Homemade Potato Gnocchi
An easy Italian Pasta Dish recipe, Homemade Potato Gnocchi, made with only 4 ingredients. Tossed in a simple tomato sauce. These soft, delicate Gnocchi will make a delicious Dinner idea.
Living in Italy has made me realize that the simplest dish can be made in so many different ways, depending on the region or even how the family cooks it.
That of course also includes how to make Gnocchi. I have been told to use just flour and potatoes, or use some milk instead. But the best way I found is flour, salt, potatoes and an egg.
My father-in-law would often tell this rhyme to his grandkids “Ridi, Ridi che la Mamma ha fatta i gnocchi” (laugh, laugh, because mommy made gnocchi). The origin is supposedly during times of poverty when children would be happy because their mother was able to make something delicious with potatoes and flour.
What are gnocchi?
They are small pieces of dough, usually round or oblong in shape that are boiled in water or broth and then tossed with different sauces.
The term gnocco (which is the singular form of gnocchi) mean knot (or nodo), it refers to something hard such as the knuckles (nocche) of a finger. It was probably invented around the 16th century when potatoes were imported to Italy from America.
Recipe Ingredients
- Potatoes – best to use Yukon Gold or Russet
- Flour – all purpose
- Salt
- Egg – room temperature
How to make them
- In a large pot boil un peeled potatoes until tender, remove from the pot and let cool enough to handle, then remove the skin.
- Then pass through a Potato Ricer or mash.
- On a flat surface mix together the flour and salt make a well in the middle and add the potatoes and egg, mix together with your fingers to form a soft dough, it should not stick to your fingers.
- On a lightly floured surface, cut small amounts of dough to form ropes and cut into 3/4 inch (2 cm) pieces, then slide each piece on a fork and squeeze a little (but not too hard).
- Sprinkle with a little bit of flour and toss, so they don’t stick together.
- Let the gnocchi rest for 20 minutes before cooking.
- In a large pot of salted boiling water cook the gnocchi, gnocchi are ready when they float to the top.
- Drain and toss with desired sauce.
So how did I come by this recipe?
I have a great little family owned supermarket just down the street from me where I can get fresh eggs and really good cold cuts, slabs of pancetta, fresh nuts and other goodies and my just-purchased pressure cooker.
If you need it, they have it!
Over the years the woman who owns the store has also become a friend. She is originally from the South of Italy and left her family to marry and move North.
With the store business and family to take care of she doesn’t see them as often as she wishes.
My move from Canada to Italy was a little more extreme, but it was something we had in common and gave us something to break the ice.
So over the years I have acquired a good friend and some good recipes. This Gnocchi Recipe being one of them.
Different sauces for Gnocchi
There are several ways that you can serve Gnocchi, probably the most popular being a simple tomato sauce, you could also toss them with Pesto, butter and salvia or even a simple cream sauce.
How to make a firmer Gnocchi
- Use a red skinned potato
- Boil the potatoes with the peel on, that way the potato absorbs less water.
- Peel the potato and place through a potato ricer immediately, because the cooler they get the stickier they become.
- An easy way to peel the potato is stick a fork through and peel it using a knife.
- Although you should wait for the riced potato to cool before adding to the flour (or denaturation may occur).
What are Pelati tomatoes?
Pelati tomatoes are skinned plum (san marzano) tomatoes that are canned in their own juice with no additives such as salt, garlic basil etc. You can also use canned chopped tomatoes or even passata as long as there is nothing added to the tomatoes.
What is the best Potato for making them?
The perfect potato is an old potato, in other words no new potatoes. New potatoes contain more water which absorbs too much flour. Go for Yukon Gold or Russet Potatoes.
What is the best flour to use?
I think it all depends on preference, I always use all purpose, in Italy it’s called Manitoba but some people prefer 00 or a lower protein flour. A lower protein flour will make them softer and more tender.
How long does it take to cook gnocchi?
Once they have been added to the salted boiling water give them a couple of stirs and watch carefully, it doesn’t take long for them to cook 1-2 minutes (sometimes less), once the float to the surface they are done. Remove them immediately. Over cooked and they will turn to mush.
