Gnocchi can i freeze

These freeze-ahead gnocchi recipe can conveniently be made well ahead of time, then cooked in a few minutes straight from frozen. Make sure the potatoes are dry before you mash them — too moist and your gnocchi may be soggy. If your mix is too soft to roll, dust it in flour, but be wary — adding too much flour may make the gnocchi dry and pappy.

The magic of these gnocchi is that they can be made well ahead of time, then cooked in a few minutes straight from frozen. Cooking potatoes in their skins reduces the amount of water absorbed, making them more fluffy when mashed. Making the gnocchi while the potatoes are still hot will help keep them light in texture, so when peeling off the skins, wear rubber gloves to protect your hands. You must be logged in to rate a recipe, click here to login.

You must be logged in to post a comment. Enter the email address associated with your account, and we'll send you a link to reset your password. If an account was found for this email address, we've emailed you instructions to reset your password.

Recipes Pasta Gnocchi Freeze-ahead gnocchi. Test kitchen approved. Serves Takes 40 minutes to make, 30 minutes to cook each batch takes minutes. Freezable Vegetarian recipes. Nutrition: per serving Calories kcals Fat 2. Remove recipe Save recipe. Save Remove recipe Save recipe Print. Bring the water to a boil and cook, partially covered, until the potatoes are easily pierced with a skewer but the skins are not split, about 35 minutes.

Drain the potatoes and let them stand just until cool enough to handle. The hotter the potatoes are when they are peeled and riced, the lighter the gnocchi will be. Working quickly and protecting the hand that holds the potatoes with a folded kitchen towel or oven mitt, scrape the skin from the potato with a paring knife. Press the peeled potatoes through a potato ricer. Alternatively, the potatoes can be passed through a food mill fitted with the fine disc, but a ricer makes fluffier potatoes and therefore lighter gnocchi.

Spread the riced potatoes into a thin, even layer on the work surface, without pressing them or compacting them. Let them cool completely. In a small bowl, beat the egg, salt, pepper, and nutmeg together. Gather the cold potatoes into a mound and form a well in the center. Pour the egg mixture into the well. It should take no longer than 3 minutes to work the flour into the potato mixture; remember, the longer the dough is kneaded, the more flour it will require and the heavier it will become.

As you knead the dough, it will stick to your hands and to the work surface: Repeatedly rub this rough dough from your hands and scrape it with a knife or dough scraper from the work surface back into the dough as you knead. Wash and dry your hands. Dust the dough, your hands, and the work surface lightly with some of the remaining flour.

Cut the dough into six equal pieces and set off to one side of the work surface. Place one piece of dough in front of you and pat it into a rough oblong. When you first begin making gnocchi, until your hands get the feel of the dough, you may find it easier to cut each piece of dough in half to roll it. Sprinkle the rounds lightly with flour and roll each piece quickly between your palms into a rough ball, flouring the dough and your hands as needed to prevent sticking.

Hold the tines of a fork at a degree angle to the table with the concave part facing up. Dip the tip of your thumb in flour. Take one ball of dough and with the tip of your thumb, press the dough lightly against the tines of the fork as you roll it downward toward the tips of the tines. As the dough wraps around the tip of your thumb, it will form into a dumpling with a deep indentation on one side and a ridged surface on the other.

Set on a baking sheet lined with a floured kitchen towel and continue forming gnocchi from the remaining dough balls. Repeat the whole process with the remaining pieces of dough. At this point the gnocchi must be cooked immediately or frozen. Bring six quarts of salted water to a vigorous boil in a large pot over high heat. Drop about half the gnocchi into the boiling water a few at a time, stirring gently and continuously with a wooden spoon. Cook the gnocchi, stirring gently, until tender, about 1 minute after they rise to the surface.

You can cook the gnocchi all at once in two separate pots of boiling water. If you make a double batch of gnocchi, I strongly recommend cooking them in batches in two pots of water. Remove the gnocchi from the water with a slotted spoon of skimmer, draining them well, and transfer to a wide saucepan with some of the sauce to be used. Cook the remaining gnocchi, if necessary. When all the gnocchi are cooked, proceed according to the directions for saucing and serving in each recipe.

When saucing gnocchi, remember this tip: If the sauce is too dense or the gnocchi seem too dry, use some of the gnocchi cooking water to thin the sauce and moisten the gnocchi, as you would with pasta dishes. Cook the gnocchi as described above, remove them with a skimmer, and spread them out in a baking pan lightly coated with melted butter. When ready to serve, return the gnocchi to a large pot of boiling salted water until heated through, 2 to 3 minutes.

When the conditions are not right, we will teach you how to prep and reheat the dumplings properly so the defrosted gnocchi remains perfect once reheated.

Below is a step by step guide on how can you freeze gnocchi:. How you freeze the gnocchi will depend on the state of the dumplings. Gnocchi is best frozen uncooked because the dumplings have the tendency to soften too much once reheated. But if you have excess cooked gnocchi, you can still freeze the dumplings.

If you made too much gnocchi than you can handle, separate the dumplings that you need to freeze and hold off the sauce. You can add the sauce after thawing and reheating the dumplings.

Sprinkle a little flour and toss the gnocchi before spooning the dumplings into a resealable plastic container. The flour will prevent the dumplings from sticking together. Squeeze the air out before sealing then write the storage date with a marker.

Finally, stick in the freezer. If you have a vacuum sealer, use it to lock in the freshness. Because the gnocchi has been cooked completely, reheating will turn the dumplings mushy.

This is the ideal way to preserve and maintain the chewy consistency of gnocchi after freezing. Start by making the gnocchi from scratch, placing each dumpling in a floured, parchment-lined baking pan. This step is important because it helps retain the chewiness of the gnocchi once defrosted. Once air-drying is done, stick the pan in the freezer and leave the gnocchi to freeze for 2 to 3 hours.