Last updated on October 30, 2023
Gnocchi is a type of Italian pasta traditionally made of flour and potatoes. We are Italians and we make the recipe without eggs: easy, quick and delicious
In Italy we don't really think of gnocchi as a type of pasta: it's more of a type of dough; this is because in Italy when we hear the word pasta we immediately think of pasta such as penne or tagliatelle.
Kneading gnocchi is of course similar to making orecchiette, and we eat gnocchi with the same sauces as pasta.
If it is made well, it is one of the most exceptional dishes of Italian cuisine: I often eat more than one portion.
And restaurants specializing in gnocchi are not uncommon, especially in northern Italy.
To make classic gnocchi, in Italy we use wheat flour and potatoes.
But you can mix flour with many different types of ingredients and of course experiment with different types of flour. In our pasta kookbook we also make gnocchi with ricotta, and also with spinach and bread crumbs.
Making gnocchi at home is very easy: on this page we prepare them without egg in less than half an hour: easy, light and delicious.
You can make gnocchi with or without egg; eggs serve to hold the dough together and therefore give structure to the gnocchi.
But if you use potatoes potatoes low in water, you can also make gnocchi without egg: in our opinion it has more neutral in taste and slightly lighter, and also vegetarian.
We make classic gnocchi with just three ingredients: potatoes, flour and salt.
You also don't need any special tools: a dough board is sufficient to work the dough and optionally a rolling pin.
You need less than half an hour to make potato gnocchi, and then they are ready to be cooked and mixed with your favorite sauce.
The recipe is very simple; we will make it step by step together with you.
| Ingredient image | Ingredient name | Cups | Grams | Ounces |
|
Potatoes | 17.6 oz | 500 g | |
|
Wheat | 7 oz | 200 g | |
|
Salt | 1 teaspoon |
Of course, not all potatoes are suitable for making gnocchi.
The best ones are crumbly, floury and rich in starch: this makes the gnocchi soft.
👉 For the gnocchi in the recipe, which you see in the images, we used organic floury potatoes: the result was surprising, the gnocchi light but well structured and above all delicious.
Some say that the best potatoes are the old ones, because they contain less water.
If the potatoes contain much water, the gnocchi will break easily; in this case, many add more flour as this makes the gnocchi harder.
The gnocchi should be soft yet compact.
Traditionally in Italy we use type 0 or 00 flour for gnocchi: the same we use for pizza.
We also used plain flour for the gnocchi in the recipe: combined with floury potatoes we got elastic and light, yet compact gnocchi.
To be able to knead gnocchi, the potatoes must first become very soft.
The fastest way is with the microwave; the classic method is to boil them in water.
👉 In both cases it is important that the potatoes remain dry and do not absorb too much water. If the potatoes soak in water, the gnocchi will crumble more easily.
Peel the potatoes, wash them and cut them into cubes. Place them in a microwave-safe bowl, add a cup of water and heat the potatoes in the microwave for 15 minutes at 700W.
Wash the potatoes and immerse them with their skin in water; bring to the boil and cook for about 20 minutes.
To know when the potatoes are ready, you can pierce them with a fork: if the fork meets no resistance, the potatoes are ready.
In both cases the potatoes should be very soft and crumbly. It is better to soften the potatoes longer than to find hard pieces in the gnocchi.
If you have boiled the potatoes in water, remove the skin first.
Place the potatoes on the cutting board, add a little salt and mash them with a fork until puree.
👉 We recommend performing this step carefully to ensure that the gnocchi dough becomes homogeneous.
Sprinkle your hands with a little flour to prevent the dough from sticking.
Add the flour gradually: knead until completely incorporated into the dough and then add a little more. Continue this until you have used up all the flour.
👉 We made the gnocchi with the amount of flour indicated in the recipe. But it also depends on the type of potatoes you use. Do not add much more flour, otherwise the gnocchi will be too hard.
It is important that the flour and potatoes are well mixed, and therefore that the dough is homogeneous. In the end you will get a soft ball of dough that does not fall apart: as we show in the video.
Divide the dough into smaller pieces and use your hands to make dough strips with a diameter of 2-3 cm.
Then divide each strip of dough into wedges of 2-3 cm long: our gnocchi.
👉 In some images you have seen the rolling pin: it is used to flatten the dough to a thickness of 2 cm, and then cut it with a knife into 2 cm thick strips. This is a shortcut if you need to make a large batch of gnocchi.
Continue cutting strips of dough into cubes until there is no dough left.
Place the gnocchi on a floured surface, slightly apart: so they don't stick.
The gnocchi are ready to be cooked and mixed with the sauce of your choice.
👉 Also view our page about Italian pasta sauces.
Your fresh potatoes gnocchi is ready 🥔
In the restaurant in Italy, when you finish eating, the waiter will ask: 🔊 andava tutto bene? (was everything fine?)
We prefer to cook the gnocchi immediately after making it. This way they remain soft and do not turn black due to exposure of the potatoes to the air.
Raw, freshly made gnocchi can be stored in the refrigerator for up to one day; apart and cover with a clean cloth.
My mother, on the other hand, cooks all the gnocchi immediately and lets the leftover gnocchi cool on a tray. Once the gnocchi have cooled, he places them on a lightly floured baking sheet and places them in the freezer.
The gnocchi will keep for about a month: when you want to prepare them, you can throw them directly into boiling water while they are still frozen.
A steaming plate of gnocchi with bolognese sauce is an exceptional meal and a pleasure for body and mind.
But gnocchi are not only combined with meat sauces; you can easily make them with tomato sauce, such as the ricotta gnocchi in our e-book.
You can also bake gnocchi in the oven, adding stringy cheese: these are our gnocchi alla Sorrentina.
In Trentino we love it with an easy sauce of melted butter and sage: a particularly representative taste for my region.
In Liguria, the land of the linguine, they make gnocchi with basil pesto.
When I worked in Milan in the early 2000s, I celebrated the winter evenings with a delicious plate of gnocchi panna, speck e noci (gnocchi with cooking cream, bacon and walnuts) in the company of my friends and colleague 's.
Also in Milan and Lombardy they also make gnocchi with saffron.
🔊 Un gnocco, 🔊 due gnocchi (One gnocco, two gnocchi ). Many Italians intuitively say i gnocchi, but the correct plural is 🔊 gli gnocchi. A common mistake, much mocked in Italy.
The Italian words we use on this page:
| 🔊 Gnocchi | Gnocchi |
| 🔊 Patate | Potatoes |
| 🔊 Gnocchi di patate | Potato gnocchi |
The tradition of gnocchi in Italy started the 1800s, especially in the northern regions where it was typical to prepare fresh pasta.
Like other dishes of Italian cuisine, gnocchi arise from the popular tradition: imported from America, potatoes became a substitute for bread and wheat flour.
In Emilia, Piedmont, Liguria, Veneto and in my region, Trentino, there is a great tradition of fresh pasta, and therefore of gnocchi prepared with typical local ingredients.
When done right, gnocchi is exceptional. In Italian food customs gnocchi are a 🔊 primo piatto, a first course, but it is not uncommon for it to become the main course; in fact, I often eat more than one dish.
We frequently update our pages on Italian pasta with new classic and regional traditional recipes.
I am Italian from Trentino. I studied philosophy in Padua and worked for many years between Milan and Amsterdam in the field of media and culture.
Since 2021 I write on All Italian to practice foreign languages; meanwhile I share with you the customs and traditions of my country, and the recipes that I prepare at home.
