These soft yet tender pillows of joy will melt in your mouth and send you on a whirlwind of fall flavors. The rich and creamy sauce blankets the sweet potato gnocchi and ties together the flavors beautifully. This Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Bacon and Sage is everything you need on a chilly autumn evening.
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The thought of making pasta from scratch may sound intimidating to some, but it can take your dish from good to great. Gnocchi in particular is very simple and some may say it’s even fun to make. This is a great dish for kids to lend a hand and help in the kitchen. Call me basic, but I love making this in the fall because of the warm colors and flavors of the dish. If you really are pressed for time, you can use pre-made gnocchi and simply prepare the sauce from scratch.
Sweet Potato Gnocchi Ingredients
- sweet potatoes – I’ve found that the quickest, easiest way to roast sweet potatoes is to cut them into quarters, coat with olive oil and cook in an air fryer or oven at 375°F for 20-30 minutes. Make sure to roast your potatoes at least an hour before making the gnocchi so they have time to cool. If the potatoes are too warm, the dough will be too soft and you’ll have difficulty forming the gnocchi.
- egg – I’ve made this recipe with and without an egg and found that the egg helps to better bind the flour and sweet potato.
- all-purpose flour – I recommend starting off with 2 cups of flour and working your way up as you go. The dough will be really wet so continue to add until you can start kneading the dough with your hands without it sticking to you.
- fine sea salt
Here’s what else you’ll need:
- air fryer (or baking sheet to roast in oven if you don’t have one)
- potato masher
- food processor or blender
- dough scraper
- fork
- large pot
- slotted spoon
- measuring cups and spoons
It can often feel like a chore to make pasta and sauce from scratch, but I hope the simplicity of this recipe will persuade you otherwise! Whenever I’m making pasta from scratch, like gnocchi, I often listen to a podcast or a favorite album to really get in the zone (checkout the recommended Spotify playlists for this recipe below). Making gnocchi can feel very therapeutic and that’s just one of the many reasons I love cooking it. This recipe for sweet potato gnocchi also tastes great with a homemade pesto. I hope you enjoy this hearty bowl of goodness as much as I do!
How to Make Sweet Potato Gnocchi
- Mix all ingredients in a food processor (do not over-mix or the dough will become gluey).
- Form the dough into a ball on a lightly floured surface.
- Separate the dough into 4 pieces and roll each into 1-inch thick strips.
- Cut the strips into bit sized pieces.
- Roll each piece along a fork to achieve the signature gnocchi shape (optional – I got a bit lazy with this step).
- Working in small batches, cook the gnocchi in a pot of salted, lightly boiling water until the gnocchi float to the top (about 3 minutes).
Ingredients for Creamy bacon and Sage Sauce
- bacon – bacon can be substituted with pancetta or smoked tempeh for vegetarians.
- fresh sage leaves
- garlic
- dry white wine – Pinot Grigio.
- lemon
- crushed red pepper flakes – optional.
- Parmesan cheese
- salt and pepper to taste
Here’s what else you’ll need:
- large skillet
- stirring spoon
- slotted spoon
- measuring cups and spoons
How to Make Creamy bacon and Sage Sauce
Bacon truly is the shining star of this sauce and brings a smoky, hearty flavor to the dish. You can also substitute the bacon with pancetta (or smoked tempeh for vegetarians), but I prefer the smoky, rich taste of the bacon. Making this creamy bacon and sage sauce is easy:
- Cook the bacon in a large sauté pan until crisp.
- Remove bacon from the pan and replace with the sage leaves. Fry the sage in the bacon fat until lightly browned on each side.
- Add the garlic, white wine and lemon juice to the same pan and cook until the wine is cooked off.
- Brown the cooked gnocchi in the same pan until crisp.
- Pour the reserved pasta water into the pan and season.
- Finish with parmesan cheese and stir until sauce is a creamy consistency.
More Cozy Pasta Recipes
- Creamy Lemony Orzo with Grilled Corn and Asparagus
- Crispy Gnocchi with Pesto
- Maple Stout Beef Ragu over Brown Butter Ravioli
- Weeknight Bolognese
Please let me know how your Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Bacon and Sage turns out in the comments below! I can’t wait to hear from you.
