How do you pronounce Gnocchi?

First, the G is silent. Give it a try: N(Y)OK-ee or nee-ah-kee. Well, anyway you pronounce it, it’s a great breakfast or first course meal alternative and if you like sweet potatoes (of course you do) you’re going to love these.

Easy Gnocchi Recipe

Gnocchi, typically in Italian culture are eaten as a first course. They’re usually an alternative to soup or even pasta and that makes sense now… since we’re thinking paleo. Ours is a take on this but for breakfast. Also, Gnocchi are generally home-made in Italian and immigrant Italian households. You can also buy from specialty stores. In supermarkets, industrially produced packaged gnocchi are widely available refrigerated, dried, or frozen but really, they’re not that great (usually). And, if we weren’t eating these for breakfast, they can be accompanied by melted butter with sage, pesto, and well, any other various Italian sauces.

Sweet Potato Recipe Ideas

As you’re probably well aware by now, I’m always looking for new ways to prepare sweet potatoes. I had heard of gnocchi before and did some research on how to make it paleo (several years ago). I kept hearing stories about the stuff just falling apart and disintegrating in the boiling water and I honestly did not want to waste a ton of sweet potatoes and almond flour, but went for it anyway, with my hopes and expectations very low.

No Xantham Gum or Guar Gum

My starting point was this recipe, which seemed to be the most successful of any that I found, but it included xantham or guar gums, neither of which I had or wanted to purchase, so I left them out and crossed my fingers. I did not replace them with anything because I couldn’t find enough information about the appropriate substitutions, if there actually were any.

This recipe includes a LOT of almond flour, but I found that I wound up using quite a but less than the original recipe called for and still had great success. Of course, this could all have to do with the water content of your potatoes after boiling them, so just keep an eye on the consistency as your adding the flour and starch. As far as how much this makes, I almost filled a one gallon freezer bag, so it makes a lot, great for a quick meal, breakfast, or side dish. I think I will try this with my Paleo Spaghetti Sauce as a main course one night…

Also, I’d highly recommend a potato ricer for this recipe. It will really help you to get smooth potatoes with no lumps. Now, on to the recipe!