Potato Gnocchi can be hard to find in some grocery stores. But never fear you can make your own homemade potato gnocchi. It is very inexpensive to make and you can feed a very large family on a big pot of potato gnocchi.
Potato gnocchi can be hard to find in some grocery stores. But never fear, you can make your own homemade potato gnocchi and feed a lot of people with a big pot of these delicious little potato dumplings. Leftover cooked potatoes make great potatoes for gnocchi – you get to use them up and make a filling and inexpensive meal. Plus, potato gnocchi is even tastier if you make it from scratch.
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What Is Potato Gnocchi?
Gnocchi are doughy, pillow-like dumplings that are treated much like pasta. They are boiled and served with a potato gnocchi sauce of your choice. While it is a little messy, you will find that this is an easy and versatile pasta dish with just a few ingredients – potatoes, flour, eggs, and salt.
You can use this gnocchi in another potato gnocchi recipe, such as Alfredo sausage gnocchi bake or Olive Garden chicken and gnocchi soup. Or you can serve it with any sauce that you like. I love a dish like this because it can help you extend leftover sauces as well as use up leftover potatoes.
Are Gnocchi Pasta or Potato Dumplings?
Pasta is typically made from wheat flour, eggs, and water. The most common type of gnocchi (“lumps” in English) is made from potatoes that are combined with flour to make a dough. A small amount of egg is added to act as a binder and to give the mixture some density.
The use of potatoes as a primary ingredient has created a debate as old as time: is gnocchi a pasta or a type of dumpling? To complicate matters, some kinds of gnocchi are made with a pasta dough called impasto, and this is why gnocchi is often categorized as pasta.
What Are the Best Potatoes for Gnocchi?
Go for Yukon gold or russet potatoes. Don’t use new potatoes because they contain more water which absorbs too much flour.
Is It Better to Boil or Bake Potatoes for Gnocchi?
Most people boil their potatoes for gnocchi, but to achieve fluffier gnocchi, some swear by baking them. You can even bake them on a bed of rock salt to absorb any moisture.
How to Serve Homemade Potato Gnocchi
You can finish your gnocchi with a simple butter and Parmesan cheese topping if you like. You could also use some leftover pasta sauce as a potato gnocchi sauce or make some Alfredo sauce and have a wonderful dish.
- Recipe Tip for the Cook – Use prepared mashed potatoes (like Bob Evans) to cut down on the prep time.
How to Store Potato Gnocchi
This recipe makes a lot of gnocchi. You can leave the uncooked gnocchi in an airtight container for up to 48 hours for cooking during the next day or two. You can also cook the gnocchi and re-heat it later. I think it is best to cook the gnocchi just before serving.
You can also freeze your uncooked gnocchi and use them from time to time as side dishes. Lay them out on a cookie sheet till frozen and transfer them to a freezer bag. When you decide to use them, just add to rolling salted boiling water and cook until they float plus a minute more (no need to defrost first).
Potato Gnocchi Recipe Ingredients
Here is a list of what you need to make potato gnocchi:
- Potatoes
- Flour
- Egg
- Salt
How to Make Potato Gnocchi
- Boil the potatoes for 10 to 15 minutes, or until fork-tender.
- Let the potatoes cool until they can be handled comfortably.
- Peel the potatoes and place them into a bowl.
- Use a potato masher to mash the potatoes until they are smooth.
- Transfer mashed potatoes to a large board.
- Place half of the flour on top of the potatoes.
- Make a well in the center of the flour and add salt and the egg.
- Use your hands to mix the egg, flour, salt, and potatoes together.
- When the flour has been fully incorporated, add the remaining flour and mix until all the flour is absorbed.
- Take a small portion of the potato gnocchi dough and roll it into a long log.
- Cut the log into pieces.
- Roll the pieces over a fork to give them the classic gnocchi shape.
- Repeat rolling and cutting with the remaining dough.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
- Cook gnocchi in boiling water for 2 to 3 minutes or until it floats.
How to Serve Gnocchi
You can use this gnocchi in a recipe or you can serve it with any sauce that you like. I love a dish like this because it can really help you extend leftover sauces.
I am going to finish this gnocchi up with a little butter and Parmesan. But you could use some leftover pasta sauce or make some Alfredo sauce and have a wonderful dish.
Love Gnocchi? Try these recipes with gnocchi!
- Chicken Gnocchi Soup
- Gnocchi Alfredo with Italian Sausage
Favorite Italian Pasta Dishes
- Chicken and Shrimp Carbonara
- Chicken Romano Recipe
- Chicken Tortellini Soup
- Egg Pasta Recipe
- Garlic Shrimp Pasta Recipe
- Olive Garden Baked Pasta
- Olive Garden Chicken Alfredo
- Olive Garden Lasagna
- Seafood Alfredo
Check out more of my easy pasta recipes and the best Italian recipes here on CopyKat!
