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Meet your cozy night-in pasta: pillowy sweet potato gnocchi tossed in a silky white wine, garlic, and herb pan sauce. It’s rich but bright, simple yet special.
The best part? You can prep the gnocchi ahead, then finish everything in one skillet for a fast, fragrant dinner that feels restaurant-y—without the fuss.
On days when the weather is cold and dreary, the only thing I want to do is spend my time cooking away in the kitchen. This past week has been the dreariest, but I’m secretly loving every minute. One, the grey clouds are casting the most perfect light in the studio barn, and pretty light makes me the happiest.
Two, I’ve had so much cooking and baking to do this week, and this cozy weather makes it perfect for staying inside and testing new recipes.
One of my favorites of the week? Hands down this soft, pillowy, and ricotta cheese filled gnocchi. Which is very much inspired by these fall days.
I haven’t made gnocchi in the longest time. When I realized this, I knew it was time roll up my selves and get to rolling out some fresh dough.
I’ve made both pumpkin and potato gnocchi, but sweet potato gnocchi is by far my favorite. I just love sweet potatoes and especially sweet potatoes with ricotta…and especially when tossed in a buttery sauce. It really is the perfect combo.
If you’ve never made gnocchi at home before, don’t worry it’s not hard. It can actually be a really fun project, especially if you invite friends or family over to help!
To start, you’ll need to roast and mash your sweet potatoes. I love doing this in the oven, but if you have an instant pot, you can pressure cook the potatoes until they are fork tender (about 15 minutes on high pressure), peel away the skins, and then mash. Both the oven and the instant pot work great, so just use your preferred method.
Once you have the sweet potatoes mashed, it’s time to make the gnocchi. All you need is flour, an egg, and fresh ricotta cheese. Mix everything until a dough forms. Then roll the dough out into ropes and cut into cute little balls of gnocchi. Simple as that. Don’t stress about making each gnocchi perfect. The beauty of gnocchi is that each little puffed ball is different and cute in its own unique way. And no matter what, they’re going to be delicious.
Sounds so cheesy, but it’s also very true.
Before you boil the gnocchi, make the sauce. It’s a mix up of golden brown butter, white wine, and lots of fresh herbs to give the sauce a really good flavor.
Boil the gnocchi and then drop it right into the sauce. Toss to combine, and then serve the gnocchi topped with manchego cheese.
The gnocchi is light, cheesy, and hinted with flavors of sweet potato, while the sauce is buttery and savory. Together they make the most perfect bowl of homemade gnocchi. I know you guys will love it!
And with that, I think we should all head home tonight and make it a special Thursday night full of gnocchi, wine, and maybe a good Halloween movie too. Sounds pretty good to me.
FAQ:
Can I bake or steam the sweet potatoes?
Yes—either works. Whatever the method, let excess steam escape so the mash is dry; too much moisture makes dense, gummy gnocchi.
What wine is best, and what if I don’t cook with wine?
Use a dry white (Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc) for a clean, bright sauce. If skipping wine, use chicken/veg broth and finish with lemon for acidity.
Can I make the gnocchi without egg?
If your dough is egg-free, it’ll be softer—chill the shaped gnocchi before boiling and be ready to dust in a little extra flour if pieces break.
How do I freeze and cook from frozen?
Freeze gnocchi in a single layer until solid, then bag. Cook from frozen in salted water until they float and taste tender, then sauce as usual.
If you make this sweet potato gnocchi, please be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to also tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Herbed White Wine Pan Sauce
Servings: 6 6
Calories Per Serving: 788 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 2 medium sweet potatoes (about 2 cups once mashed)
- 1/2 cup whole milk ricotta
- 1 large egg
- 2-3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
Herbed White Wine Pan Sauce
- 6 tablespoons salted butter
- 1 shallot, chopped
- 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves, homegrown Burpee Tasty Thyme
- 2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary, homegrown Burpee Rockin’ Rosemary
- 1/2 cup dry white wine, such as Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc
- 1 pinch cayenne pepper
- kosher salt and pepper
- 1/2 cup shaved manchego or parmesan cheese
Instructions
- 1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.2. Poke a few holes in the sweet potatoes and bake for 45 minutes or until soft and tender. When the sweet potatoes are cooked, slice them in half, allow to cool, and finely mash or puree them. 3. In a large bowl, mix together the sweet potatoes, ricotta, egg, salt, and flour. Stir the mixture until just combined. If the dough seems wet, add a tablespoon of flour at a time, until it can be formed into a ball. The dough should be sticky.4. Generously flour a clean counter and scrape the dough out onto it. Cut the dough into four equal pieces. Working with one piece of dough at a time, roll the dough into a rope about 1 inch thick and cut into bite size pieces. Repeat this process with the other pieces of dough and place the gnocchi on a baking sheet that has been dusted with flour. At this point, the gnocchi can be kept covered in the fridge for up to 1 day, and then boiled just before you are ready to eat. Or boiled right away.5. To make the sauce. Heat the butter and shallot in a large skillet over medium-high heat and cook until the shallot is fragrant and the butter begins to brown, about 3-5 minutes. Stir in the thyme and rosemary and cook 1 minute. Add the wine and cayenne, and season with salt and pepper. Simmer the sauce for 3-5 minutes. Keep warm over low heat. 6. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Boil the gnocchi until they float to the top and are cooked through, about 3-4 minutes. Remove the gnocchi using a slotted spoon or spider strainer and drop right into the sauce, gently tossing to combine. If the sauce thickens up, add a splash of the gnocchi cooking water to thin it a bit. 7. Divide the gnocchi among bowls. Top with manchego. EAT!
