Potato and spinach gnocchi – or green gnocchi – are a traditional dish of Italian cuisine, one of the many tasty and colorful versions of potato gnocchi. As with the recipe for classic potato gnocchi, I also don’t use eggs for green gnocchi, because they are not needed; by following some simple tips, you will only need 3 ingredients to make potato and spinach gnocchi: old potatoes, fresh spinach, and all-purpose flour (or gluten-free flour specific for fresh pasta).
As with all gnocchi recipes, the goal is to have the dough as dry as possible, so you can use little flour and get green gnocchi that are flavorful and soft just right. For this reason, it is essential to cook the potatoes whole and with the skin (or even better in the microwave) and squeeze the spinach very well before chopping them. They are excellent with tomato sauce, with a gorgonzola cream, or simply enjoyed with melted butter and parmesan, the green spinach gnocchi allow you to bring a colorful and flavorful dish to the table!
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- Difficulty: Medium
- Cost: Very cheap
- Preparation time: 50 Minutes
- Portions: 5 people
- Cooking methods: Boiling
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Autumn, Winter, and Spring
- Energy 232.47 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 51.11 (g) of which sugars 1.98 (g)
- Proteins 8.34 (g)
- Fat 0.67 (g) of which saturated 0.12 (g)of which unsaturated 0.17 (g)
- Fibers 5.05 (g)
- Sodium 134.37 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 200 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients for about 2.2 lbs of potato and spinach green gnocchi
To prepare gluten-free potato and spinach gnocchi, I used a specific mix for gluten-free fresh pasta.
- 1.54 lbs potatoes (old)
- 10.6 oz spinach (fresh, already cleaned)
- to taste all-purpose flour (about 6 oz, I used gluten-free fresh pasta flour)
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 pinch nutmeg (optional)
Tools
- 1 Bowl
- 1 Pot large with lid
- 1 Colander
- 1 Potato Masher
- 1 Cutting Board
- 1 Knife
- 1 Gnocchi Board
How to Make Spinach Green Gnocchi
To make the potato and spinach gnocchi, start with the potato cooking. It is crucial that they do not absorb too much water, so if you have a microwave, I recommend cooking them in it without water as explained in this tutorial. If you don’t have a microwave, wash them well and boil them whole and with the skin in boiling water for about 40 minutes (20 minutes from the whistle in a pressure cooker). When they are tender, drain them.
If you have a potato ricer, you can cut them in half without peeling them and mash them as the skin will remain inside the cup. Otherwise, let them cool enough to peel, then mash them, letting the puree fall into a large bowl. While they are still warm, lightly salt and add a pinch of nutmeg if you like. Let them cool completely so they dry well.
In the meantime, take care of the spinach: again, it is crucial that they do not absorb too much water during cooking, so after washing them, put them in a large pot with 1/4 cup of boiling water.
Lightly salt them, cover with a lid that closes the pot perfectly, and let them cook for about 5 minutes, stirring briefly when they start to wilt. Once cooked, drain them and let them cool. When they are cool, squeeze them very well with your hands, a few at a time, to remove all the water, then chop them very finely with a knife. To speed up, you can also blend them, but use a chopper, not an immersion blender: if you have squeezed them properly, it will be difficult to blend with an immersion blender.
Add them to the potatoes and mix well with a spoon until a homogeneous mixture is obtained. Then add the flour little by little, first mixing in the bowl and then transferring to a lightly floured work surface. Knead the mixture briefly to incorporate the flour, and if it still seems very sticky, add more, always a little at a time: remember that the more flour you add, the less flavor the green gnocchi will have and the harder they will become. I used about 6 oz.
Then form a homogeneous dough, from which you will take a small portion. With this, on a lightly floured work surface, form a cylinder about 3/4 inch thick. With a knife, cut it into pieces about 5/8 inch long.
Roll each piece, if you like, on a gnocchi board or the tines of a fork to form the classic grooves. Continue this way until the dough is used up. As you make your spinach green gnocchi, place them on a lightly floured cutting board, one next to the other, so they do not stick.
The potato and spinach gnocchi should then be cooked in slightly salted boiling water and drained as they come to the surface (usually a couple of minutes are enough, but it depends on the amount of flour used).
How to Store Spinach Gnocchi
Potato and spinach gnocchi can be stored at room temperature for 2 or 3 hours on a floured cutting board or tray. You can lightly dust them with flour and cover them with a clean cloth. If you want to freeze the gnocchi, you can place them on a tray in the freezer. After 3 or 4 hours, when they are perfectly frozen, you can transfer them to a plastic bag. They should be cooked while still frozen.
Tips and Variations
If you don’t have fresh spinach, you can make green gnocchi using frozen spinach. In that case, they should be cooked for 4-5 minutes in slightly salted boiling water, drained, and squeezed very well.
FAQ (Questions and Answers)
How to season green gnocchi?
If you want to fully enjoy the flavor of potato and spinach gnocchi, the simplest way is to season them with butter – melted over a low flame in a pan with 2 or 3 sage leaves – and plenty of grated parmesan. Another option is to prepare a gorgonzola fondue, or the classic meat ragù.
Why not add eggs?
Because it’s not necessary: if you use the right potatoes and cook them correctly, the gnocchi won’t fall apart during cooking. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with adding 1 egg (or half), and you can do so if it makes you feel more comfortable, but know that this will make the dough softer and force you to use more flour, making your green gnocchi less flavorful and more rubbery.
