Pritikin Potato Gnocchi in Tomato Sauce
Tender potato gnocchi (dumplings) can take some time to prepare, but they are fun to make and worth the effort. The Pritikin Plan created this low-fat version — a nice alternative to pasta — and serves it with Italian-style tomato sauce.
Equipment
- 1 soup pot
- 1 Baking Dish
- 1 food mill, potato ricer, or potato masher
Ingredients
Gnocchi
- 1.5 pounds boiling potatoes - small red, yellow or white skinned variety
- 1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
- 1/2 cup all purpose flour - unbleached
Sauce
- 28 oz tomatoes - canned, crushed and pureed
- 15 oz tomato sauce - canned
- 1 tablespoon basil - chopped fresh or dried
- 1 teaspon garlic powder
Instructions
Boil the Potatoes
- Place unpeeled potatoes in a pot with water to cover. Bring to a boil and cook for 45 minutes, cover ajar, over moderate heat. While potatoes are boiling, prepare the sauce.
Prepare Sauce and Dish
- Simmer all sauce ingredients over low heat for 10-15 minutes.
- Ladle a bit of sauce into a large baking dish and set the baking dish and rest of the sauce aside.
Prepare Gnocchi
- Drain the cooked potatoes. When cool enough to handle, peel away the skins. Feed potato flesh through a food mill or potato ricer, or use a potato masher to mash thoroughly.
- Mix the flours together in a small bowl. Add the blended flour to the mashed potatoes, a small bit at a time, until it forms a smooth and firm dough.
- Transfer dough to a floured board or counter top and knead gently for a 4-5 minutes, adding a bit more of the blended flour as needed, to keep it a firm and not sticky dough.
- Sprinkle a very light amount of AP flour over the potato dough ball, and cut the ball into 4 equal portions.
- Using your hands, roll each portion into a long rope about 3/4 inches in diameter. Press the rope along its length to make it slightly flattened. Cut each rope into 1 inches pieces, and press each piece down lightly with the tines of a fork, to make grooves.
- Cook the gnocchi in batches (about 1/3 of the number of dumplings in each batch), in a large pot of boiling water. Lower each batch carefully into the water, a few at a time, using a long wooden spoon if necessary, and loosen any which may be sticking to the bottom of the pot.
- When each gnocchi floats to the surface of the water, let them bob at the surface for another 10 seconds, and then remove with a slotted spoon, shaking off excess water.
Bake
- Arrange the cooked gnocchi in the baking dish and cover with approximately 1-2 cups of sauce, in dollops. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 15-20 minutes.
- Garnish with fresh basil leaves, chipped or slivered.
Spa Index Kitchen Notes
Nutrition
ABOUT PRITIKIN
The Pritikin Eating Plan is proven in more than 100 peer-reviewed studies to have life-saving benefits like lowering cholesterol and blood pressure. Plus, you aren’t losing your mind while losing weight. There’s no calorie counting, no hunger. Just plenty of healthy, whole foods deliciously prepared, like the recipes shared with Spa Index. Pritikin was the first comprehensive lifestyle program in America, and after 39 years on the cutting edge of lifestyle science, we are still the longest-running, most successful program for reversing many of modern society’s health concerns, including obesity, heart disease, high blood pressure, and diabetes. More than 100,000 people worldwide have come to Pritikin Longevity Center, in Miami Florida, for one-week programs, two-week programs, or longer. For some, the primary goal is losing weight. Others want to prevent and address health issues. Still others seek the ultimate spa-health vacation. Everyone leaves feeling better and, best of all – living better.