When I was forced to give up grains, saying goodbye to my beloved pasta was by far the worst part. Pasta and I had seen a lot together; we’d grown up together; we’ve shared a lot of meals - large and small, special and mundane - together. I tried to go cold turkey. I really did. But I just couldn’t! Finally it occurred to me that Simple Mills’s new pizza mix might just make the perfect base for a handmade pasta (it makes a pretty spectacular pizza crust to, for the record), and so here we are. Pasta is legal again!

This isn’t “good for gluten-free” pasta. This is the warm and doughy and slips off your fork when you try to scoop them up, forcing you to chase them all over the bowl to make sure you don’t miss even a single one, kind of good. The kind of good that, if you’ve given up gluten or grains, you may have thought you had to kiss goodbye.

I’m not going to lie and tell you that these little handmade pastas don’t take a little bit of work, but it’s well worth it in the end when you can finally dive in to a meal with this long-lost pasta friend!

 

Grain-Free Gnocchi

Ingredients

• 1 cup sweet potato puree (see note)
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 1 box Simple Mills Pizza Dough Mix
• 2-4 Tablespoons coconut flour, divided
• 2 Tablespoons tapioca starch + more for dusting the board

Instructions

1. Line a large cutting board, cookie sheet or other baking dish with parchment or a nonstick pad.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the sweet potato puree and the eggs until combined.
3. Stir in the pizza dough mix, then 2 Tablespoons each of coconut flour and tapioca starch. Your dough should start to come together and if it is too sticky, add 1-2 more tablespoons of coconut flour (one tablespoon at a time).
4. Dust a large cutting board with tapioca starch and turn the dough out onto the board. Knead a few times until the dough becomes smooth and uniform. Cut into 6-8 sections and roll each one into a thick rope. Chop the first rope into 1" pieces or so, creating 1 teaspoon portions (you can make them smaller if you prefer, but it will mean a little more work).
5. Roll each portion into a football shape, then flatten with the back of a fork.
6. Lay each gnocchi on the prepared cutting board or cookie sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough.
7. Dry the gnocchi 6 hours or overnight (see note for shortcut).
8. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the gnocchi, boil until they float to the surface, then drain and immediately toss with enough olive oil or tomato sauce to coat and/or prevent sticking.
9. Serve immediately and store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.

 


Notes

• You can substitute white potato, squash or pumpkin puree for sweet potato if you want.
• You should be able to substitute arrowroot starch for the tapioca starch. I have not tried it, but that’s a pretty reliable substitution.
• If your fork sticks to the gnocchi when you're flattening them, lightly dunk the back of the fork in the tapioca between every few gnocchi.
• If you don't have time to dry your pasta, here's a shortcut: Preheat your oven to 250F and bake for 15 minutes. The texture is better if you dry the pasta rather than pre-bake it, though.
• If you don't have a pot large enough to boil all of the gnocchi at once, feel free to cook it in 2-3 batches. Just make sure that the pasta isn't crowded or sticking together as it cooks.

---

So, is your next meal Grain-Free Sweet Potato Gnocchi, or what?! Tell us, how are you celebrating Pizza Week with Simple Mills?