Gnocchi are small dumplings made with cooked potatoes and just enough flour to hold them together. I swapped the traditional white potatoes for far-more-healthful sweet potatoes and paired the gnocchi with broccoli. The color combo is fabulous and so is the flavor, thanks to a sprinkling of Parmigiano-Reggiano. And while many gnocchi recipes include a cream- or butter-based sauce for tossing, these are served in a garlicky broth stirred together with a bit of Greek yogurt instead. They take a little while to make, but given the great taste and the powerhouse nutritional value of sweet potatoes—and just under 350 calories per serving—they’re more than worth the trouble.
If you’re using sweet potatoes that come wrapped in plastic, remove the plastic before microwaving. If the potatoes are cooked in plastic, they will retain too much water and your gnocchi dough will be too soft.
Recipe information
Yield
serves 4
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Prick the skin of the sweet potatoes with a fork and microwave them on high for 12 minutes, turning them once halfway through, until they are completely cooked. Allow the sweet potatoes to cool slightly and then scoop the flesh (there should be 1 3/4 cups) into a food mill or potato ricer until smooth. Dispense into a bowl and season the potato mixture with the nutmeg and salt and pepper to taste. Next, mix in the whole-wheat pastry flour 1/2 cup at a time until a soft, pliable but not tough dough is formed. You will probably use about 1 cup of flour.
Step 2
Fill a pastry bag fitted with a large plain tip with the gnocchi dough (alternately, cut the bottom 1/4-inch off the corner of a resealable plastic bag and fill with the sweet potato mixture. Invert a nonstick baking sheet so that the bottom is facing up. Pipe lines of the dough, about 3/4 inch to 1 inch thick, directly onto the baking sheet. Space the dough lines at least 1 inch apart. Once you have piped all of the dough, place the sheet in the freezer and freeze the dough until it is firm, up to 30 minutes.
Step 3
Use a chef’s knife to cut through the dough at 1 inch intervals to make the gnocchi. Roll the frozen gnocchi in a little of the whole-wheat flour and transfer them to another baking sheet that has been sprinkled with some whole-wheat flour. Wrap the gnocchi with plastic wrap. Refrigerate the gnocchi for one day or freeze in a sealed plastic bag for up to two weeks.
Step 4
Bring a very large pot of salted water to a boil.
Step 5
Meanwhile, in a large skillet, bring the broth and garlic to a boil over high heat. Add the broccoli to the skillet. Season with salt and pepper to taste, cover, and cook until tender, about 3 minutes.
Step 6
When the water comes to a rolling boil, add the gnocchi and stir gently with a rubber spatula to keep them from sticking to one another. Cook the gnocchi just until they rise to the surface, 4 to 6 minutes; then drain.
Step 7
Transfer the hot broccoli to a large bowl. Stir in the yogurt until the mixture is creamy. Add the gnocchi and the cheese to the bowl, and toss gently to coat. Season with salt and pepper to taste, if desired, and serve.
Nutritional Information:
Step 8
Fat: 58g (before), 4.0g (after)
Step 9
Calories: 1,030 (before), 348(after)
Step 10
Protein: 17g
Step 11
Carbohydrates: 65g
Step 12
Cholesterol: 9mg
Step 13
Fiber: 11g
Step 14
Sodium: 562mg
