20 Reasons to Make Homemade Gnocchi
These are the gnocchi recipes of your dreams, from potato to cheese to beet to poached pâte à choux.
Reading gnocchi recipes may lead to some curious dreams — and waking up to a pillow full of bite marks. It's hard to resist gloriously fluffy gnocchi when it's on a restaurant menu, but with these gnocchi recipes, it's easy to have it on hand at home any night of the week. Plus, once you have your gnocchi cooked, fall touches like sage and brown butter or wintry red sauce add depth of flavor.
The legendary food writer Paula Wolfert said of her foundational potato gnocchi recipe, "You can dress up perfect gnocchi in as many ways as you can sauce pasta, garnishing them with an unheated pesto sauce as the Ligurians do, or tossing them with foaming butter and slivered sage leaves as the Piedmontese do. You can mix them with a chunky tomato sauce or smother them in a wild boar ragù."
Chef and F&W contributor Greg Baker waxed poetic about how going back to a fundamental gnocchi recipe helped him feel grounded as a chef. "I fumbled through a few variations and finally hit the place of beauty, pillow-light, no doughiness or raw floury taste. I hate even to use this word, but it was transcendent. The idea that you could manipulate some flour, potato, and egg into something so luxurious smacked me upside the head," he wrote.
Find your own gnocchi recipe nirvana with our favorite potato gnocchi recipes, ricotta gnocchi recipes, and other creative gnocchi recipes to make at home.
Ossola-Style Gnocchi with Sage-Butter Sauce
These hearty cold-weather dumplings from the Ossola Valley in northern Piedmont include winter squash, chestnut flour, and nutmeg in addition to the potatoes. Expect intense flavor and a pleasant texture.
Potato Gnocchi with Butter and Cheese
Baked — not boiled — potatoes are the key to this fluffy potato gnocchi recipe from recipe tester and developer Liz Mervosh.
Ricotta Gnocchi with Eggplant and Peppers
2019 F&W Best New Chef Misti Norris' pillowy ricotta gnocchi crisps up as it sears, paired with creamy Parmesan mousse and tangy peppers and eggplant.
Feta Gnocchi with Lemony Yogurt and Spring Peas
A crisp exterior surrounds the creamy, tangy center in these feta gnocchi from Cassie Piuma, co-owner of the acclaimed restaurant Sarma in Sommerville, Massachusetts.
Loaded Baked Potato Gnocchi
Turn potato gnocchi into a loaded baked potato, by topping it with crispy bacon, crème fraîche, scallions, and shredded cheddar cheese.
Gnocchi with Pomodoro Sauce
In this recipe, which chef Eric Lees used to make at Spiaggia in Chicago, easy-to-make gnocchi made from russet potatoes, Parmigiano-Reggiano, and egg yolks are paired with a buttery tomato sauce laced with fresh basil.
Gnocchi Parisienne
The legendary Jacques Pépin bakes these gnocchi to transform them into pillowy puffs that are crisp and golden on the outside and light and custardy inside.
Seared Gnocchi with Roasted Arugula
2014 F&W Best New Chef Matt McCallister sautés boiled gnocchi to get them crisp and brown. We love them with roasted arugula, chile, and lemon.
Potato Gnocchi with Mushroom Ragù
Using a recipe from Top Chef contestant Jennifer Biesty, mushroom forager and sommelier Richard Betts sautés wild mushrooms with garlic to top his plump, intensely potatoey gnocchi.
Potato Gnocchi with Chorizo Sauce
Star South American live fire chef Francis Mallmann uses fresh Mexican-style chorizo to make a rich, meaty sauce for potato gnocchi.
Gnocchi Parisienne
At Frenchette in New York City, chefs Lee Hanson and Riad Nasr have created a modern brasserie. This gnocchi Parisienne is their take on a French pasta with poached pâte à choux dumplings crisped in brown butter and topped with ham and cheese. The dish makes a rich entree or a showstopping side.
Beet Gnocchi with Walnut-Sage Butter
2012 F&W Best New Chef Jenn Louis found these intense beet gnocchi in northwestern Italy. They are sweet, earthy, and so delicious, they barely need a sauce.
Potato Gnocchi
Paula Wolfert explained that a little olive oil added to the dough makes for a silkier consistency with this foundational five-ingredient gnocchi recipe that's ready for refrigeration after an hour of pricking, baking, ricing, balling, and boiling.
Carrot-Potato Gnocchi
Former F&W food editor Grace Parisi shares her own tasty variation on traditional potato gnocchi. Serve the gnocchi with her superfast Brown Butter and Sage Sauce.
Gnocchi Genovese
Chicago chef Giuseppe Tentori uses Yukon gold potatoes, basil, and baby spinach for this vibrant gnocchi dish.
Ricotta Gnocchi with Summer Herbs
F&W food director at large Justin Chapple makes light and fluffy fresh ricotta gnocchi dough that he pipes from a plastic bag right into a pot of simmering water.
Winter Squash Gnocchi with Brown Butter and Sage
There is no better autumnal treat than this classic northern-Italian combo of sage, Parmesan, gnocchi, and brown-butter from chef and TV host Andrew Zimmern.
Meyer Lemon Gnocchi
Maine chef Steve Corry tosses gnocchi with lemony sauce after cooking and draining the pasta. Instead of sprinkling the gnocchi with Parmesan cheese, Corry likes to shave bottarga and dried and salted gray mullet roe, over the top.
Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Salsify, Chestnuts, and Ham
Chef Michel Nischan scrubs and bakes two pounds of sweet potatoes for these buttery and intensely flavorful gnocchi, served with country ham, roasted chestnuts, and local produce you can adapt with the recipe.
Parisian Gnocchi with Butter Sauce
Chef Ludo Lefebvre prepares gnocchi with the French cream puff dough pâte à choux rather than potatoes or semolina. Sautéed until golden brown, the gnocchi are served with a luscious beurre fondue, an emulsified blend of water and melted butter.
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