Gnocchi is pasta made with potatoes and this homemade version with Sausage Bolognese is so easy that a 10 year old is going to show you how to make it. 
I know. I don't usually post on Sunday's, but we had a last minute request for a Guest Blogger and I HAD to fit her in somewhere! Please join me in welcoming my youngest daughter, Gabrielle, to CEK today.
Her real name is Gabrielle, but she also goes by Gabby or Gab. As you will see, we definitely picked the right name for this one. She really created a fantastic recipe and is going to show you how to make Homemade Gnocchi with Sausage Bolognese Sauce.
Take it away Gabby...
Hi this is Gabby, Carrie’s daughter! I am going to talk about some things that my Mom has made in the past year and how she got me to eat real food; as well as share a recipe I created and prepared myself (well, with a little help from Mom!).
It all started last year when all I ate was chicken nuggets. Then one day I came home from school and I wasn’t feeling well because my stomach wanted real food. My mom was making steak on the grill marinated in horseradish, salt, and pepper.
At first I thought it would taste gross, but my Mom made me try it so I did. I loved it and for once I didn’t want chicken nuggets!!! That was the first real meat I had had all year! (She's exaggerating of course! She also ate real chicken or shrimp. She just didn't like beef or pork because she didn't like to chew it. Ok we'll continue now...)
Then she made lime bars for dessert one night with lemon lime chicken for dinner. It was really yummy. The lime bars were very sweet and tasty, the lemon lime chicken was tasty, spicy, adventurous in your mouth (yes, she came up with this adjective all on her own!) and matched perfectly with the dessert.
One of my favorite deserts is her apple pie. It has a little cinnamon spice to it and she uses the sweetest apples picked right off the trees. I also love all of her granola bars, like the White Chocolate Apple Walnut Granola Bar with crushed up walnuts and white chocolate. Yum!!! I made it too..YAY me!!!!
In the winter she makes peppermint hot chocolate. It's like the same thing as normal hot chocolate, but minty and extra chocolatey. For Christmas she lets my sister and I decorate the homemade sugar cookies for Santa.
She also makes peanut butter cookies with a Hershey kiss on top it tastes like baked peanut butter cup with extra goodness on top. Finally, my favorite meal for dinner is her corned beef. First she boils it in beer and water then takes it out and spreads Dijon mustard on to and bakes it!
I also wanted to make something to share with you and came up with this recipe for Homemade Gnocchi with Sausage Bolognese idea on my own. It was so irresistible and my mouth was watering after I tried it. It kind of reassembled my personality perfectly. (Yes, I know...I'm in big trouble with this one!)
How do you make homemade gnocchi?
This recipe for homemade gnocchi makes approximately 11-12 dozen and you'll need Russet potatoes, eggs, all purpose flour, grated Pecorino Romano cheese and Kosher Salt.
Start by boiling the potatoes with the skins on until they are fork tender. Do not cool the potatoes. Remove from the hot water one at a time, peel off the skins (carefully, they'll be extremely hot!).
Using the tines from the back of a fork, gently mash the potatoes. Repeat for each potato, add to a bowl, then let cool 10-15 minutes.
Form the potatoes into a ball shape, form a well and add the cheese, egg and salt. Next add 1 cup of the flour and gently keep folding all of the ingredients together with a spoon until it is all incorporated.
The dough shouldn't be too sticky. If it is, gradually add more flour as needed. (It all depends on the actual size of your potatoes).
Cut the dough into ten pieces. Take one of the pieces and turn it onto a floured board. Gently roll lengthwise forming a log shape the thickness of your thumb.
From there, cut into eight pieces (about the size of the tip of your thumb to the first joint). Gently using the back of the fork, make an indentation on the top. Repeat for all ten segments of dough.
Next, bring a pot of water to a boil. Gently drop in the Gnocchi. They are done when they start floating, approximately 2-3 minutes. Drain the water or pull them out using a slotted spoon and add the gnocchi to the sauce, gently mixing so not to break the pasta.
If you aren't going to cook the gnocchi right away, place them in a single layer on a floured cookie sheet in the refrigerator until you are ready to do so or layer them with parchment paper sprinkled with corn meal and place in a shirt box in the freezer.
How do you make Sausage Bolognese sauce?
To prepare, I recommend boiling your potatoes for the gnocchi first; then while they are cooking, prepare your sauce so you can let it simmer while you roll out the dough.
For this recipe you'll need 1 lb. Sweet Italian Sausage (or 6 links), EVOO, scallion, garlic, fresh basil, tomato sauce (homemade or store bought) and shredded Asiago cheese.
In a large, non-stick frying pan, heat the oil and add the sausage. Break the sausage apart by using the back of a wooden spoon as it cooks. Once sausage has cooked and there is no longer any pink center, add the garlic, scallions, basil, sauce and cheese.
Mix well, reduce heat to low and simmer for approximately 30 minutes, stirring occasionally until you're ready to add it to your gnocchi.
Thanks Gabby! Believe it or not, we made this entire meal from start to finish in 1 ½ hours so if we can do it, so can you. When you make pasta homemade you can really taste the freshness of it.
