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This Potato Gnocchi in Mushroom Cream Sauce recipe is an incredibly easy and oh-so-comforting dish. The pillowy soft gluten-free gnocchi is like mini potato dumplings, tossed in dairy-free creamy mushroom sauce. With a touch of fresh arugula and lemon juice, this is a restaurant-worth one pan meal for any busy weeknights!
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Why people love this dish
There’s a wonderful Italian restaurant in my neighborhood that imports many products from Italy. Nate and I visit that store almost weekly and the food quality is absolutely amazing – just like how I remembered when I spent a summer in Italy when I was in college.
I bought a bag of gluten-free potato gnocchi from the store and was immediately hooked on the first try – soft pillowy gnocchi with a little chewy al dente texture inside. The gnocchi quality was so good that I immediately thought it’d pair beautifully with a cream-based sauce.
This recipe is really flexible and I’ve tested it a few times with potato gnocchi and Trader Joe’s cauliflower gnocchi. You can use the same recipe and the same cooking steps regardless of which one you use.
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Ingredients
- Gluten-free potato gnocchi or Trader Joe’s cauliflower gnocchi
- Califia dairy-free creamer
- Garlic, Shallot
- Ghee
- Olive oil
- Nutritional Yeast
- Chicken stock
- Mixed fresh mushrooms (I use shiitake, trumpet, and oyster mushrooms)
- Baby arugula
- Lemon
Is Potato Gnocchi Gluten-Free?
It depends and you need to read the label. The primary ingredient of gnocchi is potatoes. Wheat flour or semolina can be used as a binder and that makes potato gnocchi not gluten-free. The good news is that there are many gluten-free potato gnocchi brands available. I use Falabella. Delallo seems to have good reviews, too.
If you can’t have potatoes, try Trader Joe’s cauliflower gnocchi. It’s made with cauliflower and cassava flour. You can see how I use it in my Cauliflower Gnocchi Recipe.
The BEST dairy-free creamer for mushroom cream sauce
Not all dairy-free creamers work the same! Some creamers have thinner consistency than others even within the same brand. I’ve tried Nutpods, Califia dairy-free creamer (the tall 25 oz. jar pictured above), and Califia better half dairy-free creamer (the small carton) and the winner is definitely Califia dairy-free creamer (pictured above). It has the thickest consistency and that makes the best dairy-free mushroom cream sauce.
I’ve used the same creamer for all my dairy-free cream-based dishes – creamy napa cabbage casserole, chicken mushroom casserole, creamy chicken kale soup, and shrimp pasta in tomato cream sauce.
How to make the dish
You can make this dish, using either cauliflower gnocchi (to keep it Paleo) or potato gnocchi (gluten-free)!
- Boil the gnocchi, following the package instructions. Cook it al dente.
- Melt ghee and olive oil with garlic and shallot
- Saute the mushrooms until they are in light golden brown
- Add stock and dairy-free creamer
- Add gnocchi. Toss to thicken the sauce.
- Stir-in baby arugula and serve with lemon wedges on the side.
Expert tips
- You can use either gluten-free potato gnocchi or Trader Joe’s cauliflower gnocchi. The cauliflower gnocchi releases slightly less starch than potatoes. Just simmer the sauce down a tab bit longer.
- Not every dairy-free creamer is the same! I use Califia dairy-free creamer (the tall size 25 oz jar). Scroll up to see the one I use.
- Use any fresh mushrooms you like. I prefer a combination of shiitake, trumpet, and beech mushrooms.
- Pay attention to the timing. Take a look at how much time it needs to boil the gnocchi to al dente while you prepare the mushroom cream sauce so you can combine the gnocchi and the sauce at the perfect timing.
Side dish suggestions
You can keep the meal veggie-based with a refreshing big side salad or make it more hearty with savory paleo main dishes. And if you love mushrooms, my steakhouse mushrooms and sauteed mushrooms and cauliflower are great pairings, too!
- Keto stuffed mushrooms
- Tatsoi Asian Greens salad
- Japanese potato salad
- Asian Chopped Salad with baby bok choy
- Lamb korma stew
- Lemon thyme chicken
Comfort food lovers!
- Air fried lemon chicken bites
- Whole30 bang bang shrimp
- Chicken katsu ramen
- Creamy coconut milk meatballs
- Cantonese crispy chow mein
- Keto chicken lo mein
- Trader Joe’s Cauliflower Gnocchi with sage brown butter sauce
Potato gnocchi with mushroom cream sauce recipe
Ingredients
- 12 oz gluten-free potato gnocchi or Trader Joe’s cauliflower gnocchi
- 0.5 oz garlic finely chopped
- 1.5 oz shallot finely chopped
- 6 oz. mixed fresh mushrooms I use shiitake, trumpet, and oyster
- 2 tbsp olive oil plus more for serving
- 2 tbsp ghee
- ¼ cup chicken stock
- ½ cup califia dairy-free creamer unsweetened
- 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1 to 1.5 cups baby arugula optional
- ¼ to ½ one lemon for serving
- Coarse sea salt to taste
- Ground black pepper to taste
- Paleo parmesan cheese optional
Instructions
- First take a look how much time it needs to boil the gnocchi to al dente. You want to plan the timing well so that you can combine the gnocchi and the cream sauce at the perfect timing.
- Bring a pot of water to boil for the gnocchi. Prepare the garlic and shallot in one bowl. Slice or use your hands to separate the mushrooms.
- Boil the gnocchi by following the package instructions to al dente texture. Drain the gnocchi and don’t rinse them in water.
- Preheat a large skillet over medium low heat until it feels warm when you place your palm near the surface, about 2-3 inches away. Melt the olive oil and ghee then add the garlic and shallot with a pinch of salt. Saute over medium heat for 10 seconds.
- Add the mushrooms. Spread them out in a single layer. Cook, uncovered and without disturbing, until the bottom sides are in light brown color, about 5 minutes. Season with 2 pinches of salt and black pepper. Then cook the flip side for 1 additional minute.
- Add the stock, cream, and the yeast. Stir with a wooden spoon for about 1 minute.
- Add the boiled gnocchi. Keep stirring and the sauce should turn thicker in about 1 minute.
- Turn off the heat. Stir-in baby arugula until it wilts slightly. Taste and adjust with salt and pepper.
- Transfer to a serving plate. Drizzle with a dash of olive oi.
- Serve with lemon wedges on the side. Drizzle before serving. Sprinkle with paleo parmesan cheese, if using. Serve warm.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Fantastic recipe! Easy, healthy, tasty.