Potato gnocchi, when made from real potatoes and an authentic Italian recipe, are incredibly delicious and not too difficult to make. It’s definitely a beloved favorite of all Italian dishes!
Who doesn’t love gnocchi?
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If you were to ask me my top five favorite Italian meals, I know for a fact that, although it would be difficult to choose, gnocchi would be near, if not at the top. Since this is so near and dear to me, let me answer a question that’s probably milling around your head:
How do you Pronounce “Gnocchi”?
I’m so sorry to say that the top hits on Google for the American and British pronunciation will lead you astray. My phonetic pronunciation for you is nee-yaw-kee, with the nee-yaw pronounced as one syllable but this is easier for you to listen to a proper video. By the way, “gnocchi” is plural– “gnoccho” is singular; so you don’t want to say, “gnocchis.”
Are Gnocchi Made from Potato?
Although the most popular gnocchi are made from potatoes, there are many variations, and some do not include potatoes.
Different Types of Gnocchi
You may have already seen my first gnocchi recipe, which is my go-to gnocchi recipe: they are made with only flour and boiling water. They are much more dense and heavy than gnocchi di patate, or potato gnocchi. Most restaurants serve potato gnocchi, so this is probably the type of gnocchi you are most familiar with.
Flour and Water Gnocchi
Later, I shared this potato pumpkin gnocchi recipe, which is often served in a butter sage sauce. Delectable!
Potato Pumpkin Gnocchi with Butter Sage Sauce
And most recently, I posted the recipe for Gnocchi alla Sorrentina which I made after having it several times near Sorrento (the origin of the dish). I made it while I was visiting my Zia Iolanda (The Gnocchi Queen!) which was rather intimidating, but with the best quality ingredients, it was hard to go wrong.
Gnocchi alla Sorrentina (Baked with Mozzarella)
I’m going to include these ricotta gnudi since they are a type of gnocchi, also.
Gnudi di Ricotta
What Kind of Potatoes do you use for Gnocchi?
This is a very important question because if you use the wrong type of potato, you can end up not being happy with your results. You need to use a dry or floury variety of potatoes, like Russets, in the US. Wet or waxy potatoes are not good to use (like new potatoes, red, and although Yukon Gold are in the middle, you probably don’t want to use these either).
Do I Need to Bake my Potatoes for Gnocchi?
No, you don’t need to bake potatoes to make gnocchi, in fact, none of my aunts and relatives in Italy bake their potatoes to make potato gnocchi. You may end up with more problems doing this if you end up with crispy skin! Just boiling them in their skin and peeling them when they’re still hot is the way to go. They won’t be too wet if you use the right variety of potatoes (see above). I’ve seen recipes that say not to boil potatoes, which is silly advice.
NOTES: please realize that unless you are well-versed in making gnocchi, your very best bet is to weigh the potatoes and flour. Scales are very inexpensive and they are a game-changer for obtaining good results in baking and recipes like this one. It is almost impossible to be precise when using cups to measure potatoes.
And here’s a bit of gnocchi trivia for you: did you know that Thursday is the traditional day for gnocchi in Italy? Well, now you do!
Potato Gnocchi (Authentic Italian Recipe)
Recipe by Lidia Conte serves 5
Ingredients
- 500g (approximately 3 cups) cooked Russet potatoes, boiled (with the skin on) peeled and riced (or another type of dry potato, just don’t use waxy potatoes) see notes above
- 125 to 150g (about 1 to 1 1/3 cups) all purpose flour (extra for dusting, and some semolina if you have it)
- 2 Tbsp beaten egg
Desired sauce to serve (this is the one I used)
Grated Parmigiano Reggiano or Pecorino cheese, to serve (optional)
Special equipment:potato ricer, bench scraper, pasta pot, or hand strainer
(a gnocchi board is not needed, as you can use a fork)
Make the Potato Gnocchi Dough
Be sure to boil, peel and rice the potatoes when you are ready to make the dough and continue with the recipe. They should be riced when hot, and cooled off quickly.
Once your potatoes are riced, spread them out on a board or worktop and add the flour on top. Start with the lesser amount of flour as you can always add more. Less flour will result in lighter potato gnocchi.
Add the beaten egg on top.
Using your hands, start incorporating the flour and egg into the potatoes.
The mixture will form a dough. A bench scraper is useful to keep all the bits of dough in the mixture.
Once a dough forms, knead it on a flat surface until it is smooth and hom*ogenous, but don’t keep kneading it past this point! Also, resist the temptation to add flour unless it’s absolutely necessary, or you will end up with tough gnocchi.
Roll and Shape the Potato Gnocchi
Slice off a piece of the dough. The size doesn’t matter as long as it’s not too big. With a little flour on the worktop, start rolling the piece of dough into a long, rope shape. Keep the rest of the dough covered. If you have too much flour on the counter, you’ll end up not being able to roll the dough. It’s a learn as you go lesson. Roll it so that it’s about 3/4″ (2 cm) in diameter.
Cut the rope of dough into pieces which are about 3/4″ (2 cm) each, a little longer is okay, but don’t make them shorter than this.
Once the length of dough is cut into pieces, start rolling the gnocchi on a fork or gnocchi board to give them ridges. The ridges will catch the sauce, and I just think gnocchi without ridges are like zebras without stripes!
Be sure to use enough flour so that the gnocchi don’t stick, and roll them down the front of the fork tines using your index and middle finger to push on the dough, while holding the fork at a 45 degree angle. Do the same if you are using a gnocchi board. Be sure to flour the board before beginning. Continue to cut off pieces of dough and repeat until all the dough is used.
