recipe looks intimidating but turned out to be so easy and a lot of fun to make. I ended up adding jalapeño chicken sausage on top because my dad refuses to eat a meal without meat and it added some delicious spice to this excellent meal! I multiplied this recipe by 1.5 because my brother in law eats a lot and with five people dining, we had one hefty helping left. Absolutely will be making this again, who knew gnocchi could be this easy!
Emma Essence says
I am so glad to hear you loved it! You're right, making handmade gnocchi does seem intimidating but it is actually not too difficult and lots of fun to make! Your addition of jalapeno chicken sausage sounds amazing. Thanks so much for recreating this recipe and sharing your thoughts!
Sam says
This is my favorite gnocchi dish that I’ve ever had! The brown butter sage sauce is absolute perfection with the sweet potato flavor. Seriously well worth making this recipe!
Emma Essence says
Wow thank you so much! Ugh yes, its like I can taste it now. I love that brown butter sage sauce.