(for 4 people)

Ingredients for the Gnocchi

  • 400 g of cooked borlotti beans
  • 1 medium potato, boiled
  • 50 g of whole wheat flour
  • Salt

INGREDIENTS FOR THE SAUCE

  • 30 g of butter
  • 5 sage leaves
  • Salt and pepper
  • Grated Pecorino cheese

PROCEDURE
To make the gnocchi, blend the cooked beans into a smooth purée using a blender. For an even smoother texture, you can pass the purée through a fine sieve. Add the flour, a pinch of salt, and the boiled potato, then knead well until all the ingredients are fully incorporated. Divide the dough into 4 portions and roll each one into a log about the width of a finger. Cut into small pieces about 2 cm long to form the gnocchi. Place them on a floured tray. At this point, you can either freeze the gnocchi directly on the tray or cook them right away.
In the meantime, bring a pot of water to a boil and salt it. Once dropped into the water, the gnocchi will be ready when they float to the surface—about two minutes.
For the sauce, melt the butter in a pan. Add the sage leaves, washed, well dried, and torn into pieces. Let the butter brown slightly, making sure it doesn’t burn—when it starts to foam, swirl the pan.
Once the gnocchi rise to the surface, add them directly to the pan and toss gently to coat them in the sauce. Finish with freshly ground pepper to taste and a generous grating of cheese.

Gnocchi, in many households, are the ultimate Sunday comfort food. Like pasta, they go well with virtually any sauce, they’re inexpensive, everyone loves them—but they’ll also leave you flattened on the couch after that massive dose of white carbs. That’s why they’re perfect for Sundays: gnocchi are best enjoyed when you know no one will force you to get up from the couch for at least a couple of hours after lunch.
Gnocchi are also one of those recipes that spark endless debate—should you add an egg or not? How much flour is too much? What kind of potatoes should you use, and how should they be cooked?
And yet, in all the homes of the moms and grandmas I’ve eaten with, the gnocchi always turned out more or less the same—thanks to the time-honored recipes handed down from one kitchen to another.

But gnocchi can also be enjoyed in much lighter ways—like with a simple tomato sauce, sautéed cherry tomatoes with olive oil, garlic, and chili, a vegetable sauce, or even with Romanesco broccoli and anchovies. For more festive versions, they’re delicious with a classic ragù, baked alla Sorrentina with tomato and mozzarella, or paired with a seafood sauce… they’re perfect in every form, just like nonna’s gnocchi.
And depending on the sauce, they can easily be made completely vegan too.