Homemade Potato Gnocchi
Ingredients
- 2 pounds russet potatoes
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 egg
- 1½ teaspoons salt
Instructions
- Boil potatoes in their skins in salted water for about 10 to 15 minutes or until fork-tender (larger potatoes will take longer). Allow to cool until they can be handled easily.
- Remove the skins and place potatoes in a medium-sized bowl. Use a potato masher to mash the potatoes until they are of a smooth consistency.
- Transfer the mashed potatoes onto a large board. (Make sure they are cool enough, so they won’t immediately cook the egg.)
- Add 1 to 1½ cups of flour to the potatoes. Make a well on the center of the flour and add 1 to 1½ teaspoons salt.
- Add the egg to the flour well and mix into the potato and flour.
- When all of the flour has been fully incorporated into the potato mixture, add the remaining flour. Mix until all of the flour is absorbed and you get the texture of bread dough.
- Take a small portion of the dough and roll it into a long log. Using a knife, cut the log into ½-inch pieces. To make the classic gnocchi shape, take a piece of gnocchi and roll it across a fork to leave the impression of the fork tines in the dough.
- Cook the gnocchi by boiling it in a large pot of salted water for about 2 to 3 minutes or until the gnocchi floats.
Beth
iTALIANS Dont waste anything. Left over mashed potatoes are always made into gnocchi. Left over roast is always made into ravioli! There are many recipes in an italian cook book that are made from left overs. Gnocchi is best served with the Red sauce (sugo). That is my favorite pasta!
Jennifer L
This works absolutely wonderful. If you have a ricer, put the potato through that and your gnocchi will be as light as a feather. Thanks for all the good recipes. Very much appreciated!
Ilovefreebies
I made this with left-over mashed potatoes. Loved this.
Sandra Wiesner
Love this recipe
Cynthia Willis
Made this last week, we thought it was delicious and every bit as good as the soup in the restaurant. I shared the recipe with friends, too!
Lea
I used your recipe at thanksgiving while visiting my daughter and her family in Kansas. I used them with the recipe for the Olive Garden chicken gnocchi soup. We had a lot left over and we froze them. She will be using them throughout the winter as side dishes. What a great and easy recipe. The soup was a hit. I do have to share that you should be prepared to spend time rolling them if you use the fork. I did because it looks so good and so professional. Today I’m making them at home to surprise my Delaware family with the same soup. Thank you for sharing this with me
Stella
Have you ever tried using prepared mashed potatoes (like Bob Evans)? They are already mashed and cold so that would cut out a lot of the prep time.
Stephanie
I haven’t tried this before. That would definitely save some time.
Margo Tauzel
It’s not working well for me…
Darlene DeSilva
Can you use a gluten free flour?
Stephanie
I honestly haven’t tried it. It may work.
Amy
I only have white potatoes. Do you think that will be oK?
stephaniemanley
I think it should be ok.
Camille Treibel
Benton Harbor! I have an aunt(Virginia Ott) and her family that lives there and oh about 40 years ago(man…I am old) I visited there with my dad, stepmom and foster sister. Thanks for this recipe! I am going to use it to make the Olive Garden Soup. That looks so delicious!
stephaniemanley
I hope this worked out well for you.
Sheri Richter
What a great video! You made it looks so fun and easy. Thank you!
Apick
Need the rest of the recipe from Olive Garden so I can make the chicken soup with the Gnocchi.
stephaniemanley
This was the full recipe for the gnocchi, the potato soup can be found at https://copykat.com/olive-garden-chicken-and-gnocchi-soup/
Richard Blaine
I am really BIG into Italian dishes and I LOVE Potato Gnocchi! Your dish looks delicious! I am really hungry now and wish I had some of this!
Debi
Good recipe..I’ve been doing this for years. Great to do with the kids. They LOVE to “roll out the snakes”! Since it can get a bit messy we tend to make a ton of it at once. They freeze very well. Just lay on a cookie sheet till frozen and transfer to a freezer bag. No need to defrost. Add to rolling salted boiling water and cook until it floats plus a minute more. Perfect!
Stamper1004
Awesome! Can’t wait to try it! I made the Olive Garden gnocchi soup with store bought gnocchi and that was excellent! I bet it will be even better with home made gnocchi! : ) This kind of reminds me of when I made lefse, only in balls!?
Stephanie
This makes a lot of gnocchi so you will be enjoying it for several evenings.