Homemade Sweet Potato Gnocchi Recipe - Grain Free + Paleo Option! (2024)

FAQs

Are sweet potatoes allowed on a paleo diet? ›

Yes — sweet potatoes are generally considered a paleo-approved food, however, some paleo dieters prefer to limit their consumption to avoid consuming too many carbohydrates that spike their blood sugar levels.

Gnocchi Alternatives

For recipes that call for the gnocchi to be tossed in sauce or added to broths or soups, you can swap in a thicker-style pasta, like Orecchiette or Shells. The flavor and texture won't be quite the same, though. You will also need to adjust the cook time.

The most common reason for mushy sweet potato gnocchi is boiling it too long; once it's floated for 30 seconds, it should be promptly removed and drained well. Drain Off as Much Water as Possible.

Traditionally, gnocchi dough is made of semolina or plain wheat flour, egg, and mashed potato. That being said, gnocchi ingredients may vary, with the additional ingredients or substitutions including cheese, vegetables, and herbs.

Fruits and Vegetables

Pasta can be replaced with veggie noodles, traditional rice can be swapped out for cauliflower rice and any starchy vegetable like the sweet potato is an excellent source of complex carbohydrates.

Just like all foods that contain carbohydrates, sweet potatoes can raise blood sugar levels, Phipps tells us. How much your blood sugar levels rise is based on your total serving size, how you cook your sweet potatoes, and what you pair with them.

Nutritional Value

Believe it or not, regular pasta is actually more carb-heavy than gnocchi, coming in at around 2 times the amount of carbs per serving. Gnocchi is also notorious for having a lot more sodium, with over 200 grams of it per serving. Regular pasta doesn't have nearly as high of a sodium content.

Your gnocchi may be mushy because of any or all of the following reasons: boiled the potatoes instead of baked them. used waxy new potatoes with too much moisture in them. not used eggs to help texture.

Chewy gnocchi are the result of too much flour and over kneading the dough. It's important to knead the dough just until it comes together into a smooth ball and no more. This is because you don't want to encourage too much gluten development which makes them tough, chewy and rubbery.

How to store gnocchi. Store covered in the fridge for up to three days, or freeze uncovered and separated on a tray until solid, then transfer to freezer bags or containers for up to three months.

How to make gnocchi firmer? ›

How to make a firmer Gnocchi. Boil the potatoes with the peel on, that way the potato absorbs less water. Peel the potato and place through a potato ricer immediately, because the cooler they get the stickier they become. An easy way to peel the potato is stick a fork through and peel it using a knife.

Tomato, pesto (or pesto alfredo), and butter-based sauces are the best components in a delicious Italian gnocchi recipe. All three are commonly found on restaurant menus. Some restaurants may offer gnocchi as part of a soup, salad, or paired with a plate of vegetables as well.

The word gnocchi may be derived from the Italian word nocchio, meaning a knot in wood, or from nocca, meaning knuckle. It has been a traditional type of Italian pasta since Roman times.

Similar to pasta, gnocchi is high in carbohydrates and low in protein. Although both are carbohydrate-heavy foods, it has been shown that regular pasta may have less of an effect on blood sugar levels. One publication points to the fact that pasta doesn't raise blood sugar after a meal to the level that potatoes do.

If you want to eat unprocessed potatoes, you can. They are paleo-friendly, though some people don't eat them. The key to following this diet is to eat fresh, natural foods. This means you'll have to avoid potatoes cooked or fried with processed oils, refined sugar, or other additives that aren't paleo-friendly.

The beta-carotene in sweet potatoes has been shown to fight inflammation, and eating them regularly can help ease joint pain and other symptoms of inflammatory conditions like arthritis. If you're looking for a delicious way to reduce inflammation, add some sweet potatoes to a salad or bake alongside protein!

These are beans, lentils, and peas. Legumes are not paleo because they were only introduced into the human diet about 5,000 to 7,000 years ago. Legumes are difficult to digest and can contain unhealthy fats.

Paleo-Friendly Sweeteners

Raw honey might have been most prevalent to cavemen so this would be approved if you're going the paleo route! Maple syrup and molasses are also paleo. Maple syrup, in its purest form without any additives, is a naturally occurring sugar extracted from maple trees.