This post was originally published on October 4, 2018
This looks so amazing, can’t wait to make this for Thanksgiving! Could I make this a week ahead of time and freeze it?
Hey Eva! Yes, you can make ahead and freeze. That works great! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe. Thanks so much! xTieghan
This was fantastic! I just made it tonight and will absolutely be making it again! I roasted the potatoes ahead of time, which helped it all come together quickly. Thank you for a great recipe!!
Thank you! I am so glad you loved this recipe, Andrea!
Delicious! Particularly the sauce – will definitely use it again. Many thanks.
PS – would also like to say how much I enjoy reading your blog, so thanks for that too!
Thank you so much Helen! I am so glad you loved this recipe and you’re loving my blog!
I made this last night and my husband said it was the best meal we’ve ever had! Then he had the worst acid reflux attack ever (which I interpret as a testament to how rich and delicious this dish is), so, if you please, warn your loved ones with GERD to take a bottle of TUMS before diving in. And yes, I will be eating all the leftovers and I’m SO excited (I promise I really am a sympathetic spouse).
Hi Lynn! I am so glad you and your husband loved this dish, but am so sorry it gave him acid reflux! I hope you absolutely love the left overs!
We made these on Wednesday and they were perfect, pillowy soft gems of tastiness. As per usual, I failed to remember some ingredients, so we just made a buttery, garlicky, white wine sauce. Obviously that wasn’t a poor decision. Thanks for the tastiness!
I am so glad you enjoyed these Shelby! Thank you!
this was utterly heaven!
Thank you Ida!
Gnocchi is my favorite and I love the white wine sauce!
Thank you!
I made this Friday night and it was SO good!! For someone that’s newer to cooking more complicated dishes, I really appreciate your comprehensive recipes!! Can’t wait to make more fall meals !!! <3
Thank you so much Alison!
I made this for my mom yesterday. She took a small helping, thinking she probably wouldn’t like it. She’s not a huge sweet potato fan, but she was humoring me and didn’t want to hurt my feelings if she couldn’t finish a big bowl of it. She finished her first bowl and went back for seconds! All afternoon, she was gushing about how much she loved this recipe!! Thanks so much for sharing it! I adore all your recipes, but your fall ones are always my favorites!!
I am so happy to hear that! Thank you so much Kate!
Made this for dinner tonight, and it was absolutely phenomenal!
I am so happy to hear that! Thank you Claudia!
Hey Teighan,
I always love seeing your recipes in my inbox. I’m also a big fan of your favorite things posts.
I tried this last night and I definitely did something wrong. My dough started disintegrating in the water. I worked the flour, egg salt and ricotta together and it was a little wet so I added another little shake of flour. Do you think I might’ve overworked it? It didn’t seem to want to cling together. The dough itself tasted fine, the structure just seemed off.
Any tips? Thanks!
Hi Hilary! oh no! I am so sorry for the trouble. It’s really hard to know what happened without being in your kitchen with you, but if I had to guess it sounds like you didn’t use enough flour actually. The dough shouldn’t be dry, but it also should not be too sticky or it will not be able to hold up in the water. Next time I might try working in a bit more flour and seeing how that goes. Hope this helps and again so sorry for the trouble! Please let me know if you have any other questions. Thanks so much! xTieghan
Wow!!!! This looks so tasty and beautiful! Having a friend over for dinner tonight and was stressing what to make. Voila!!!! Here’s my answer!! Can’t wait to make it.
I am so glad you picked this! I hope it turns out amazing for you Danielle! Thank you!
Can I use whole wheat flour? Or any other flour substitute ?
White Whole wheat or whole wheat pastry flour would be great! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe. Thanks so much! xTieghan
Hi, i was wondering if i could use purple sweet potatoes for this recipe? If so, would i have to change or add something to the recipe for the dryness of the purple sweet potatoes? I think the purple color would look so amazing!
Hi, i was wondering if i could use purple sweet potatoes for this recipe? If so, would i have to change or add something to the recipe, because of the purple potatoes dryness? I think the purple color would be amazing!