Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Rosemary Parmesan Cream Sauce.
Homemade sweet potato gnocchi with rosemary parmesan cream sauce. YUM.
This gnocchi…it’s like a bowl of softy, pillowy, fall goodness.
Is that too cheesy to say? Potentially, but I mean, all of it is true. The sweet potato gnocchi is like biting into pillows of soft sweet potato and creamy ricotta. And you guys? That rosemary cream sauce?
Oh my gosh. The sauce is truly everything. Creamy, hinted with rosemary, and seasoned with a secret ingredient that makes this sauce stand out from all other cream based sauces.
Watch the How-To Video Here:
It seems that for the first half of October I have really been into making homemade pasta (see this 2 ingredient pumpkin pasta and this butternut squash ravioli). And I am not stopping there, because I can’t let the month go by without sharing this sweet potato gnocchi. Blame it on the chill in the air, it always inspires me to get into the kitchen and make more homemade, cozy recipes like this one. One of my favorite things to do on a chilly night at home is light a few candles (I am obsessed) and do a little from scratch cooking.
Here’s the thing, homemade gnocchi is one of those foods that I think a lot of people are intimated to try cooking at home in their own kitchen. But really, there is nothing intimidating about homemade gnocchi. It’s actually so easy, and trust me, it’s going to be a million times better than any store-bought gnocchi.
Homemade gnocchi is softer, lighter, and just all-around better. Plus, you can make a more creative gnocchi like this sweet potato ricotta gnocchi.
Gnocchi is traditionally made up of three simple ingredients, potatoes, flour, and egg. You see, SIMPLE. This recipe swaps the white potatoes for sweet potatoes and ads in a little ricotta for a lighter texture.
It. Is. Delicious.
But in all honesty? To me, what makes great gnocchi is the sauce. Normally I’ll do a simple butter sauce, a lot of times using sage or oregano. In the cookbook I have a recipe for pumpkin and oregano butter gnocchi that’s also one of my favorites. But for this sweet potato gnocchi, I wanted to do something a little different. I was really craving more of a cream based sauce. A sauce similar to that of mac and cheese…
Enter this creamy rosemary sauce that really does take this the gnocchi to a whole different level. The sauce starts with a little butter (obviously), some rosemary, heavy cream, and parmesan and my secret ingredients? A pinch of nutmeg and pinch of cayenne.
The nutmeg compliments It compliments the cream and parmesan cheese so well, and the cayenne adds just the right amount of bite.
Put a little trust in me and try it. Promise, you will not be disappointed.
So have I convinced you yet? Are you sold on running home and making gnocchi tonight? Yes, YOU SHOULD, you should. And if not tonight, than this weekend for sure!
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Rosemary Parmesan Cream Sauce
By halfbakedharvest
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American, Italian
Keyword: cheese sauce, gnocchi main course
Gnocchi that's like a bowl of softy, pillowy, fall goodness, with a rosemary sauce that takes it to a whole new level!
Ingredients
- 2 medium sweet potatoes (about 2 cups once mashed)
- 1/2 cup whole milk ricotta
- 1 large egg
- 2-3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
Rosemary Cream Sauce
- 4 tablespoons (1/4 cup) butter
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/3 cup fresh grated parmesan, plus more for serving
- pinch fresh grated nutmeg
- pinch cayenne pepper
- kosher salt and pepper
Instructions
-
1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Poke a few holes in the sweet potatoes and bake for 45 minutes or until soft and tender. When the sweet potatoes are cooked, slice them in half, allow to cool, and finely mash or puree them.
3. In a large bowl, mix together the sweet potatoes, ricotta, egg, salt, and flour. Stir the mixture until just combined. If the dough seems wet, add a tablespoon of flour at a time until it can be formed into a ball. The dough should be sticky.
4. Generously flour a clean counter and scrape the dough out onto the counter. Cut the dough into four equal pieces. Working with one piece of dough at a time, roll the dough into a rope about 1 inch thick and cut into bite size pieces. Repeat this process with the other pieces of dough and place the gnocchi on a baking sheet that has been dusted with flour. At this point, the gnocchi can be kept, covered in the fridge for up to 1 day and then boiled just before you are ready to eat.
5. To make the sauce. Heat the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat and cook until it begins to brown, about 3-5 minutes. Stir in the rosemary and then slowly pour in the cream. Whisk in the parmesan, nutmeg, cayenne, and season with salt and pepper. Simmer the sauce for 3-5 minutes, whisking until smooth. Keep warm over low heat.
6. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Boil the gnocchi until they float to the top and are cooked through, about 3-4 minutes. Remove the gnocchi using a slotted spoon or spider strainer and drop it right into the sauce, gently tossing to combine. If the sauce thickens up, add a splash of the gnocchi cooking water to thin it a bit.
7. Divide the gnocchi among bowls. Top with rosemary and parmesan, of desired. EAT!
Truly the perfect bowl of gnocchi right there. Is it dinnertime yet?
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Sounds delicious!!! Will be making this for sure. Is there dijonnaise in the sauce? I saw a jar in one of your photos-just checking.
Thanks ?
Sorry, that was an old photo, no dijon in the sauce. Let me know if you have other questions. Hope you love this recipe! Thanks you! 🙂
This looks so delicious! And that cream sauce! Just out of curiosity, why the dijonnaise in the third photo? I thought that was the secret ingredient at first!
Sorry, that photo is old. no dijon. Let me know if you have other questions. Hope you love this recipe! Thanks you! 🙂
Ohhhhhh!! Still my beating heart! The gnocchi look amazing and like a song you can’t get out of your head, the gnocchi will be on my mind until I make some. The only thing I have to have is brown butter. I can’t leave that stuff alone. Have a great day!!!
I am so glad you like this! Thank you Marisa!
I’m like that too: I light candles and cook from scratch, Also, music. A lot of Ella Fitzgerald lately.
This gnocchi sounds heavenly. I haven’t made gnocchi in ages, but this recipe definitely gives me inspiration!
Thank you! I hope you love this!
I totally agree – there is nothing better (and more therapeutic) than homemade gnocchi. I love the pillowy texture and using sweet potatoes makes them that touch more delicious. Thanks for sharing. x
Yes! I hope you love this! Thanks!
This looks amazing. I really want to try making gnocchi. Definitely will try making this one, but I think I want to try a standard one first? So if I use white potatoes instead of sweet potatoes, and leave out the ricotta cheese, that’s a more traditional gnocchi, right? Although I’m thinking I’d leave in the ricotta cheese, because that sounds good, especially if it makes it a little lighter. Thanks!
You should be able to just swap the sweet potatoes for white potatoes. I would not leave out the ricotta. Let me know if you have other questions. Hope you love this recipe! Thanks you! 🙂
Just on time to find excellent inspiration for today’s supper ! Thank you!
Thank you!
YES you have convinced me to make gnocchi tonight!
I hope you love it! Thank you Caroline!
This looks delicious but the timings confused me – how can it be 30mins prep and 15mins cooking if it starts with baking the sweet potatoes for 45mins…?? But otherwise it looks delicious.
Oops, sorry about that. I forgot about the time to cook the potatoes. all fixed. Let me know if you have other questions. Hope you love this recipe! Thanks you! 🙂
How did you know I have an excess of rosemary and sweet potatoes in my kitchen right now?? Definitely making this tonight! My dad is Uruguayan and every month on the 29th its sortof tradition to eat gnocci for good luck and wealth, maybe this will be my go-to recipe for it! 🙂
Perfect timing! I hope you love this Gabrielle!! Thank you!
I did make this and it was not only easier than I thought but was absolutely fabulous! Thank you Tieghan, your recipes are so approachable and your blogs encourage me to try new things 🙂
That is so great! Thank you Gabrielle!
Wow this looks TO DIE for!! So creamy and delicious. Will definitely have to try!
I hope you love this Stacey! Thank you!!
I usually print your delicious recipes from my IPhone. I cannot find the print icon in the new layout. Where is it?
Hi Lara! The print button is right under the last photo and above the ingredients list! Let me know if you have any other questions!
I have tried to attach a screenshot, but I can’t seem to get it into this box from my photos. The print icon is not there anymore when viewing your post from my IPhone in the place you mentioned.
Hi lara, so sorry about the trouble. we are working on the site and things have been a little weird. It should be there now. let me know if it is not. sorry again!
Thank you so much for your responses. Unfortunately the icon is still not there from my phone. It is there on my computer, but I don’t turn my computer on very often. I would love if you could fix it ?
I want to make this plus all of your Harry Potter themed cocktails this weekend. This dish looks like pure fall-flavored bliss!
Yes you totally should! I hope you love this! Thanks Kate!
Yum! Those look delicious!
Thank you Kari!