Note: someone who cannot even pronounce gnocchi properly cannot tell you how to roll them properly! THIS IS HOW MY NONNA CHIARINA ROLLED HER GNOCCHI, AND HOW SHE TAUGHT ALL SEVEN OF HER DAUGHTERS TO ROLL GNOCCHI.
Gently place the rolled gnocchi on a counter or tray that’s lightly dusted with flour, or even better, a fine semolina. Also, try not to let the gnocchi touch each other as this will keep them from sticking together. You’ll want to boil the gnocchi sooner than later as if left too long, they can get sticky.
Cook the Gnocchi
Boil a large pot of generously salted water. A pasta pot with a strainer insert is great, if not, be sure to have a slotted strainer on hand. When the water is at a rolling boil, put half of the gnocchi into the pot, gently dropping them in as quickly as possible. The bench scraper is a great way to do this without damaging the delicate gnocchi.
The gnocchi will cook quickly, and when they float to the top, they are ready. You can taste one to make sure the water is salty enough and that the gnocchi are cooked. Do not let them boil for more than a minute once they float or they’ll get mushy. Remove the gnocchi (drain well) with a strainer and place in a serving bowl or sauté pan with your choice of heated sauce in it.
Repeat with the rest of the potato gnocchi.
Serve the Potato Gnocchi
Once all the gnocchi is cooked, mix more sauce into the serving plate and serve immediately. I used a little Revol ramekin for my photos, but the serving size I’ve shared on this recipe is larger than this. Isn’t it cute, though? I can’t find them on Amazon, but I do also have these in white. Sprinkle with authentic Italian grated cheese, and some basil if you like).
Buon appetito!
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Potato Gnocchi (Authentic Italian Recipe)
Yield: 5 servings
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 2 minutes
Total Time: 27 minutes
An authentic Italian potato gnocchi recipe passed down by my Nonna Chiarina.
Ingredients
- 500g (approximately 3 cups) boiied Russet potatoes (with the skin on) peeled and riced
- 125 to 150g (about 1 to 1 1/3 cups) all purpose flour
- 2 Tbsp beaten egg
- Desired sauce to serve
- Grated Parmigiano Reggiano or Pecorino cheese, to serve (optional)
Instructions
Make the Potato Gnocchi Dough
- Be sure to boil, peel and rice the potatoes when you are ready to make the dough and continue with the recipe. They should be riced when hot, and cooled off quickly.
- Once your potatoes are riced, spread them out on a board or worktop and add the flour on top. Start with the lesser amount of flour as you can always add more. Less flour will result in lighter potato gnocchi.
- Add the beaten egg on top. Using your hands, start incorporating the flour and egg into the potatoes.
- The mixture will form a dough. A bench scraper is useful to keep all the bits of dough in the mixture.
- Once a dough forms, knead it on a flat surface until it is smooth and hom*ogenous, but don't keep kneading it past this point! Also, resist the temptation to add flour unless it's absolutely necessary, or you will end up with tough gnocchi.
Roll and Shape the Potato Gnocchi
- Slice off a piece of the dough. The size doesn't matter as long as it's not too big. With a little flour on the worktop, start rolling the piece of dough into a long, rope shape. Keep the rest of the dough covered. If you have too much flour on the counter, you'll end up not being able to roll the dough. It's a learn as you go lesson. Roll it so that it's about 3/4" (2 cm) in diameter.
- Cut the rope of dough into pieces which are about 3/4" (2 cm) each, a little longer is okay, but don't make them shorter than this.
- Once the length of dough is cut into pieces, start rolling the gnocchi on a fork or gnocchi board to give them ridges. The ridges will catch the sauce, and I just think gnocchi without ridges are like zebras without stripes!
- Be sure to use enough flour so that the gnocchi don't stick, and roll them down the front of the fork tines using your index and middle finger to push on the dough, while holding the fork at a 45 degree angle. Do the same if you are using a gnocchi board. Be sure to flour the board before beginning. Continue to cut off pieces of dough and repeat until all the dough is used.
- Gently place the rolled gnocchi on a counter or tray that's lightly dusted with flour, or even better, a fine semolina. Also, try not to let the gnocchi touch each other as this will keep them from sticking together. You'll want to boil the gnocchi sooner than later as if left too long, they can get sticky.
Cook the Gnocchi
- Boil a large pot of generously salted water. A pasta pot with a strainer insert is great, if not, be sure to have a strainer on hand. When the water is at a rolling boil, put half of the gnocchi into the pot, gently dropping them in as quickly as possible. The bench scraper is a great way to do this without damaging the delicate gnocchi.
- The gnocchi will cook quickly, and when they float to the top, they are ready. You can taste one to make sure the water is salty enough and that the gnocchi are cooked. Do not let them boil for more than a minute once they float or they'll get mushy. Remove with a strainer and place in a serving bowl with a heated sauce in it.
- Repeat with the rest of the potato gnocchi.
Serve the Potato Gnocchi
- Once all the gnocchi is cooked, mix more sauce into the serving plate and serve immediately. I used a little Revol ramekin for my photos, but the serving size I've shared on this recipe is larger than this. Isn't it cute, though? I can't find them on Amazon, but I do also have these in white. Sprinkle with authentic Italian grated cheese, and some basil if you like).
Notes
Special equipment:potato ricer, bench scraper, pasta pot, or hand strainer(a gnocchi board is not needed, as you can use a fork).
Please realize that unless you are well-versed in making gnocchi, your very best bet is to weight the potatoes and flour. Scales are very inexpensive and they are a game-changer for getting good results in baking and recipes like this one. It is almost impossible to be precise when using cups to measure potatoes.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 5Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 173Total Fat: 3gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 30mgSodium: 229mgCarbohydrates: 29gFiber: 2gSugar: 2gProtein: 7g
Nutrition information is only estimated and does not include sauce.
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