Sweet Potato and Spinach Gnocchi

 

I am so excited about this post for so many reasons but the one thing about it that is particularly exciting is the fact that my husband is making his first "real" debut on this blog. What can i say about this man?! There are not enough words to express how i feel about him, nor would he desire me to take up the pages of my blog writing about him, so I'll spare you! Let me just say this, he is wonderful! his latest endeavor to spend more time with me is to read to me while i cook. He loves it because he can read and i love it because i get to spend more time with him. 

On this particular day i decided to try one of the healthier recipes and a dish i have been wanting to try for a while; Sweet Potato and spinach Gnocchi. I tried a store bought potato gnocchi a couple years ago and was not really impressed, these little beauties however we're Amazing!! Sweet, savory, fluffy little pillows with tons of flavor, very filling and nutritious, this ones going into my regular rotation for sure! For anyone out there that might find Gnocchi to be something that seems a little too challenging, let me reassure you, this recipe, though it did have a few steps (some of them added by my perfectionism) each of those steps were easy to follow. But do be sure and give yourself some time as it might take a little bit to get the hang of the technique, at least the first time. I hope you enjoy these as much as we did. 

Sweet Potato and Spinach Gnocchi
Adapted from Amy's Bites

Ingredients:

1 Lb Sweet Potatoes
6-10 Oz Fresh Spinach (5oz if using frozen)
1 C, All-Purpose Flour, plus more for Kneading (Use white whole wheat for a healthier version)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.Wash sweet potatoes, prick with fork all over, wrap in foil and bake until soft, about 1 hour. Once cooked remove sweet potatoes from oven and let cool for 10 minutes, remove skin and mash in medium bowl until creamy. For fresh spinach wilt it in steamer or double boiler, if using frozen thaw and drain completely. Chop finely and add to sweet potatoes, mash or stir in. Bring a pot of water to boil. Meanwhile Mix in flour, 1/4 Cup at a time; test a small ball of dough in boiling water if it hold its shape the dough is ready if not add more flour (i used about 1/2 C. to 3/4 C.)
Break off chunks of the dough and roll into a 1/2 inch log, cut 1 inch pieces from log; continue this process until you have used all the dough. At this point you can either boil in small batches (10-15 pieces) or you can add the extra step of rolling the gnocchi in between two forks to get those little notches and more of the gnocchi "look".

For an added touch, pan fry the boiled gnocchi in 1 Tbs of butter and 1 clove of minced garlic sauteed for 30 seconds.
  
Serve with marinara sauce and Parmesan or with just the parm! The serving size is 15 pieces (i found it was plenty, though i still popped a couple more while dishing up seconds for the hubby, just couldn't help myself!)