Hey Tieghan,
These gnocchi look lovely! I made sweet potato gnocchi a few times, but haven’t been sure what sauce to use with it, so most of it usually goes to waste. This sauce looks perfect though, and I can’t wait to try it! Also, maybe these would be good in a fall soup? Or if you did regular potato gnocchi and a cream sauce, it sounds similar to a gnocchi type of scalloped potatoes. ? Either way, these sound like a wonderful fall or winter dish! I’m looking forward to hearing about your trip in LA and hope you’re having a nice time! 🙂
Hi Kristin! So glad you’re liking these and I hope you love the sauce! I am sure these would taste amazing in a fall soup as well! Thank you!
Where did you get your spider strainer? What a perfect tool! Can’t wait to try this
Amazon! Link below. Please let me know if you have any other questions. Hope you love this recipe! Thank you! ?
https://www.amazon.com/Asian-Kitchen-Stainless-Strainer-Natural/dp/B000PKQ3YW/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1508731742&sr=8-4&keywords=spider+strainer
This looks PERFECT. Can i use canned pureed sweet potatoes instead??
Yes, that will be great! Please let me know if you have any other questions. Hope you love this recipe! Thank you! ?
Excited to make this tonight! I noticed the instructions for the gnocchi include adding parmesean but I don’t see that in the ingredients for the gnocchi. Was this a mistake in the instructions of the ingredient list? Thanks!!
So sorry that was a typo. recipe is all fixed. Please let me know if you have any other questions. Hope you love this recipe! Thank you! ?
How much flour do your start off with in the dough? 2-3 cups is such a wide range. Is their a possibility that you can use entire 3 cups in tbe dough?
Hi! I start off with 2 and then add more as needed. I normally use about 2 1/2 cups in the dough and the other 1/2 cup for rolling. Please let me know if you have any other questions. Hope you love this recipe! Thank you! ?
Oooohhh that sauce sounds fantabulous! I started using ricotta in my gnocchi about a year ago and I can’t believe the difference it makes, right? Definitely soft, fluffy pillows of gnocchi!
Yes so good! I hope you love this James! Thank you!
Gnocchi is my absolute favorite and this looks heavenly! 🙂
Perfect! I hope you love this!
Made your Maple Creme Sweet Potato Soup. Outstanding results. Will become a yearly favorite. Like no other soup I have ever tasted. Thank you so very much.
Gary
I am so happy you loved this Gary! Thank you!
You have the prep time of only 45 minutes, why aren’t you adding the time to cook the sweet potatoes? I think this is a great recipe but lets get real on total cooking time
so sorry, recipe is all fixed. Please let me know if you have any other questions. Hope you love this recipe! Thank you! ?
I love gnocchi, but I’ve never made my own. I’ll be sure to give this recipe a try!
Also, LOVE that beautiful plate!
xx Allison
I hope this turns out perfect for you Allison! Thank you +let me know how it goes! ?
I made this the other night and my oh my was it good. And VERY easy. Ingredients weren’t expensive or hard to find. Highly recommend. This is going to be a frequent meal in my house from now on.
That is so great to hear! I am so glad you loved this Abby, thank you!
Can you use other types of flour for this? Almond? Coconut?
I have not tried other types of flour. For best results I do recommend using the suggested flour OR if needed to make gluten free, try using a GF flour blend. Please let me know if you have any other questions. Hope you love this recipe! thank you! 🙂
Making this tonight. First time ever making gnocchi or pasta in general, so very excited to see how it turns out. I’ve already made your Tamale Pie with Pomegranate Salsa which my husband and I loved. Your recipes have all been delicious and gorgeous plating. 🙂 Bon Appetite
Thats amazing! I hope this turns out great for you and you love it Morgan! Thank you!
Made this tonight. The sauce is delicious!!!! I’m not sure how I like the gnocchi, mine came out dense. I’m thinking next time I need to cook the sweet potatoes longer, puree then and not mix the dough too much. However for my first time making pasta it was pretty tasty. The j’s for the recipe. Might try it with Yukon potatoes next time. 🙂
I am really glad this turned out good for you Morgan! Thank you!
I JUST MADE THIS AND HOLY WOW. IT’S SO FRIGGIN DELICIOUS!!!!!!!!!
I am so glad you love this! Thanks Christina!
This was fantastic! I made this for dinner and we couldn’t stop marveling at how yummy it was! I added pancetta to the sauce, but either way is so good! Thank you!
I am so glad you loved this! Thanks Hannah!
WOW does this sound so good! On my to-make-right-away list,. Do you think a small splash of sherry or white wine would add or take away from this recipe? It just sounds sooooo good!
