Pumpkin Gnocchi
I'm always looking for creative recipes that are suitable for a plant based diet. I first spotted pumpkin gnocchi in whole foods and thought it sounded like a great combination, as I love both pumpkin and gnocchi. I tried and tested a few combinations but found this one turned out the best.
Pumpkin is a super nutritious squash worth including in your diet at anytime, not only for Halloween!
Did you know?
Pumpkins are actually scientifically fruit because they contain seeds, however nutritionally they are similar to vegetables.
Pumpkins have a high water content, are low in calories and high in nutrients. Pumpkins contain high levels of vitamin A, as well as being a good source fibre and vitamin C. They also provide us with a number of antioxidants including alpha-carotene, beta-carotene, beta-cryptoxanthin.
Antioxidants have gained a fair amount of publicity for their potential health benefits. They are associated with reduced risks of many chronic illnesses including some cancer and cardiovascular disease.
In regards to sports nutrition, research into exercise performance suggest antioxidants may play a role in aiding muscle recovery after intense activity.
Pumpkin Gnocchi
This recipe is relatively simple, it tends to take 10 mins to make the dough after cooking the pumpkin. Be creative, try making different shapes with your gnocchi, this can also make it fun when cooking with children.
Pumpkin gnocchi is very versatile so will taste great with a range of sauce or toppings. My favourite is homemade pesto, nush chive almond cheese, fresh tomatoes and olives (see photo).
Nutrition wise this recipe is carbohydrate based (see link below for full nutritional info). Therefore, it is great as a post workout meal of for anyone carb loading. By adding toppings like cheese you can also increase the protein content to help aid muscle recovery after exercise.
Use rice flour as suggested in the recipe for a gluten free option.
Servings: 2
Prep: 15 mins
Cook: 10 mins
Ingredients:
- 185g (3 cups approx) plain flour or rice flour
- 245g (1 cup) pumpkin (peeled, boiled) or pumpkin puree
- 3g (1 tsp) milled flaxseed
- 45ml (3 x Tbsp) water
Instructions:
1. Peel pumpkin, cut into chunks and boil until soft.
2. Whilst the pumpkin is cooking, mix the water with flaxseed and let it sit for 5-10 mins.
3. Once the pumpkin is cooked, drain and blend until it becomes a smooth puree.
4. Mix the pumpkin puree with the flax egg in a medium bowl and season with a pinch of salt and pepper.
5. Then slowly add 1 cup of flour and combine into a dough. The dough shouldn't be too sticky but easy to kneed. If required add more flour until you have a kneadable dough.
6. Separate the dough into 4 equal pieces. On a floured surface, start rolling each piece of dough into a sausage-like shape and trim into small pieces (about 1-2cm long) to form into the desired shape.
7. Add the gnocchi into a saucepan of boiling water for about 2-4 minutes (the gnocchi will be ready once they float to the surface of the water.
8. Serve immediately with your favourite pasta sauce (see image above for serving suggestion).
I tend to prepare a couple of portions so I have enough to last a couple of meals. The gnocchi will remain fresh for 2-3 days in the fridge within a sealed container. It is possible to freeze gnocchi but only when uncooked. Once you have made dough into desired shapes place in freezer bags. Frozen gnocchi can be stored in the freezer for 4-6 weeks. To cook from frozen, add straight to the boiling water to avoid gnocchi sticking together.