Make sure to checkout the Spotify playlists I’ve paired with this recipe below!
Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Bacon and Sage
These soft yet tender pillows of joy will melt in your mouth and send you on a whirlwind of fall flavors. The rich and creamy sauce blankets the sweet potato gnocchi and ties together the flavors beautifully. This Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Bacon and Sage is everything you need on a chilly autumn evening.
Preheat air fryer or oven to 375°F. Cut sweet potatoes into quarters and toss with 2-3 tablespoons olive oil. Roast in air fryer or oven for 25 Minutes, tossing every 10 minutes. Allow sweet potatoes to cool to room temperature before peeling off skins.
In a bowl, roughly mash the sweet potatoes. Allow mashed sweet potatoes to cool in refrigerator for at least 1 hour prior to making dough. In a food processor, add the mashed sweet potato, flour, egg and salt. Pulse on low until all ingredients are just combined (do not over mix as the dough will result in a gluey texture).
Take the dough out of the food processor and roll into a ball on a lightly floured surface. Separate the dough into 4 even sections and roll each section into 1 inch thick ropes. Cut the ropes into 1/2 inch pieces. Slide each piece over the tines of an upside down fork to achieve the classic gnocchi shape (optional).
Bring a large pot of salted water to a low boil. Drop each gnocchi into the boiling water (working in small batches) and boil for 2-3 minutes or until gnocchi floats to the top. Remove with a slotted spoon and set on paper towels. Reserve 1 to 2 cups of the gnocchi pasta water for the sauce.
Heat a large skillet over medium high. Add the diced bacon and cook until crispy, about 5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside on paper towels. In the same skillet, add the sage leaves and fry until they begin to crisp, about 2 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside on paper towels with the bacon.
In the same skillet add the garlic, white wine and lemon juice. Cook until most of the wine cooks off then add the bacon back to the pan.
Add the gnocchi to the skillet until slightly browned. Pour the pasta water into the skillet and season with salt, pepper and crushed red pepper flakes. Once pasta water is heated (about 1 minute) add the parmesan and stir until everything is evenly combined. Add the sage leaves to the skillet at the end, reserving a few for garnish. Serve with a gentle sprinkle of parmesan.
Ingredients
Directions
Preheat air fryer or oven to 375°F. Cut sweet potatoes into quarters and toss with 2-3 tablespoons olive oil. Roast in air fryer or oven for 25 Minutes, tossing every 10 minutes. Allow sweet potatoes to cool to room temperature before peeling off skins.
In a bowl, roughly mash the sweet potatoes. Allow mashed sweet potatoes to cool in refrigerator for at least 1 hour prior to making dough. In a food processor, add the mashed sweet potato, flour, egg and salt. Pulse on low until all ingredients are just combined (do not over mix as the dough will result in a gluey texture).
Take the dough out of the food processor and roll into a ball on a lightly floured surface. Separate the dough into 4 even sections and roll each section into 1 inch thick ropes. Cut the ropes into 1/2 inch pieces. Slide each piece over the tines of an upside down fork to achieve the classic gnocchi shape (optional).
Bring a large pot of salted water to a low boil. Drop each gnocchi into the boiling water (working in small batches) and boil for 2-3 minutes or until gnocchi floats to the top. Remove with a slotted spoon and set on paper towels. Reserve 1 to 2 cups of the gnocchi pasta water for the sauce.
Heat a large skillet over medium high. Add the diced bacon and cook until crispy, about 5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside on paper towels. In the same skillet, add the sage leaves and fry until they begin to crisp, about 2 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside on paper towels with the bacon.
In the same skillet add the garlic, white wine and lemon juice. Cook until most of the wine cooks off then add the bacon back to the pan.
Add the gnocchi to the skillet until slightly browned. Pour the pasta water into the skillet and season with salt, pepper and crushed red pepper flakes. Once pasta water is heated (about 1 minute) add the parmesan and stir until everything is evenly combined. Add the sage leaves to the skillet at the end, reserving a few for garnish. Serve with a gentle sprinkle of parmesan.
Notes
MAKE IT VEGETARIAN: Bacon can be replaced with pancetta or, for vegetarians, smoked tempeh. If using a vegetarian substitute, oil will be needed for the sauce to fry the sage leaves and cook the garlic.
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