This Homemade Gnocchi with Sausage Bolognese Sauce is easy enough for a weeknight meal and also great for special occasions and family gatherings.
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Homemade Gnocchi with Sausage Bolognese Sauce
Ingredients
For the Gnocchi
- 4 medium russet potatoes
- 1 large egg, whisked
- 1-2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons grated pecorino romano cheese
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- prepared sausage bolognese
For the Sausage Bolognese Sauce
- 6 links sweet italian sausage
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 chopped scallion
- 2 cloves minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon fresh chopped basil
- 3 cups prepared marinara sauce
- ⅔ cup shredded asiago cheese
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
For the Gnocchi
- Boil the potatoes with the skins on until they are fork tender. Do not cool the potatoes. Remove from the hot water one at a time, peel off the skins (carefully, they'll be extremely hot!) and using the tines from the back of a fork, gently mash the potatoes. Repeat for each potato, add to a bowl, then let cool 10-15 minutes.
- Form the potatoes into a ball shape, form a well and add the cheese, egg and salt.
- Next add 1 cup of the flour and gently keep folding all of the ingredients together with a spoon until it is all incorporated. The dough shouldn't be too sticky. If it is, gradually add more flour as needed. (It all depends on the actual size of your potatoes)
- Cut the dough into ten pieces. Take one of the pieces and turn it onto a floured board. Gently roll lengthwise forming a log shape the thickness of your thumb. From there, cut into eight pieces (about the size of the tip of your thumb to the first joint). Gently using the back of the fork, make an indentation on the top. Repeat for all ten segments of dough.
- Next, bring a pot of water to a boil. Gently drop in the Gnocchi. They are done when they start floating, approximately 2-3 minutes. Drain the water or pull them out using a slotted spoon and add the gnocchi to the sauce, gently mixing so not to break the pasta. Makes approximately 11-12 dozen.
For the Sausage Bolognese
- Remove the casings from the sausage. In a large, non-stick frying pan, heat the oil over medium high heat and add the sausage. Break the sausage apart by using the back of a wooden spoon as it cooks.
- Once sausage has cooked and there is no longer any pink center, add the garlic, scallions, basil, sauce and cheese. Mix well, reduce heat to low and simmer for approximately 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Notes
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*Originally posted July 2012; Updated April 2017
Beverley Press says
omg this is the cutest post and Gabby did a great job...we love gnocchi too, great job and Happy Easter to you all xoxo
Carrie's Experimental Kitchen says
Thanks Beverley! It's hard to believe she's 15 now! I hope you had a nice holiday as well! xoxo
Anonymous says
nice posting. thanks for sharing
Carrie's Experimental Kitchen says
Thank you for stopping by, I'm glad you liked the post!
Jill~a SaucyCook says
OMG Carrie, this is probably the best post I have read in ages! Utterly delightful and so touching. I also love her recipe and her intimate writing style. Kudos to you both!
Carrie's Experimental Kitchen says
Thank you so much Jill!
Brianne @ Cupcakes & Kale Chips says
It is so great that she is so interested in real food and cooking. I love this post and look forward to seeing more from Gabby!
Brianne @ Cupcakes & Kale Chips says
It is so great that she is so interested in real food and cooking. I love this post and look forward to seeing more from Gabby!
Carrie's Experimental Kitchen says
Thank you Brianne and she already said since she received so many comments she has to make something else and post again! lol
Rebecca Walker says
Carrie, Gab is adorably witty and a better writer than many adults I know. I love her enthusiasm, and I congratulate YOU on making a seedling foodie out of a former nugget addict. I'm sharing the post with my sons. 🙂 <3
Carrie's Experimental Kitchen says
Thank you so much Rebecca! At least I have one that likes to cook though I have to say my oldest daughter bakes much better than I do. xo
Cooking with Tammi says
I will be trying her Gnocchi recipe. they look awesome. i enjoyed her write up as well. She's following your footsteps dear. 🙂
hey Gab have a great summer and enjoy yourself.
Carrie's Experimental Kitchen says
Thanks Tammi!
isabelleathome says
I love gnocchi, I even bought a little tool to make them while in Canada. Now I want to make them even more! Delicious 🙂
Carrie's Experimental Kitchen says
They're really easy and fun to make Isabelle. What kind of tool did you get?
Ann Fulton says
I am completely impressed by your daughter, Carrie! The post is well written, witty and insightful and I bet her finished dish was fabulous!
Carrie's Experimental Kitchen says
Thanks Ann and they were delicious! I'll let her know you liked her post 🙂
Anonymous says
Blossoming writer and more, what a delightful post.
Carrie's Experimental Kitchen says
Thank you for stopping by! 🙂
Foodie Stuntman says
I'd recommend baking the potatoes instead of boiling them. With wet potatoes, they will soak up more flour leading to heavier gnocchi.
Carrie's Experimental Kitchen says
I don't know, they were pretty light to me and like I mentioned above, we didn't have a lot of time to make these to begin with. If I baked them it would have taken an additional 45 minutes we didn't have.