Garden Vegetable Gnocchi With Alfredo Sauce
157 days ago
Skip to recipeFresh is always best, which is definitely the case with this Garden Vegetable Gnocchi With Alfredo Sauce, a recipe from our friends at New York Kitchen. It is a restaurant-quality recipe that is completely homemade.
Making the Alfredo
The Alfredo sauce is rich and creamy with base ingredients of butter, heavy cream and Parmesan cheese.
Adding more flavor are diced onion and minced garlic, both of which can be prepared using a 7-5/8″ Petite Chef knife.
As for seasoning, the sauce doesn’t call for much, since the onion, garlic and cheese already deliver on flavor. It calls only for some white pepper, which is a more earthy pepper that adds to the flavor, without overpowering it.
Preparing the Vegetables
The fresh vegetables in this dish are roasted, caramelizing them to deepen their taste. They bring a nice pop of flavor to the dish.
To prep the yellow squash and zucchini, use a 6″ Vegetable Knife to cut them in half, then rotate to slice crosswise. Make the slices about the same size for even roasting.
Along with the squash, toss in some chopped red pepper and sliced mushrooms. Both can be prepared using the 4″ Paring Knife.
Cherry tomatoes are also part of the roasted vegetables, but leave them whole.
To prepare the vegetables for roasting, toss them with some olive oil, salt and pepper. There’s no need to over season them since they’ll be mixed with the Alfredo sauce and gnocchi.
The Homemade Gnocchi
The shining star of this Garden Vegetable Gnocchi With Alfredo Sauce is the homemade gnocchi. When most people think of these little dumplings, they think of them as being made with potatoes. But this recipe uses ricotta cheese in its place.
There are just five ingredients for the gnocchi. Eggs, ricotta cheese, salt, pepper and flour, which are mixed together to form a soft dough. Divide the dough into three portions and then roll each out into a rope, about three-quarters-inch in diameter. Use the 7-5/8″ Petite Chef or a pastry cutter to cut the ropes into one inch lengths.
To mark the gnocchi, roll each piece down the back of an overturned fork. This step is optional, but adding those ridges does help the sauce stick to the gnocchi and adds some fun texture.
The gnocchi is boiled until it starts to float.
Putting it Together
Let the gnocchi drain and place in a large bowl. Toss in the roasted vegetables and the Alfredo sauce and mix to combine. Sprinkle with some fresh basil and Parmesan cheese if desired.
The textures and flavors in this Garden Vegetable Gnocchi With Alfredo Sauce make it memorable. And, bonus, with vegetables included, it is an all-in-one meal. No side salad required.
About New York Kitchen:
New York Kitchen is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that uses the stories of agriculture, food and craft beverage to inspire creative exploration to educate, excite and engage the world in a celebration of the incredible bounty of New York State. The mission is driven forward through educational hands-on cooking and craft beverage pairing classes and programs, industry certifications and professional development, Junior Chefs camps and Youth Summit, and a 100% New York State Tasting Room.
Ingredients
For the Alfredo sauce:
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 yellow onion, diced small
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
For the roasted vegetables:
- 1 yellow squash, halved and sliced
- 1 zucchini, halved and sliced
- 1 red pepper, chopped
- 8 ounces button mushrooms, sliced
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Salt, to taste
- Black pepper, to taste
For the ricotta gnocchi:
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 1/2 cups ricotta cheese
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 2 or 2 1/2 cups flour, as needed
- Chopped fresh basil, optional
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, for garnish
Directions
Make the Alfredo sauce:
- In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, melt the butter with the olive oil.
- Add in the onion and cook until translucent, about 4-5 minutes.
- Add the garlic, heavy cream and white pepper. Bring mixture to a simmer.
- Stir often.
- Add the Parmesan cheese and simmer sauce for 8-10 minutes or until sauce has thickened and is smooth.
Make the roasted vegetables:
- Preheat oven to 450 F.
- On a lined baking pan, toss vegetables and tomatoes with oil then season with salt and pepper to taste. Roast 15-20 minutes or until tender, stirring once.
- Meanwhile, make and cook gnocchi according to recipe below.
Make the ricotta gnocchi:
- Blend eggs and ricotta with salt and pepper, as desired. Stir until smooth.
- Mix in flour until a soft dough forms.
- Divide dough into 3 portions.
- Roll each portion into a rope with a 3/4-inch diameter.
- Cut into 1-inch lengths.
- Mark gnocchi using a fork.
- In a large stock pot over medium-high heat, boil gnocchi in salted water until they float.
- Drain and add to a large bowl.
- To the large bowl of gnocchi, add in the roasted vegetables and Alfredo sauce. Stir to combine. If desired, sprinkle with basil and Parmesan cheese.