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These easy cauliflower gnocchi use only two (main) ingredients, are done in no time at all and are gluten free. Delicious with a simple sauce recipe.
How to make cauliflower gnocchi
I gotta be honest here; the first time I heard about cauliflower gnocchi I was a little hesitant. I mean, we all know that traditional gnocchi is made with potatoes and since cauliflower does work very different I wondered if it would work. But this cauliflower gnocchi recipe is so easy and works perfectly. It does require a bit of work as you need to steam the cauliflower rice and then press out all the moisture.
Table of contents
What do you need
In terms of ingredients for the gnocchi itself, you really only need two ingredients. The cauliflower and the cassava flour. Now for the cauliflower I went with cauliflower rice, but you can also use small cauliflower florets, either frozen or fresh. For the sauce you do need a bit more. I made it with coconut milk, spinach, red pepper, mushrooms and for thickening the sauce I used arrowroot but you can use potato starch if you want to. Adding parmesan cheese is also always a delicious idea.
The process
As mentioned the first step is to steam the cauliflower. Raw cauliflower will not stick together. Steam the rice for about 5 minutes or so. Place all the cauliflower on a clean tea towel and squeeze out all the moisture. Give it a really good squeeze. As for how much you need to have left, aim for around 300-350 gram of cauliflower after squeezing.
Now place the cauliflower with the cassave flour into the food processor and turn until it starts to come together. Check if you can make a ball out of the mixture. It should stick together when you press it with your hands.
Now roll small sausage rolls from the cauliflower mix and place those on a piece of parchment paper. Don’t make them too long as they will break. Doesn’t have to be perfect either. Cut each roll into small pillows. If you want you can use a fork to press a little pattern into the pillows. That’s totally optional.
If you want you can easily freeze the gnocchi at this point. If you do place them in a single layer in a freezer bag and use the frozen gnocchi for the next step in the process. It’s a great way to also meal prep with them I’d say.
Cooking the gnocchi
The next step is the cooking process. Cooking cauliflower gnocchi is not much different from regular gnocchi. Bring a large pot of water to the boil and keep in medium heat. Now add the gnocchi in stages. This is to prevent them sticking together so give them some space in your pan. Cooking takes only a few minutes and as soon as they float to the surface take them out with a slotted spoon. For best results sprinkle with some extra virgin olive oil to prevent them sticking and place them in a single layer on a baking sheet.
Now you want to bake them in a frying pan. I haven’t tried this in an air fryer basket but I would imagine that would work quite as well. Will be trying that for next time.
Baking and making the sauce
For baking the gnocchi you can use butter or brown butter or coconut oil. Bake them until golden brown and crispy in 2-3 minutes. Take out of the pan and set aside while you make the sauce. My favorite sauce is this coconut based sauce but if you’re not a fan of coconut you can use any other kind of base you like. A tomato sauce would be a great base as well. I first sauté the mushrooms and the red bell pepper and add the spinach until it is wilted. I add some garlic powder or onion powder for extra flavor and once the coconut milk is added I use the arrowroot to thicken the sauce. Use salt and pepper to bring it up to taste.
Finishing
Now add the cauliflower gnocchi, toss through the pan and serve hot with fresh coriander. Making the cauliflower gnocchi is my new favorite way of using cauliflower. You can also keep the cauliflower gnocchi for 2-3 days in the fridge before you’re preparing them. It’s a delicious side dish but can also serve as a main easily. It’s an easy way to increase your veggie intake too!
If you want to make this more into a main dish you can add some Italian sausage, chicken or other protein. I love eating this as a vegetarian main.
Additions and variations
Adding some homemade pesto to the dish is also delicious and cherry tomatoes to the sauce work perfectly too. If you’ve made the recipe let me know how you liked it by using the star rating below.
And if you’re up for something funky, make sure to check out the cauliflower rice pudding too.
Cauliflower gnocchi
Ingredients
For the gnocchi
- 400 g cauliflower rice
- 140 g cassava flour
- 1 tsp sea salt
Sauce
- 1 can coconut milk 400 ml
- 300 g spinach
- 1 red pepper diced
- 300 g mushrooms sliced
- 2 tbsp arrowroot
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Coriander to serve
How to make cauliflower gnocchi
- You start by steaming the cauliflower rice. You can do this in a steamer or in a sieve that you hang in a pan. Put the lid on and steam for about 5 minutes. You should see that the cauliflower has softened.
- Dump the cauliflower onto a clean tea towel and squeeze out all the excess moisture. The remaining cauliflower will be somewhere between 300-350g. Depending on how long you’ve let it steam.
- Put the steamed cauliflower rice in the food processor with the cassava flour. Turn this until more or less smooth and check if it sticks together when you roll it into a ball with your hands.
- Roll out the dough into rolls. Don’t make these too long as they will break. They don’t have to be perfect rolls either, as long as you can press it into the shape of a sausage. Cut small pillows from this. You can press a fork into them for a little pattern.
- Now bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and cook the cauliflower gnocchi until tender. This only takes a few minutes and when they start to float, they are cooked. Then take them out immediately. Drizzle with a little olive oil to prevent sticking.
- Heat a spacious frying pan with coconut oil or olive oil and fry the gnocchi in it until golden brown and crispy.
- Set aside while you make the sauce.
- For this, heat the frying pan again with some oil and fry the mushrooms and pepper until tender. Add the spinach and let it wilt. Now add the coconut milk and season with salt and pepper.
- Use the arrowroot to thicken the sauce a little. First add 1 tablespoon of this, check how thick it is and, if necessary, add the second tablespoon of arrowroot.
- Finally, add the cauliflower gnocchi and serve with fresh coriander.
Nutrition Information per portion:
Disclaimer:
The nutritional values above are calculated per portion. The details are based on standard nutritional tables and do not constitute a professional nutritional advice.
