Carrot Gnocchi

Carrots are my favorite vegetable. I loved eating them as a kid and still love them now. I used to think carrots helped your eyes, but it turns out that may not be the case. Or maybe I just never ate enough because I’m blind as a bat.

Anyway, when I cook carrots I typically prefer them sweet rather than savory. A good glaze of honey or brown sugar always does the trick for me. But I was challenged to change it up a bit by one of my instagram followers. I posted a picture of carrots and asked my followers for suggestions on what to make. Someone said carrot gnocchi. TOTALLY UNEXPECTED.

I loved the idea. So I set out to do a bit of research on gnocchi recipes to discover the best way to swap the potatoes for carrots. Here’s my take on a healthier (maybe) version of gnocchi.

What you need:

• 2 cups carrots, peeled and chopped
• 2 eggs yolks
• Pinch of salt
• 1/3 cup shaved Parmesan cheese
• 1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
• 1 stick butter
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup fresh sage leaves
• Salt and pepper to taste

What you do:

• Cook your carrots in boiling water until they are soft
• Drain and mash the carrots (I pulsed them in my blender because I’m lazy–the goal is mashed carrots, doesn’t matter how you do it)
• Put your mashed (or blended) carrots in a mixing bowl and mix in the egg yolks, salt and Parmesan
• Add in 1 cup of flour and incorporate. Continue adding flour 1/4 cup at a time until you get your dough. If it’s sticky then you need more flour. This is NOT an exact science so add bits of flour until you get to a dough-like consistency.
• Roll 1/4 of the dough onto a floured surface into a log about 3/4 inch thick

• Cut your log into 1 inch pieces and place on a floured surface while you continue this process with the remainder of the dough (I put mine on a floured baking sheet)

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil
• Salt the water (always salt your water whenever you are making any kind of pasta)
• Drop in your carrot gnocchi and cook until they float to the top (about 4 minutes)

At this point your gnocchi is complete, but pasta isn’t amazing until you add a sauce. You can eat it plain or sauce it however you like. I chose a garlic and sage butter sauce. It’s super light and flavorful, and you can use it for all kinds of pastas.

Garlic & Sage butter sauce

• Melt and brown your butter over medium heat (careful not to burn it)
• Add in your minced garlic and sage and cook for a minute or so
• Sauté your gnocchi in your butter sauce until all the pieces are coated
• Add salt and pepper to taste
• Plate your gnocchi and garnish with some extra Parmesan and sage.

Hope you enjoy this one. It was a big hit with my girlfriends!

Love ya!