Different ways to serve them
Gnocchi can be served on their own in your favourite sauce or you can also bake them in the oven as a typical Italian baked pasta dish. Two of our favourites are a Baked Creamy Cheese White Sauce Gnocchi and a Baked Gnocchi Double Cheese Tomato Sauce. Either or both are definitely worth trying.
How to Store them
Potato gnocchi can be left uncooked for no more than a couple of hours (covered). Cooking may be a little longer because they will have dried out a bit in the air.
Any leftover cooked gnocchi should be stored in an airtight container and refrigerated. They will last up to three days in the fridge.
The Gnocchi can also be frozen, place the uncooked gnocchi on a cookie tray in the freezer, leave for approximately 20 minutes then place them in an airtight freezer bag. They will keep for about 1 month.
When you cook them there is no need to defrost, just add them to boiling salted water.
Delicious Gnocchi Recipes
So anytime you are craving a tasty home-made pasta dish, and you need it now and fast, Gnocchi are perfect. In an hour you could have a delicious pasta dish on the table and you can say “I did it myself”. Buon Appetito!
Homemade Potato Gnocchi
Ingredients
FOR THE GNOCCHI
- 1 pound potatoes (Yukon gold or russet are best) (clean but not skinned / not new potatoes)
- 1 cup flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 medium egg (room temperature)
SAUCE
- 2 tablespoons olive oil (40 grams)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1-2 cloves large of garlic chopped
- 1 teaspoons oregano
- 5 leaves basil chopped (or 1 teaspoon dried)
- 2 dashes of hot pepper flakes (if desired)
- 1 can pelati tomatoes with sauce (1½ to 2 cups / 400 grams), nothing else added in the tomatoes
- ½ cup water
Instructions
GNOCCHI
- In a large pot boil the unpeeled potatoes until tender, remove from the pot and let cool remove the skin. Then pass through a potato ricer. Yukon gold or russet are best. 1 pound potatoes (Yukon gold or russet are best) (½ kilo)
- Mix together the flour and salt, place on a flat surface, make a well in the middle and add the potatoes and egg, mix together with your fingers to form a soft dough, it should not stick to your fingers. On a lightly floured surface, cut small amounts of dough to form ropes and cut into ¾ inch (2 cm) pieces, then slide each piece on a fork and squeeze a little (but not too hard). Sprinkle with a little bit of flour and toss, so they don't stick together. Let the gnocchi rest for 20 minutes before cooking. 1 cup flour (125 grams), ½ teaspoon salt, 1 medium egg (room temperature),
TOMATO SAUCE
- While the gnocchi are resting make the sauce. In a large saucepan add olive oil, tomatoes, salt, garlic, oregano, basil, hot pepper flakes and water, stir to combine, half cover and let simmer over medium heat until thickened. Remove cover for the last few minutes to thicken. 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 can pelati tomatoes with sauce (1½ to 2 cups / 400 grams), nothing else added in the tomatoes, ½ teaspoon salt, 1-2 cloves large of garlic chopped, 1 teaspoons oregano, 5 leaves basil chopped (or 1 teaspoon dried), 2 dashes of hot pepper flakes (if desired), ½ cup water
COOKING GNOCCHI
- In a large pot of salted boiling water cook the gnocchi, gnocchi are ready when they float to the top. Drain and add to the cooked sauce, add a little pasta water, cook for 30 seconds, gently tossing. Serve immediately topped with fresh grated parmesan cheese if desired. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Updated from December 16, 2014.
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My husband and I just made these. It was simple, fun and delicious! Substituted home made pesto. Some of them tasted just a little doughy. Any thoughts? Thanks for sharing this delicious recipe!
Hi Janna, thanks so much, glad you enjoyed making them and eating them, being a bit too doughy could be from one of these causes a bit too much flour, maybe you overworked the dough, or try removing a bit more moisture from the potato, instead of boiling them try roasting them instead. I hope that helps. Let me know. Take care.
Hello, it turned out fine but whilst boiling a lot of paste got in d water. How to avoid that. Thank you
Hi Ana, to avoid this, make sure you use waxy potatoes such as yukon gold and instead of boiling the potatoes, bake them. I hope this helps. Take care!
HELP! The dough was very very sticky!!!! Where did I go wrong?
Hi Frankie, probably the potatoes were too watery. Let me know.
I used Yukon. Should I use russet next time? Could I have overworked the dough?
