Paleo Pumpkin Gnocchi

This paleo pumpkin gnocchi is both gluten-free and paleo and smothered with a delicious ghee sage sauce . The gnocchi is made with pumpkin, almond flour, tapioca flour and egg. It’s the perfect hearty and savory meal for fall and winter.

Wow, it’s been a minute hasn’t it? Sorry about that.  Life got busy with Christmas and another deployment! But I’m back with a goal to share recipes with you at least twice a week.  So get yourselves ready on Monday’s and Friday’s for sure. I’ll start there and if you happen to get a Wednesday sprinkled in there then lucky you!

We are gearing up to participate in a Whole30 starting January 17th-February 16th! So I’ll definitely be sharing recipes created over that on here.  Even if you haven’t jumped on that train yet still eating clean a few days a week will do wonders for your body!

Growing up I had the affectionate nickname of the “pasta queen.” When my mom would always ask me what I’d like for dinner I would ALSO answer “pasta and sauce!”  Every time my mom was boiling the water for pasta I would be the one to add it and stir.  Testing it far more times than is necessary to check that its done.  I lived off that stuff in college.  That and cheap pizza!

But since switching to a paleo lifestyle I have only really had spaghetti squash.  Which is amazing and God bless it but the other day I was craving that doughy and pillowy magic of the real good pasta.  So I decided to try my hand at a paleo pumpkin gnocchi.  And it definitely did not disappoint!

Many people think of gnocchi as a pasta dish, but it’s more a potato dish. And while traditional versions use white potatoes and wheat flour, today we’re using pumpkin and a combination of almond flour and tapioca powder.  The pumpkin is more wet than a potato so we add a little bit more flour to firm the dough up.

Why do I use tapioca flour instead of arrowroot flour?  Because I found that tapioca flour give you more of that light and fluffy texture we want to keep in the gnocchi ore so than arrowroot flour does.  But if you can’t find tapioca flour then arrowroot will work just fine.

This gnocchi recipe is pretty straight forward.  I use canned pumpkin puree (not the pie stuff please) and added in a little nutmeg for some more fall/winter flavor.  That did the trick!  I was actually intimidated to get started with a paleo gnocchi but once I did I was so glad I know have this recipe to go back to when I’m craving all the pasta things

But if you’re making this recipe for the first time, definitely give yourself a little extra time to make it. It’s not complicated, but it can be time consuming to roll and cut the gnocchi. The good news is you get faster with practice and time – promise.

PALEO PUMPKIN GNOCCHI TIPS:

If you’re making homemade gnocchi for the first time here are some additional tips…

• If you have a smaller kitchen and/or want a cleaner work surface you could mix the dough in a large bowl, then roll it out on a work surface. I was excited to use the large island in my new apartment, but I think I’ll take this approach next time.
• You could use either a gnocchi paddle or fork to make the indentations. But you could also leave the pieces as little gnocchi pillows. This would definitely save you time in the kitchen. Up to you. Though I do recommend making the indentations at least once, if nothing else than to have greater appreciation for all the Italian grandmothers out there.
• Gnocchi is pronounced nyah-key. Seems I’ve been saying nyo-key all these years. Oops! So think “knock” vs “know”.

Oh, and one more thing, you can definitely freeze and reheat this paleo pumpkin gnocchi recipe. Though if you’re more than 3 or 4 people, the odds of having leftovers aren’t very likely.  I always air on the side of wanting leftover so I’ll double this next time I make it!

Enjoy.

Print Recipe

Paleo Pumpkin Gnocchi

Prep Time

30 minutes

Cook Time

5 minutes

Passive Time

1 hour

Servings

1 cup

Ingredients

Gnocchi

• 1 1/4 cup blanched almond flour
• 1 cup tapioca flour extra for dusting
• 2 tbsp coconut flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg fresh ground
• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• 1 large egg

Ghee-Sage Sauce

• 1/4 cup ghee
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 4 fresh sage leaves whole

Prep Time 30 minutes Cook Time 5 minutes Passive Time 1 hour Servings 1 cup Ingredients Gnocchi 1 1/4 cup blanched almond flour 1 cup tapioca flour extra for dusting 2 tbsp coconut flour 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 tsp baking soda 1/2 tsp nutmeg fresh ground 1 cup pumpkin puree 1 large egg Ghee-Sage Sauce 1/4 cup ghee 2 cloves garlic minced 4 fresh sage leaves whole

Instructions

1. To make the gnocchi, add almond, tapioca, and coconut flour, salt, baking soda and nutmeg into bowl and combine.
2. In a large bowl or on a floured work surface, add 3/4 of the flour mixture to the pumpkin and create a well in the middle. Add the egg and lightly beat it, bring in the flour and potato until a thick paste forms. Then, use your hands to continue combining until it forms a nonsticky dough ball. If the pumpkin is too sticky, add more flour as needed until you can form a disk with the dough.
3. Cover the disk with plastic wrap or in an airtight container and refrigerate for an hour.
4. Slice the dough into equal sections. Sprinkle more tapioca flour onto your work space to keep the dough from sticking. With your hands roll each of those sections into a 1-inch rope. Cut each rope into 1-inch pieces and set aside.
5. Once all the dough has been cut, use a gnocchi paddle or fork to create indentations in the gnocchi.
6. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the gnocchi in batches to the pot and cook for 2-3 minutes, letting the gnocchi float to the surface. Use a skimmer or slotted spoon to transfer the gnocchi to a large bowl.
7. While gnocchi is cooking add ghee, garlic and sage to a large pan. Heat until sage gets crispy. Remove the crispy sage.
8. Add gnocchi to the hot oil and allow to fry for 1-2 minutes wide side.
9. To serve, divide the gnocchi between bowls and add a few crispy sage leaves for garnish.

Recipe Notes

Homemade gnocchi is not the fastest meal to make, but it sure is worth the effort. If you’re looking to save time, omit making the indentations on the gnocchi and leave as little pillow shapes.

Once made, this recipe can be frozen and reheated as well.

Share this Recipe