Sweet Potato Gnocchi! The easiest and best way to make Sweet Potato Gnocchi! Serve it with broccoli rabe and garlic sage butter sauce for a BOMB meal.
Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Broccoli Rabe and Garlic Sage Butter Sauce
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This recipe was delicious! It reminded me of a dish at one of my favorite restaurants and even my meat eating husband loved it. Thanks for the recipe!!!
Elizabeth
Sweet Potato Gnocchi is about to happen in your life. Get ready.
I started a dinner club a few years ago (gah! seriously feels like yesterday 👵🏼) and for this dinner club, every month, 6 friends + my happy self get together for a night of wine, appetizers, and amazing homemade food. We’re talking the type of food that we all maybe wouldn’t normally make for our families or for our regular weeknight selves, but that can be fully embraced and appreciated when we are with our foodie friends.
Example: gnocchi.
About a year ago, I learned the basics of making gnocchi at a blog related event, and I came home and said: listen up, dinner club -> we need to make gnocchi together.
I am not exaggerating when I say that our gnocchi night is STILL the talk of our dinner club. It will never ever be topped, unless it’s topped by another gnocchi night. There were platters upon platters of that pillowy potato gnocchi, and simmering pots of tangy bolognese and creamy marsala mushroom and zippy pesto sauces that still live right at the surface of our food dreams. It was a girls’ night gnocchi event that bordered on otherworldly.
Why You’Ll Be Excited To Make This Sweet Potato Gnocchi
- Comforting, wintery, love-yourself-GNOCCHI. You’ve got sweet potatoes, you’ve got a sage butter sauce, you’ve got serious comfort food dreams in a bowl for the end of a long day.
- Superfood vegetables tasting ahhmazing (hello sweet potato and broccoli rabe). Will admit that the sage butter sauce definitely helps here.
- Weeknight ease. Trust me: this is an EASY gnocchi recipe, perfect for the person who thinks making their own gnocchi isn’t for them.
Do you believe me? Look here. 👇🏼
Prefer To Watch Instead Of Read?
How To Make Sweet Potato Gnocchi – It’s Easier Than You Think
As with most recipes that I make, I like them to be NOT OVERWHELMING.
With the fancy gnocchi night, I boiled, dried, rested, cooled, and riced the potatoes before mixing. That was a different time.
This time we are literally just baking in the microwave. Okay? Can you get on board with me here? Just bake that little sweet potater in your micro for speed and ease, mix it with the ricotta, Parm, and flour, and form into cute little sweet potato gnocchi. Boil them till they float, and voila. Gnocchi.
These gnocchi are sturdy enough to stand up to the sage-garlic-butter-pan-frying situation that follows, which is exactly what I wanted them to be: golden and crispy on the outside, and soft and lovely on the inside.
A Little Nutritional Boost
To avoid getting overly sweet (and to throw some powerhouse nutrition in the mix), we are serving this up with broccoli rabe – blanched to tender-crisp perfection before getting tossed in to the magic of that saute pan.
In addition to being a SUPER HEALTHY power ingredient, I loved using broccoli rabe with this because it was kind of like a textural cross between broccoli and spinach. You have the leaves of the broccoli rabe which cook super nicely similar to spinach, and you have the beautiful, barely-crunchy florets that are small enough not to overwhelm the dish.
Besides, the colors.
You NEED those bold colors working together in your recipe life.
If you don’t have easy access to broccoli rabe, another green veg will do here, like spinach or kale. Just throw it right on in that pan. Or, skip the veg and just enjoy that gnocchi perfection.
Do we love gnocchi or do we love gnocchi?
Common Questions About This Sweet Potato Gnocchi
If I don’t like sweet potato, can I use something else?
We’d recommend pivoting to another recipe for this! Like this guide to making classic potato gnocchi, our yummy Pumpkin Gnocchi, or homemade Cauliflower Gnocchi.
Can I bake the sweet potato instead of microwaving it?
Yep! Just prick it all over with a fork, set it on a sheet pan, and bake for 45-50 minutes at 425 degrees.
Is there another sauce I can use with this gnocchi?
Sure! If you wanted to just lighten it up a bit, you could use some olive oil with the garlic and sage and create a lighter sauce without cream, but we’d recommend staying in the garlic/sage flavor profile. IT’S SO GOOD.
What can I serve with sweet potato gnocchi?
We’re serving it with broccoli rabe here, but you could sub in some spinach or kale or a favorite roasted veggie (or skip the veggies overall as we did in the video!). This is also delicious with a simple, tangy green salad.
Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Broccoli Rabe and Garlic Sage Butter Sauce
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 6–8 servings 1x
Description
Sweet Potato Gnocchi! The easiest and best way to make Sweet Potato Gnocchi! Serve it with broccoli rabe and garlic sage butter sauce for a BOMB meal.
Ingredients
Scale
Gnocchi:
- One 1-lb sweet potato
- 1 cup whole milk ricotta cheese
- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1 1/4 cup flour (more for dusting)
Sauce and Other Ingredients:
- 5 cups finely chopped broccoli rabe (stems, leaves, and florets) – optional
- 8 tablespoons butter
- 1/3 cup heavy cream
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 5–6 sage leaves
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- For the gnocchi: Stick the sweet potato a few times with a fork, wrap in a damp paper towel, and microwave until soft, about 7 minutes. (You can also bake the sweet potato in the oven, which will take closer to an hour.)
- Scoop the flesh of the sweet potato into a mixing bowl. Discard the skin. Mix the ricotta, parmesan, and salt until well combined and almost completely smooth. Add the flour 1/2 cup at a time, kneading very gently after each addition (don’t over knead it – you don’t want it to get tough).
- Eventually, as the dough becomes easier to handle, transfer it to a clean floured work surface and form it into a loaf, about 9×5 inches. Cut a slice off of the loaf on the short side (think of it as if it were a loaf of banana bread and you were going to cut a slice to eat). Roll and stretch the slice on a floured surface until it forms a long, skinny rope-like shape. Cut the rope into 1-inch segments and transfer to a bowl: this is your gnocchi.
- Bring a large pot of water to boil, add the gnocchi, and boil until the gnocchi rise to the top of the water. Drain and toss gently with a little olive oil to prevent sticking. At this point you can make the rest of the recipe with the gnocchi, refrigerate the gnocchi to finish them later, or freeze them.
- For the Broccoli Rabe (optional): Bring a large pot of water to boil and prepare a bowl with ice water. Add the broccoli rabe to the boiling water and cook for 1 minute. Drain and transfer to the ice water to cool and stop the broccoli rabe from cooking further. Drain again and set aside.
- Putting it all together: Heat the butter in a large skillet over medium high heat until lightly bubbling and foaming. Add the gnocchi and pan-fry until golden brown on the outside (you may have to do this in batches). Once the gnocchi is done, add the broccoli rabe, garlic, sage, and salt and pan-fry for another few minutes (again, working in batches). Remove from heat and let cool for a few minutes so the butter thickens just a little. Add the cream to the pan along with the Parmesan cheese – toss gently a few times to combine (the sauce should coat the gnocchi and broccoli rabe very lightly) and serve immediately with salt, pepper, and a squeeze of lemon juice if you want.
Equipment
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- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 20 mins
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian-Inspired
Keywords: sweet potato gnocchi, gnocchi recipe, broccoli rabe, sweet potato recipe
More Gnocchi Goodness:
- Homemade Cauliflower Gnocchi
- How to Make Homemade Gnocchi
- Pumpkin Gnocchi with Sage Butter Sauce
- Crockpot Chicken Gnocchi Soup
- Ridiculous Baked Gnocchi with Vodka Sauce
One More Thing!
This recipe is part of our completely delicious broccoli recipes page. Check it out!
Filed Under: All Recipes Broccoli Dinner Fall Healthy Main Dishes Pasta Stovetop Sweet Potato Vegetarian
October 29, 2020
Nice to meet you!
I’m Lindsay and I ♡ FOOD. I used to be a teacher, and now making food and writing about it online is my full-time job. I love talking with people about food, and I'm so glad you're here.
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love the sound of a dinner club with extra special food and company! and not surprised that gnocchi was such a show stopper; it’s such good comfort food (:
Would definitely agree! 🙂
Looks and sounds incredible! Such a well written post as always! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for the comment, Rhian!
I love gnocchi and wish I could eat it with abandon, but…way too many carbs and calories and dairy for me. Oh well, I can just imagine how good it tastes.
I made this vegan using vegan parmesan and a nut ricotta recipe that will change your life. All very simple if you have a food processor.
I found these very light and unlike any gnocchi I’d ever had. It is now my life goal to eat these everyday.
I would love to see the vegan nut ricotta recipe you used. I want to make these but would prefer to make them dairy free. Thanks!
I would love to see your nut milk recipe as well
Can you use butternut squash instead of sweet potato for this recipe? They are similar in some ways, just curious if anyone has tried any substitutions. Thanks
Squash is a bit wetter than sweet potato, if you were to sub the ricotta for goat cheese (since there is less liquid in that) you might have some luck!
What kind of protein would pair well with this? I’m thinking ground turkey maybe?
