egg-less gnocchi in spicy tomato sauce

Egg-less gnocchi made with waxy Yukon gold potatoes. This recipe flies in the face of disaster! Completely unorthodox and absolutely dreamy!

At some point yesterday afternoon, I started to crave a plate of gnocchi. By the time I finished in the garden I was starving and totally focused on whipping up some lovely little potato dumplings!

You can only begin to understand my devastation perhaps that’s a bit exaggerated when I discovered that I only had Yukon gold potatoes and didn’t have eggs or a potato ricer. Every recipe written for potato gnocchi recommends using dry floury potatoes. It helps produce a light fluffy dumpling.

I could have just boiled up some pasta but I was curious to see if I could make gnocchi with waxy potatoes and no eggs. If I was successful, my vegan friends would have another  dish to add to their recipe box!

I baked the potatoes in a hot oven hoping to dry them out a little. That didn’t really work. The potatoes were still sticky when I scooped them out of their shells. I whipped them until they were fluffy with an electric beater then slowly started adding the flour. I stopped at one cup intuitively not because the dough felt finished but because I knew any more flour would produce belly bombers.

The dough was super soft but did manage to shape into gnocchi. The kicker would be whether they would poach or turn to mash potatoes when I tried to cook them. As you can see – SUCCESS! I’ve had customers at the restaurant describe my gnocchi as fluffy little clouds. These gnocchi were not so much fluffy as they were creamy. Completely different but absolutely delightful. If you aren’t an experienced gnocchi maker, this is the recipe for you! If you have made gnocchi, ignore your instincts and prepare to enjoy a new gnocchi experience.

Egg-less Potato Gnocchi in Spicy Tomato Basil Sauce

Serves 4

Preheat oven 425*F

6 medium Yukon gold potatoes, pricked with a fork
1 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon sea salt

Bake potatoes 1 hour
Cut potatoes in half to release the steam
Scoop pulp into large bowl
Add salt and the flour – ¼ cup at a time
Place dough on a heavily floured board and knead gently until smooth
Cut off strips and roll into tubes
Cut into 2” pieces
Store on heavily floured surface until ready to poach
Bring a large pot of water to a boil then reduce the heat to medium
Drop gnocchi gently into water and poach until gnocchi float to the surface.
Remove with slotted spoon to sauce pan.
Coat gnocchi with sauce and serve.

Spicy Tomato Sauce

2 large cloves of garlic, minced
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
1-28 ounce tin of diced plum tomatoes in puree
Large handful fresh basil, coarsely chopped
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper

Warm oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.
Sautee garlic for 1 minute
Add tomatoes and bring to a bubble
Add basil and seasoning.
Reduce heat and simmer until thick.

THE LOVE: Use the most gently touch that you have. This recipe is unorthodox but produces to creamy gnocchi. Serve with lots of grated Reggiano Parmigiano.

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one year ago: Tuscany was magical

two years ago: braised fennel

Thanks for reading.