This recipe is for easy and delicious beetroot gnocchi. They are super delicious, tender with a delicate beetroot flavor. These beetroot gnocchi are both vegan and gluten free. They only require a few key ingredients, are really easy to make and can be served with a variety of toppings. I made my gnocchi with chickpea flour and potato starch, but the flour and starch can easily be replace according to preferences.
Original gnocchi are Italian dumplings made using potatoes, egg yolk and flour. Gnocchi actually means dumplings in Italian. I guess you might have noticed or read that Im usually not a huge fan of pasta, gnocchi or dumpling. I think the taste is just bland and boring to be honest! It also feels very “doughy” and heavy… feeling like you have a big dough in your stomach after eating it. But I like to experiment and try new things out. And I most often feel that there are ways to make a boring dish more interesting and also make them less heavy. And that’s exactly what these beetroot gnocchi are! I find them more juicy, tender and light compared to regular potato gnocchi. They have a delicate beetroot flavor and feel much lighter than regular ones. Not to mention the color! Wow, isn’t it much more fun and inviting to eat pink/red gnocchi than bland white ones? I used chickpea flour and potato starch when making mine, but the flour can be replaced according to preferences and what you have at home. The taste will of course vary slightly depending on which flour you choose. And the amount of flour might need to be adjusted slightly as well. Since I wanted to make a light, get flavorful and colorful dish I served my gnocchi with fried spinach, mushrooms and hazelnuts. A recommendation is to add your favorite cheese on top.
A few tips:
- It’s a good idea to cook the potatoes and beetroots the day before (or a few hours before) making the gnocchi. But it’s not a must.
- The amount of flour might need to be adjusted slightly depending on what kind of potatoes.
- The potato starch can be replaced with more (chickpea) flour, but it will affect the consistency slightly.
- The dough should be firm and formable, but still a bit sticky. So don’t add too much flour so the dough gets really dry. Worst case it’s better to add more flour later.
- Make sure not to cook too many gnocchi at the same time. Then you will risk them sticking together.
- Cook the gnocchi on low/medium heat. Don’t have the water boiling too heavy, the gnocchi might break during cooking in that case.
- These gnocchi can also be baked in the oven. That will make them more dry and crunchy than the cooked ones.
- A delicious idea is to fry the gnocchi in the pan until they get a golden surface. That will make them soft and tender inside with a lovely crunchy surface.
Ingredients for these Beetroot Gnocchi:
- Potatoes
- Beetroot
- Chickpea flour
- Potato starch
- Cumin
- Salt
- Pepper
- Spinach
- Mushrooms
- Shallots
- Hazelnuts
- Cheese (optional)
Other recipes you might like:
- Vegan Zucchini & Ricotta Rolls (Gluten, Dairy & Grain Free, Low Carb)
- Quinoa Stuffed Bell Peppers (Gluten Free & Vegan)
- Herb & Zucchini Flatbread Pizza (Gluten Free & Vegan)
- Zucchini Pappardelle with Tomato & Vegetable Sauce
Beetroot Gnocchi (Vegan & Gluten Free)
Ingredients
For the gnocchi
- 2 middle sized Potatoes
- 2 middle sized Beetroots
- 2 dl Chickpea flour
- 1 dl Potato starch (can be replaced by more chickpea flour but it will affect the texture a bit)
- 1+1 tsp Salt
- A pinch of Freshly ground black pepper
For the topping
- 100 g Fresh spinach
- 6-8 Button mushrooms sliced
- 1 tbsp Water
- 1 small Shallot
- 1/2 tsp Cumin
- Sea salt, to taste
- Black pepper, to taste
- 1-2 tbsp Hazelnuts roughly chopped
- (Vegan) cheese (optional) grated
Instructions
- Cook the potatoes and beetroots in seperate pots until soft.
- Drain and rinse the potatoes and beetrotts when done.
- Let them cool for a few minutes until you can handle them without burning.
- Peel potaotes and beetroots.
- Run through a ricer into a bowl.
- Add salt and pepper.
- Add the chickpea flour and potato starch (start by adding 3/4th and then add more if needed) to the riced potatoes and beetroots and kneed until it forms a dough.
- Keep on kneeding until all the flour is incoroprated and the dough is soft, firm and a little sticky.
- Tear of a piece of the dough and roll the dough on a well floured plain surface into a rope that is about 2 cm wide.
- Make marks using a fork (optional) and then cut the dough into smaller pieces inbetween the fork marks. (Approximately 2-3 cm long).
- Repeat with the rest of the dough.
- Bring water to a boil in a pot and add salt.
- Lower the heat so that the water is cooking on very heat.
- Add a few gnocchi at a time (don't add too many, then they will stick together).
- The gnocchi are ready when the pop back up to the surface.
- Fish them out of the water a few at a time.
- Repeat until you've cooked all of them.
- The gnocchi can also be baked in the oven. Preheat the oven to 225 degrees Celcius and bake for 6-10 minutes, until golden brown.
For the topping
- Preheat a nonstick pan over medium/high heat.
- Add the spinach and mushrooms with the water and let it sautée until the water has evaporated.
- Preheat a smaller non stick pan.
- Add hazelnuts and dry roast in the pan for 1-3 minutes, just until they start to get golden brown. Then turn off the heat.
- Add shallot to the spinach pan and fry until golden brown.
- Add cumin, salt, pepper and combine.
- Fry for 1-2 minutes.
- Add grated cheese on top (if using).
- Place gnocchi on a plate, top with the fried spinach topping and dry roasted hazelnuts.
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