YUMM! I think a splash of either would be incredibly delicious! great idea! Please let me know if you have other questions. Hope you love this recipe. Thank you! 🙂
Just prepped my gnocchi and popped them in the fridge. Can’t wait to make them with the sauc later tonight! So far, everything was easy to follow
Perfect! I hope you love this Shanae! Thank you!
I have made this several times since you’ve posted the recipe, and it is just mind blowingly delicious. I habe to admit that I use parsley, since I do not care for rosemary at all, but other than that I follow everything to a T. Thank you for this keeper of a recipe.
Hi Claudia! I am really happy you love this recipe! Sounds great with some parsley!
Easy and delicious. Another great one a Tieghan!
Thank you Kim!
Last night, my 16 month old son and I made this together. I have been so excited for him to be old enough to cook with me and learn more about food and cooking. This has got to be the best kids recipe ever. He got to play with the dough, pour in the ingredients since measuring didn’t matter too much, he loved sampling the dough, and most of all he LOVED the final product. We doubled the recipe and I froze half of the gnocchi, not sure if they will cook up the same, but thought I would give it a try. Thanks for your amazing recipes. I am now super excited to try the gnocchi recipe in your cook book. We talk about HBH and Tieghan pretty much every single day in our household. Thanks for doing what you do!
Awh that is so sweet and sounds like a great night of cooking! Thank you so much Katie!
This looks amazing and I plan to make them this week! Can you make the gnocchi ahead of time and store in the fridge or freezer? If so what is the best method for that and how long will they keep uncooked? Thanks!
You Can! I like to just freeze the gnocchi on a parchment lined baking sheet in a single layer (just so they are not touching too much). Then transfer the gnocchi to a freezer bag once frozen and then just boil from frozen. Please let me know if you have other questions. Hope you love this recipe! Thanks! 🙂
super easy and crazy delicious.
thanks a million for sharing all your food wizardry.
Thank you! Really glad you liked this!
Just wanted you to know that I’ve been following your blog for several years (first comment!) and this is hands-down my favorite recipe. I made it again tonight and my husband nearly died of happiness! Thank you for all of your amazing recipes that have provided memorable meals in my home.
That is so amazing! Thank you so much Jessica!
Absolutely delicious!! I’ve made them today for dinner and everyone loved it, including my 2-year old picky toddler 😉
I am so glad your whole family could enjoy Marta! Thank you!
I made this last week – so good! Any suggestions for making ahead/do you think it would keep refrigerated or frozen 3 days? I want to make it for a Christmas get together, but due to our schedule I would have to make it on Friday.
HI! You can freeze the gnocchi and then just boil them straight from the freezer and drop into the sauce. The sauce can be made three day’s ahead and then warmed on the stove before serving. Please let me know if you have other questions. Hope you love this recipe! Happy Holidays ? 🙂
DOES This freeze well ?
Yes, this freezes great! Please let me know if you have other questions. Hope you love this recipe! Happy Holiday’s ? 🙂
Ive made this 4 times now in about a month and every time people are fighting over them. One of the best recipes Ive made in a while!! Thinking this delicious sauce may be good on some steaks too hmmmmm
I am so glad you loved this Stephanie! Thank you!
Really good! I made the first batch with the rosemary sauce and the second with sage. I must say, this recipe incredibly easy to pull together, especially since I cheated and microwaved my sweet potatoes. A keeper for sure!
Ah I am so happy you loved this!! Thank you Casey!
I can’t eat ricotta.. but really want to try this recipe is there any other substitute that you think would work in this recipe?
HI! Would yogurt work? If not, I recommend trying out another brownie recipe. Below are some of mine. Please let me know if you have other questions. Hope you love this recipe! Thanks! 🙂
https://dev.halfbakedharvest.com/category/recipes/type-of-meal/desserts/browniesbars-recipes/
Yum! I’ll be making this dish tomorrow. Have you tried substituting milk for cream, or do you think it would ruin the dish?
I think whole milk should be just fine. Please let me know if you have other questions. Hope you love this recipe! Thanks! ?
Absolutely amazing!! The sauce is so good and the gnocchi is really super easy!! Who knew?! Thank you so much I love your recipes! This was so good my husband and I joked about Instagram ing our plates but doubt want to stop eating!
Awh thank you so much Mary! I am so glad you enjoyed this! If you do put it on Instagram, please tag me so I can see it!
This recipe sounds amazing! I’d like to try it but I’m very sensitive to milk, heavy cream, and half and half (but not cheese for some reason, thankfully!). Would it be possible to sub unsweetened, unflavored cashew/almond milk for the cream in the sauce? I realize it won’t quite have the depth or richness you’ve described. Just wanted to get yours or other people’s opinions before I put the time in! Thanks 🙂
HI! Almond or cashew milk will be great!! Please let me know if you have other questions. Hope you love this recipe! Thanks! 🙂
I feel like this would be great with some sausage… Thoughts?
