Ask anyone who knows me, and they will confirm my long-standing reputation for being experimental in the kitchen. Since I was old enough to hold a spatula and use my mom’s stand mixer, there aren’t many recipes I haven’t tried from the stacks of cookbooks scattered throughout my childhood home. One of the earliest culinary experiments I can recall was attempting to make gnocchi from scratch, and let's just say, the result was not the most palatable or even edible. The idea struck my developing brain when I forgot about a boiling pot of pasta on the stove, leaving me with mushy, unappetizing noodles. Scratching my head as I tried to think of an innovative way to salvage my overcooked pasta, I remembered a new food I had recently discovered on a grocery store trip with my family: gnocchi. At the time, my assumption of gnocchi was that they were oddly shaped pasta balls, so I decided to blend up the mushy pasta and shape the mixture into gnocchi balls. Fool-proof and ingenious, right? Wrong. My “gnocchi” turned out to be anything but gnocchi, and I nearly broke our cheap blender in the process. Unsurprisingly, my family and I wound up digging through the depths of our freezer for dinner that night.

Despite the rather disastrous and laughable outcome, kitchen experiments such as this have shaped me into the (mostly) successful cook I consider myself to be today. In my adult years, gnocchi and I have come a long way from our beginnings of blended balls of overcooked pasta, and I can now proudly say that I’ve mastered the art of making gnocchi from scratch. Originating from Italy, it turns out that gnocchi is commonly made with potatoes and isn’t even considered a type of pasta! Gnocchi are technically dumplings made by combining boiled and mashed potatoes, flour, eggs, and a pinch of salt. The result is a delectable, pillowy textured dumpling that begs to be tossed in an equally delicious sauce.

Being part of the Mountain Rose Herbs team has blossomed a vast playground of possibilities for my experimental tendencies, and gnocchi is no exception. Instead of reaching for a box of pasta and my blender, I now experiment with incorporating a variety of herbs and spices into my gnocchi dough and found the versatility and creative potential are virtually endless. Herbal powders are a perfect addition to this recipe, as they not only add fun colors and flavors to an otherwise simplistic dough but also offer plant-powered vitamins and nutrients that help balance out the dense and filling nature of gnocchi. Some of my favorite herbal powders to add are spinach powder and beet root powder, which result in beautiful shades of grassy green and rosy pink, making them nearly too adorable to eat! Adding a pinch of herbal powders to a variety of recipes has quickly become one of my favorite ways to get additional nutrient boosts in my diet. When you try these plant-powered, pillowy bites of potato bliss, you will taste exactly why.

Potato Gnocchi with Herbal Powders Recipe 

Supplies (*Optional, see Directions)

• Potato ricer or hand mill
• Rigagnocchi

Ingredients

• 1 lb. Yukon Gold potatoes or yellow potatoes (about 5 or 6 potatoes)
• 1 egg yolk *see Pro Tips
• 2/3 cup organic all-purpose flour + more for dusting
• 1 tbs. organic herbal powder(s) of choice *see below for inspiration
• 1/2 tsp. sea salt

Directions

1. Boil whole potatoes with skin on until fork tender, about 20-25 minutes. Place drained and dried potatoes aside to cool.
2. Once potatoes have cooled just enough to comfortably handle, remove the potato skins and pass peeled potatoes through a potato ricer or hand mill*. If you do not have either of these on hand, thoroughly smash with a fork (my preferred lazy method!). Do not wait until potatoes have fully cooled for this step. Warmth is crucial for the flour to incorporate into the low-moisture dough.
3. In a separate bowl, add herbal powder(s) and flour and mix until well combined. This ensures the powdered herbs will be evenly distributed throughout the dough.
4. Forming a well in the mashed potatoes, add egg yolk, about half of the herbal powder flour, and salt. Fold mixture a few times until a dough ball begins loosely forming.
5. Sprinkle in a bit more flour (less flour is key for this recipe) on top of the forming dough ball. Using your hand, gently “punch” down and fold the dough till a cohesive ball of dough forms. The dough should be soft, but not sticky. Cover and allow to rest for 10-15 minutes.
6. Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface, and divide into four equal pieces. Roll each section into logs approximately an even 1/2 inch wide across.
7. Cut each log into 1/2 inch pieces (about 20-25 per log). Place dough pieces on a lightly floured surface, avoiding each piece from touching to prevent sticking.
8. Using a flour-dusted rigagnocchi or fork, gently roll each piece across the ridged surface with your thumb to create grooves. Although optional, this step gives texture and allows sauce to adhere to the gnocchi much better. Don’t get discouraged if your first few gnocchi don’t look great, the rolling motion takes a few tries to get the hang of!
9. Once rolled, set aside and bring a medium-sized pot of well-salted water to a boil. Working in batches, add about 1/4 of your gnocchi to boiling water.
10. Gnocchi only takes a few moments to cook, so don’t walk away from the stove! Sinking to the bottom at first, gnocchi will rise to the top after 1-2 minutes, which means they are done. Using a slotted spoon, quickly remove each gnocchi as they rise and place directly into your sauce of choice.
11. Now, all that’s left to do is dish up, garnish to your liking, and enjoy with family and friends!

Pro Tips

• For some “saucespiration”, give our Pesto Recipes for Health & Vitality a try! My go-to favorite is tossing the gnocchi in a bubbling browned butter sauce with fried sage and walnuts, which adds a touch of crispiness to the gnocchi texture. Topped with freshly ground black pepper and a good shaving of quality parmesan, it’s a dish straight from my pillowy gnocchi dreams!
• The egg yolk is recommended, but optional. Egg yolk helps the gnocchi to not fall apart during boiling and improves the texture. If omitting this ingredient, you may need a bit more flour, which will result in a denser gnocchi.
• Gnocchi are best served fresh and hot! I find they don’t reheat well after cooking, and become mushy and a bit gummy. If you don’t plan to cook all of your gnocchi in one sitting, place uncooked gnocchi pieces in a freezer-friendly bag and set in the freezer. Frozen gnocchi will last for 3-4 months, and can be boiled straight from the freezer. Do not thaw beforehand.

Herbal Powder Inspiration
Keep in mind these may affect the flavor of the gnocchi, particularly if you incorporate a strongly flavored herb(s). Not recommended to add more than 2 or 3.

• Organic beetroot powder
• Organic barley grass powder
• Organic garlic powder
• Organic Japanese chlorella powder (only add 1 tsp. if using this powder)
• Organic kale powder
• Organic nettle powder
• Organic onion powder
• Organic spinach powder
• Organic spirulina powder (only add 1 tsp. if using this powder)
• Organic turmeric powder (only add 1/2 tbs. if using this powder)
• Organic wheatgrass powder
• Any other culinary herbal powder of choice!

Want to discover other herbal powder uses and inspiration?

Organic Spinach Powder Benefits + Pizza Crust Recipe

You may also be interested in:
Check out Herbs for Health: 11 Superfood Powders to Sprinkle Into Your Diet
How to Make Herbal Salt Blends + 4 Recipes
Pinwheel Cookies with Herbal Powders (4 Ways)