Hi Frankie strange if they were yukon, because they are the best to use, try baking the potatoes instead of boiling, and let them cool a bit (still warm) before putting them through the ricer, you want to remove as much moisture as possible. Let me know. Take care!
This recipe was EXCELLENT.
Perfect combo of potato vs.flour. Easy to handle and roll.
Hi Kathryn, thanks so much, so glad you enjoyed them. Take care!
Best gnocchi, tender, flavorful, and delicous!
Hi Ava, thanks so much, so glad you enjoyed them. Take care!
How much gnocchi is in per serving would you say?
Hi Cedric, I really can’t say depends on how big or small you make your gnocchi, but in Italy it would definitely feed 4. Take care!
Fiendishly simple and oh so delicious! I had an amazing gnocchi with cacio de pepe sauce at a restaurant a few weeks ago and wanted to copycat. I mentioned this to a friend who lived in Italy for several years and he said gnocchi was difficult to master. He always has trouble getting them to cook properly and float. It your recipe made it sound straightforward so I figured I didn’t have much to lose. The gnocchi were light and soft and totally delicious! The cacio de pepe was also quite lovely and they paired perfectly. I will definitely be doing these again, and trying other sauces.
Hi Aprilk, thanks so much, so glad you enjoyed them. Great idea with cacio e pepe. Take care!
I used this recipe to make gnocchi for the first time today. It was so easy and resulted in beautiful pillowy soft gnocchi. I didn’t need all the flour but I suppose the amount you need varies a little with the potato you use. I used red skinned potatoes. I’d never buy pre-made gnocci after this!
I used a different sauce recipe because we fancied a cheese sauce, so can’t comment on the rest of the recipe.
Hi Jessica thanks so much so glad you enjoyed it, and yes the amount of flour added can depend on the potato or even the type of flour you use. Take care!
I’m not sure what I did wrong, but my dough turned out super sticky and unmanageable. I admit I may have used the wrong type of potatoes because I’m Greek and the types you recommended aren’t really sold here (at least i dont think they are). I kept adding flour, I must have added more than twice the flour the recipe calls for but my dough just wasn’t coming together and kept sticking to my fingers. I weighted everything before I started so I really don’t know what could’ve gone so wrong!
I’m sure I made an error of some sort because everyone else seems to be very pleased with this recipe. But I just can’t figure out what it is that I did wrong! I’d really appreciate your input because I really want to make gnocchi and this recipe seems easy enough for me to follow.
Hi Evvangelia, if it’s too sticky then it is definitely the potatoes. I found this out, yellow-fleshed potatoes from Drama or Nevrokopi are similar to Yukon Gold, these are the ones I found Naxos potatoes (these are preferred) or Nevrokopi potatoes. Be sure to boil them with the skin on. I hope this helps. Let me know. Take care!
MADE THIS RECIPE LAST NIGHT. MY HUSBAND WAS A LITTLE SKEPTICAL BUT AFTER TASTING THEM HE SAID THEY WERE DELICIOUS! HE WANTS ME TO MAKE THEM AGAIN, AND AGAIN….. NOW I KNOW HOW GNOCCHI ARE SUPPOSED TO TASTE! THANK YOU.
Hi Joy, thanks so much, so glad you both enjoyed them. Take care!
Delicious of course! Easier than other recipes I’ve used in the past and just as good! I did use my KitchenAid to mix the dough (with my dough hook), it seemed to work fine. I’ve just never seemed to master the art of pasta dough by hand!
Hi Kim, thanks so much, so glad you enjoyed it. Take care!
What did i do wrong? I followed the recipe but the dough is super sticky even after adding more flour
Hi K, I would say it could be the potatoes you use and or the flour. Take care.
Omg, so good! We made just the gnocchi from this recipe and used jarred pesto for the sauce, and WOW it is the best gnocchi we have ever made! So pillowy and delicious. Thank you for such a great recipe!
Hi Nicole, thanks so much, so glad you enjoyed them. Take care!
Hi Rosemary,
Had exactly 1lb of mash left. Followed the steps to s T… The best pillowy, melt in your mouth gnocchi.. Thanks for an excellent recipe.
Hi Dee, thanks so much, so glad you enjoyed it. Take care!