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Purple potato gnocchi with pumpkin cream and black cabbage
- Vegetarian
- Difficulty: Average
- Prep time: 50 min
- Cook time: 60 min
- Serving: 4
PRESENTATION
Purple potato gnocchi is one of those dishes that just bursts with color and excitement—perfect for any winter table, really. In Tuscany and all over Central Italy, people love to get creative with seasonal goodies, and this recipe is a total winner. Forget your usual gnocchi. Here, you’ve got purple potato gnocchi—which is great. The potatoes give the dumplings a natural sweet flavor and a color that really really stands out. They’re soft, a bit chewy, and super comforting.
What really takes them up a notch is the rich pumpkin cream sauce. The sauce, slow-cooked until it’s super velvety, is smooth and uses local zucca that’s sweet but earthy. A touch of nutmeg? Oh yeah, some recipes add that for extra warmth. Then, to tie everything together, you’ve got a sprinkle of black cabbage powder made from cavolo nero, a Tuscan must-have. That earthy note from the kale balances all the flavors and adds a little pop on the plate—pretty much.
When you see this dish, it’s like a piece of art. For real. The colors alone are stunning: deep purple, golden orange, and dark green flecks from the kale powder. Folks in Tuscany love using fresh, local stuff, and this dish fits right in with Italian traditions of healthy, easy dinner ideas that feel special. It’s both creamy and filling, but you don’t get weighed down. Plus, it’s vegetarian—so it fits a lot of diets.
This food? Works great for chilly nights when you want something that feels like real fall comfort food, but it’s unique enough to bring to a gathering. Whether you’re into vegetarian pasta dishes or always hunting for new kale recipes, this plate brings together Italian roots, fresh flavors, and a modern twist. Honestly, it’s a happy take on classic homemade gnocchi that makes winter just a bit brighter. Enjoy the blend of textures and flavors that only Italian cuisine can give you, capturing the season in every bite. Seriously good.
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INGREDIENTS
- For the gnocchi
- Purple potatoes 2.2 lbs (1 kg)
- Type 00 flour 2 ½ cups (300 g)
- Eggs 1
- Fine salt 1 pinch
- Remilled durum wheat semolina to taste - for dusting
- For the pumpkin cream
- Mantuan pumpkin 1.1 lbs (500 g) - (to be cleaned)
- Shallot 1
- Water 0.625 cup (150 g) - hot
- Extra virgin olive oil to taste
- Fine salt to taste
- Black pepper to taste
- For the black cabbage powder
- Italian kale (cavolo nero) 7.1 oz (200 g) - (to clean)
- Extra virgin olive oil 2 spoonfuls
- Fine salt to taste
- For finishing
- Butter 3 ½ tbsp (50 g)
Preparation
How to prepare Purple potato gnocchi with pumpkin cream and black cabbage
To prepare the purple potato gnocchi with pumpkin cream and black cabbage, first boil the purple potatoes starting with cold water; it will take about 40-50 minutes depending on their size 1. In the meantime, clean the pumpkin 2 and cut the flesh into cubes 3.
Clean and finely chop the shallot 4. In a pan, pour a drizzle of oil 5 and add the shallot 6.
Sweat the shallot for 6-7 minutes over low heat, then add the pumpkin 7 and cook for about 15-20 minutes over medium-low heat, adding hot water as needed 8. Season with salt 9 and pepper.
Transfer the pumpkin to a pitcher 10 and blend with an immersion mixer 11 until it becomes a cream 12.
Keep the pumpkin cream warm and move on to the black cabbage: separate the leaves from the stems 13 and collect them in a bowl, then season with salt 14 and oil 15.
Spread the black cabbage leaves on a baking sheet 16 and bake in a preheated ventilated oven at 392°F for about 15 minutes 17. After this time, the leaves should be dry and crispy 18.
Let cool slightly, then transfer the black cabbage to a blender 19 and blend to reduce it to a powder 20. Set aside the black cabbage powder and drain the potatoes, which meanwhile will have finished cooking, checking the consistency with a toothpick 21.
Press the potatoes on the work surface (the skin will remain inside the potato masher) 22, then add the flour 23, the egg 34 and a pinch of salt.
Knead with your hands 25 until you get a compact and homogeneous dough 26. Divide the dough into smaller portions with a dough scraper 27.
Roll each portion of dough with your fingertips to form logs about 0.78 inches thick 28. You can dust the work surface with semolina and cover the portion of dough you are not working with a cloth to prevent it from drying out. Cut the logs into pieces 29 and roll them on a gnocchi board dusted with semolina, pressing lightly 30.
Place the gnocchi on a cloth dusted with semolina, keeping them well spaced apart 31. Bring a pot of salted water to a gentle boil to cook the gnocchi, and in the meantime, melt the butter in a large pan 32. Pour the gnocchi into the boiling water 33.
Drain the gnocchi as soon as they rise to the surface 34 and transfer them to the pan with the melted butter 35, then briefly toss to finish them. You're ready to plate: spread the pumpkin cream on the bottom of the plates 36.
Add the gnocchi 37 and garnish with the black cabbage powder 38. Serve your purple potato gnocchi with pumpkin cream and black cabbage immediately 39!
Storage
Tip
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