Close your eyes and envision enjoying a rich bowl of tender gnocchi topped with a luscious mushroom sauce.

Better yet, imagine a vegan-friendly, rich bowl of tender gnocchi topped with a luscious mushroom sauce. This means no use of egg, heavy cream, grated parmesan cheese, and other ingredients often laden in fat.

Enjoy this vegan gnocchi recipe in the comfort of your own home, no fancy reservations required! Preparing gnocchi is also super easy and fun to make with the family.

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(Read to the bottom for three bonus gnocchi sauce recipes and ideas!)

Vegan Gnocchi Recipe with Mushroom Sauce Recipe

Yield: about 2 lbs cooked gnocchi or 6 servings

Nutrition per serving: 350 calories, 8 g fat, 6 g protein, 60 g total carbohydrate, 5 g fiber

Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 25 minutes
Total time: 55 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 lb russet potatoes
• 2 1/2 cups flour + extra for work surfaces as needed
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 small yellow onion, diced
• 1, 8-oz container Shiitake mushrooms, destemmed and sliced
• 1/2 cup vegetable broth
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
• 1, 10-oz container fresh baby spinach
• Salt and black pepper (optional)
• Handful fresh parsley, roughly chopped (optional)

Instructions:

1. Add the potatoes to a large pot on the stovetop. Cover potatoes with water then bring to a boil. Let potatoes boil for about 15 minutes, or until they are cooked through and tender. Carefully remove potatoes from water then let cool and drain in a colander.

2. Once potatoes are cooled off enough to handle, remove the peels. Grate them using a potato ricer.

3. To form the gnocchi dough, gently mix the riced potato, flour, olive oil, and salt with hands until just combined. Tear small pieces from the dough and form into small dumplings. If the mixture is sticky, add flour until it no longer sticks when rolling.

4. To make the traditional gnocchi shape, press the backside of a fork into each gnocchi about 3/4 of the way through.

5. To cook gnocchi, dust with flour to avoid sticking. Add small batches into a boiling pot of water. When the gnocchi floats to the top, remove with a slotted spoon and set aside until ready to assemble the dish.

6. For the sauce recipe, heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and sauté for 3 minutes.

7. Add onion and mushroom and cook for an additional 10 minutes, or until onion is soft and mushrooms begin to brown.

8. Add vegetable broth, lemon juice, and nutritional yeast and stir to combine. Simmer together for about 8 minutes, or until liquid is slightly reduced.

9. Add cooked gnocchi to the mushroom sauce in a skillet and cook until heated through about 1 minute.

10. Add spinach and cook just until wilted, about 1 minute. Garnish with fresh parsley and serve.

3 Bonus Gnocchi Sauce Recipes & Ideas

The gnocchi itself is fairly bland, making it a blank canvas to harness so many delicious flavors! In addition to the mushroom sauce, give these other sauce and ingredients combinations a try.

Pesto Sauce with Toasted Pine Nuts

The gnocchi pairs perfectly with fresh pesto sauce outlined in this zucchini pasta recipe.

To make, pulse the following ingredients in a blender or food processor until smooth:

• 2 cups of fresh basil leaves, cleaned and pat dry
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
• 2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan or pecorino cheese
• Sea salt and ground black pepper to taste

Roasted Veggie Primavera

Primavera means "spring" in Italian cooking and features fresh vegetables. Preparing primavera-style is a great way to add volume and nutrients to any pasta dish, this gnocchi recipe included.

Sauté preferred veggies over medium heat with olive oil and chicken or vegetable broth as desired. Broccoli, bell pepper, carrot, and snap peas, and zucchini are great examples to include.

Toss gnocchi in sautéed veggies and season with salt and pepper to taste. Also add fresh herbs as desired, including basil, parsley, and sage.

Tomato Sauce with Fresh Basil

Sometimes it is just hard to beat pasta with fresh tomato sauce. But instead of purchasing, easily prepare at home to control added sugar and sodium use.

Start by sautéing garlic and onion with olive oil on the stovetop. Once the onion is translucent, add a 24-ounce can of crushed tomatoes and simmer for about 30 minutes. Puree until smooth or leave chunks per preference.

Coat gnocchi with the tomato sauce and garnish with chopped fresh basil. Feel free to add carrot, celery, red pepper flakes, and other favorite ingredients to the sauce as well.