Yes, that would be a great addition!
This dish looks so amazing and perfect for fall! Love all the comforting flavors 🙂
I was for seriously just looking for some gnocchi recipes over the last week and debating between ricotta vs. sweet potato gnocchi. PROBLEM SOLVED. K, great. Thanks. 🙂
Hope you enjoyed it!
Did this yesterday . Utterly gorgeous. I froze the left over gnocchi . Would I need to defrost them before boiling them or can I put them in straight from the freezer ?
Glad you liked the recipe! You should be able to boil them from frozen!
This recipe is not very vegan but it looks delicious !
I want to try to do a vegan version ! 😉
Great idea, Mary!
Oh my this looks so good! It’s making me so hungry!
x Annabelle
travelsandtea.com
Lindsay, I really love your recipes but this one looks particularly selfish! Thanks for sharing will definitely be testing this one out soon! 🙂
Whoops particularly delish!!!! Not selfish.. although I may be selfish and not share any!!
Ha! Hope you enjoy it! 🙂
I made your regular version of this last night and again for lunch today — so simple, so easy, so delicious! I’ll have to add broccoli rabe to it next time!!
Do itttttt! So good!
I’m not sure what I love more, this insanely delicious looking recipe or the bowl you have said recipe in!
Thanks, Brooklyn!
i made this gnocchi a few weeks back after seeing your video on facebook & you are not lying when you say they are light & fluffy. they’re like little clouds. omg. husband has requested on repeat ever since. =)
Glad to hear that, Jess!
I love gnocchi but never made them myself. Looks like this is going to change soon. I like how fluffy yours look!
Definitely! Hope you enjoy it!
wonderful use of sweet potato, gnocchi with ricotta seems like perfect compliment! Thanks for sharing this
I looked high and low for broccoli rabe recently because it was in another recipe I wanted to try, and I couldn’t find it anywhere! I even ventured away from my usual grocery store to Whole Foods and the specialty produce store and couldn’t find it. It sounds great!
Sooooo delicious! My first attempt at gnocchi and my husband and I were both transported to gourmet nirvana, I’ll make this again! I used broccoli that I steamed to al dente but as others have stated it is very easy to substitute other veggies for the often hard to find broccoli rabe.
Made these tonight and couldn’t have enjoyed more. Light, fluffy, tasty, made without the broccoli rabe. Truly, the best part of my night. I’d recommend these to anyone for any occasion. Delish. Beats most of what I have bought to cook myself or eaten out.
Awesome! Glad to hear it, Suzanne!
Wow. This sounds killer. Are you saying your dinner club made this gnocchi, and then you served it with those three different sauces? Or did you have other things with the other sauces? Just want to paint the right picture in my mind. Thanks. Love ya.
Hi Connie! I think they made standard potato gnocchi – not sweet potato. 🙂 But I think the potato gnocchi was served with all the other sauces!
Great recipe! Exactly what I was looking for 🙂
Ok I need this dish in my life! My pregnant belly is definitely liking the look of these carbs hehe and what a great idea to have a dinner club – love it!
Wow that sounds so good. I love the combination especially the broccoli. Have to give it a try 🙂
Oh wow this looks absolutely scrumptious! Thanks for another great recipe. Love these photos as well.
Rae | Love from Berlin
This recipe is so glorious – we don’t have broccoli rabe in Australia/at my local supermarket so substituted normal broccoli and spinach leaves. Have no idea if this is a similar taste but it was wonderful!
Awesome! Glad you enjoyed it!
This was great and my kids loved it!! I haven’t had gnocchi before but this was pretty easy and delicious. I also couldn’t find broccoli rabe so I used broccolini which worked well.
So happy to hear it was a hit! Thanks for the comment, Cynthia!
This looks amazing! Gnocchi is so so good and sweet potato gnocchi is a no brainer combo!!! I am loving this idea!!
P.S. we made your smoked salmon chowder last night (It’s one of our faves!) and it was so so good!
I made this with GF flour and it ROCKED! Want to impress someone make this!
Awesome, we’re happy to hear that! 🙂 Thanks, Catie!
I’ve found that gnocchi doesn’t last well in the fridge and becomes very soggy and unpleasant How does this one go if prepared a day or so earlier?
I’ve actually boiled the gnocchi, put it in the fridge for a day, and then finished the dish in the pan. It actually holds up pretty well since the gnocchi get crispy in the pan. 🙂
I made this recipe for dinner last night and it was delicious. I adjusted the quantities to make enough for two and was seriously impressed with the outcome, given it was so easy.
Glad you enjoyed it, Rhonda! 🙂