Pasta & Gnocchi | Italian Inspired Recipes
You are going to love these healthy homemade gnocchi made with spelt flour. They pair amazingly with any sauce! So easy to make!
This webpage contains affiliate links. Please view our disclosure policy for more details.
Italian gnocchi are among the most popular food in the world. These little dumplings made of potatoes, flour and eggs are light and delicious meal. Once made, gnocchi only take a few minutes to cook and you can serve them in a variety of ways.
This recipe brings you a twist on classic gnocchi, as this recipe use whole grain spelt flour which makes these gnocchi super delicious and healthy. Spelt flour with its dark flecks gives gnocchi rustic appearance and slightly nutty taste.
One of the best ways to server these gnocchi is just to toss them in a butter on a frying pan until golden or pair with a simple tomato sauce.
Making these rustic gnocchi is easy. The base of gnocchi are potatoes which are cooked in their skin. Choose starchy potatoes which are the best for gnocchi as they contain more starch and gnocchi will be light and fluffy.
Cook them whole in a large pot of water, then peel of their skin then pass through potato ricer (you can also do this with a potato masher). Place potatoes on a work surface, season with salt, sprinkle the spelt flour on the top then add an egg.
Gently mix everything to make a soft gnocchi dough. Don't add too much flour to the dough, otherwise the dough will be too heavy and gnocchi will be tough.
Divide the dough into 4, then roll each piece into a long rope and cut into 2.5cm pieces using a dough scraper or a knife. Press each piece with a back of fork to make nice ridges - this is for nicer look as well as keeping the sauce later on. Place gnocchi on floured tray or plate to avoid sticking.
Your gnocchi are done - cook them immediately or freeze for later use. You can keep them in the fridge for only short time, about 30 minutes, otherwise they will become soggy.
Gnocchi are cooked in a large pot of salted water. Once the water start to boils, drop 5 - 6 gnocchi in the water. When cooked they will rise to the surface. Drain them using a slotted spoon and place in a bowl. Serve immediately with your favourite sauce.
You can serve freshly made gnocchi right away or within a couple of hours (refrigerate them), or you can freeze them for later use. Place the gnocchi on a baking sheet and freeze until they are hard to touch, at least one hour.
Transfer them to zip-top bag and freeze for up to two months. When you're ready to use them, DON'T DEFROST the gnocchi or they'll lose their shape as they cook. Instead, throw the frozen gnocchi straight into the boiling water.