I am sure it will be amazing! I hope you love this Jillian!
Any suggestions for what to pair this with? Some bread is the only thing that comes to mind for me??♀️
Hey Kim! I would do a big green salad! I posted on of my favorites the other week. Bread would also be great! Links below! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe. Thanks so much! xTieghan
https://dev.halfbakedharvest.com/apple-and-kale-salad/
https://dev.halfbakedharvest.com/cheaters-no-knead-dutch-oven-sourdough-bread/
Do the potatoes need to cool before combining them with the other ingredients?
HI! Yes, I would let the potatoes cool until they are cool enough for you to touch without being burned. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe. Thanks so much! xTieghan
Excited to make this tonight, however my sis wants meat. Has anyone added chicken? Or should I just bake and have on the side?
HI! You could add cooked, shredded chicken to the gnocchi, but I recommend baking the chicken on the side. I think that would be better. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe. Thanks so much! xTieghan
Made this for dinner tonight. It was absolutely fantastic and the perfect bowl of pasta for a cool fall night!!
Thank you so much Eliana!
Hi Tieghan! I’m excited to make this dish for a dinner party I’m having on Saturday. Just a quick question: do I need to peel the sweet potatoes before mashing them? And will it work to put them in a food processor to mash, or should I do it by hand? Thanks so much!!
Hi Rachel! I recommend peeling the sweet potatoes before mashing. And yes, you can puree in the food processor. That will be great! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe. Thanks so much! xTieghan
I made this last night and it was killer! I am obsessed with sauce, so I doubled mine and thickened it with corn starch so it would really cling to the gnocchi. Also I sadly didn’t have any ricotta cheese, so I made the pasta without it and it still turned out yummy!
Hi Lexi! I am so glad you loved this recipe and it turned out amazing for you! Thank you so much!
I made this recipe for dinner tonight, though I cheated by using high quality sweet potato gnocchi from an Italian market near me that makes their own pasta in-house. O M G, it was so delicious!! Definitely 5 stars. This is going into regular rotation at my house.
I am so glad you loved this and it turned out perfect for you! Thank you so much!
I’ve made this 3 times now and it’s absolutely amazing! !! The sauce is stylish with the pumpkin gnocchi from the cookbook as well! !!! As always, super impressed with your recipes! This is the only place I trust recipes whole heartedly and don’t feel like I need to read comments! Happy holidays, Tieghan!!!
I am so glad you have been loving this Mary! Thank you so much!
Hi Tieghan!
I made one of your sweet potato gnocchi recipes last winter, and just discovered a big ball of the frozen dough in the freezer. Thawed it out and made this today. Yes, it’s totally out of season, and hot and humid, so this was an odd choice, but I had to. I am rebellious that way. And this was crying out to me with all the fresh rosemary I have growing now.
Absolutely five star recipe – and it was easy because the gnocchi was already done! Win/win! 😀
Haha no I totally love that! And, so glad you loved this recipe, Aline! Thank you! xTieghan
I made this tonight and it was so delicious & exciting to make! I’ve never made sweet potato gnocchi & this recipe has converted me! And can we talk about that sauce! I might’ve licked the whisk clean…
I am so glad you loved this Macie! Thank you for trying it! xTieghan
Just made this with thyme instead of rosemary. First time making gnocchi and it was quite simple to follow the recipe. Albeit a bit messy with all the flour everywhere for this novice pasta maker! Is a rich and decadent dish paired beautifully with a glass of wine. My gnocchi ended up a bit dense probably cause I overworked the dough trying to judge the perfect balance of sticky vs not sticky. Would love to try again now I have one gnocchi-from-scratch experience under my belt. Thanks for another great recipe!
I am so happy this recipe turned out so well for you, Jessica! Thank you for trying it!! xTieghan
I made this tonight. So easy, and SO delicious!! My family ooohhhed and ahhhed all the way through dinner. I don’t think I will ever be able to order gnocchi out again. This beats any I have ever had!
Wow that is so amazing! Thank you so much Kim! xTieghan
I made this tonite for my grandma and it was soooooooo delicious. I would’ve added double the rosemary but other than that, perfection. I will be making this again… and again… and again 😍🥰🤤
Hey Rachel,
I am so thrilled the recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for giving it a go! Happy Friday! xTieghan