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I’ve got some good news for you! If you’ve ever tried to make homemade gnocchi before, you’re probably aware that it can be a little tricky. This beetroot gnocchi is actually easier to make than traditional gnocchi. The added beet gives extra texture to bind everything together so it’s a much easier dough to work with! Despite having only 3 ingredients it looks super impressive and tastes great to boot. It’s also perfect for freezing and can be cooked straight from the freezer too! Are you sold yet?
What is it?
Gnocchi is a traditional Italian recipe which is made from potatoes and flour which is made into a dough and then boiled and sometimes pan-fried. It’s a great pasta alternative and goes great with a lot of different sauces and toppings (see ideas below).
How do you make it?
The potato is baked in the oven, skin on, and then the flesh removed, mashed and steamed. Cooked beetroot is skinned and blended. Dough is then made by topping the potato with the flour and beetroot paste which is then folded together.
If it’s your first time making gnocchi then you might want to check out this more in-depth article about making traditional gnocchi at home which has quite a few useful tips. In general, you want to make sure to dry the potatoes as much as possible and not over-work the dough for best results.
I do find this beetroot gnocchi much easier to make than traditional gnocchi though – as the texture is easier to work with. It is a denser mixture so the results are a little ‘heavier’ too.
What goes well with beetroot gnocchi?
There are so many things you can make with beetroot gnocchi. At a very simple level, you can just cook it and then pan fry with some oil or butter and toss in some fresh herbs and top with freshly grated parmesan (pictured). You can also top with any kind of pasta sauce you like.
It also goes really well with meats. Like this pan-seared lamb with feta and mint gnocchi. It’s mixed in the pan with some feta, freshly chopped mint and peas and is absolutely delicious. Simple yet really impressive.
Products that work well for this recipe
Stainless Steel Pastry Scraper, Dough Blender & Biscuit Cutter Set
Veggie Saving Reusable Bags
Veggi storage containers
Beetroot Gnocchi
- Total Time: 2 hours
- Yield: 2 1x
Description
This beetroot gnocchi is made from just 3 ingredients and not only is it really flavoursome, but it also looks super pretty too! Great for batch cooking and freezing.
Serves 2 – although you can scale up the recipe and freeze some portions! Each portion is around 15 pieces
Ingredients
- 400g (14oz) floury potatoes with skins on (such as maris piper, king edward or desiree)
- 100g (or 2/3 cup) plain flour
- 150g (5oz) beetroot (around 1 small piece)
Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 200C / 400F. Wash and dry the potatoes and prick them all over with a fork – you want liquid to escape while cooking so really do prick them a lot! Place in the oven for 1 – 1.5 hours depending on how big they are.
2. Place the beetroot in a pan of water with around 2cm of water covering it. Bring to the boil and cook for around 40 minutes. Remove from the water and leave to steam dry for 10 minutes. You should find that the skins are now easy to peel off
3. roughly chop the beetroot and then place in a blender and blitz until you have a paste.
4. Remove the potatoes from the oven and slice in half. Use a spoon to sccop out the flesh (use a tea towel to protect your hands from the heat). Press the flesh through a potato ricer (or use a masher if you don’t have one).
5. Spread the potato out on the counter to steam – it’s best to do this and the above step as quickly as possible so they are still hot and as much steam as possible evaporates. 
6. Once there is no more steam from the potatoes scoop them into a large circle shape and dust the flour over the top. Top with the beetroot and then start to fold the mixture inwards from the edge to the center.
7. Keep folding the dough until it is combined. However, do not over-work it. As soon as it is mixed then stop!
8. Dust the work surface with more flour if needed and take a piece of dough around the size of a lemon and roll it into a sausage shape that is around 1 inch thick. Take a knife or pastry cutter and start to cut pieces around 2cm wide.
9. Using the backside of a fork you can roll the pieces down the grooves to create indentations. Totally optional, but it does look pretty!
10. To cook the gnocchi bring a pan of salted water to the boil and drop pieces in. It’s done when it floats (around 2 minutes). You can then eat it as is or pan fry it with a little oil or butter if you like a firmer surface to it.
Notes
- This is great for freezing. Spread pieces out on a flour-dusted plate and place in the freezer until firm. Once hard transfer them to freezer bags and store for up to 3 months. You can cook them from frozen by dropping the pieces directly into boiling water.
- If you want to store before cooking then you can keep them in the fridge for 3 days. However, they will stick together so you’ll need to store them spaced out on a flour-covered plate (which takes up a lot of room). It is actually easier to freeze them if you aren’t going to eat them the same day.
- You can roast the beetroot too – but you will find the skins easier to peel after boiling.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 90 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1
- Calories: 390
- Fat: 1.3g
- Carbohydrates: 85g
- Protein: 12g
Keywords: dinner, gnocchi, pasta, potato, beetroot, italian
I love this healthy take on gnocchi and was thrilled to have another beet recipe (as I’ve been working on eating more beets). It is a fairly simple recipe and the result is really tasty.
★★★★★
So glad you liked it Aubrilyn! Always good to get more beets in – and it makes the gnocchi look so pretty too!