Are you staring at less than appetizing leftover mashed potatoes and wondering what they could become? You are just a simple ratio of potatoes to flour away from making delicious leftover mashed potato gnocchi! Leftover mash has to be one of the most common of holiday leftovers and I most often transform it into bouncy gnocchi.
So simple to make
Super thrifty
Soft and bouncy
Smother in sauce or freeze for future meals!
Is Leftover Mashed Potato Gnocchi Traditional?
Making gnocchi from leftover mashed potatoes is certainly not the traditional way but it is a brilliant way to avoid food waste!
Take a look at this Homemade Gnocchi Recipe on Delish for an example of a more traditional preparation. Traditional gnocchi is made from potatoes (preferably russet potatoes) which have been roasted and riced. The potatoes are then mixed with all-purpose flour, some salt, and often an egg yolk or a whole egg.
Using mashed potatoes to make gnocchi can be a little less consistent because of the added ingredients in the mashed potatoes. I have had the most success using mashed potatoes that were made with russet potatoes. Russet potatoes are higher in starch and lower in moisture so they will require less flour to make a good gnocchi dough.
If your mashed potatoes were made with another variety of potato you may have more trouble getting a nice dough to form and you may need to use more flour.
Method For Leftover Mashed Potato Gnocchi
Simply add your leftover mashed potatoes and flour to a large bowl. Stir with a spoon to start but then use clean hands to bring the dough together. You want the dough to be easily rolled out so it can't been too sticky. Add more flour, a little at a time, if needed until the dough forms.
Slice the dough into smaller portions and working with one portion of dough at a time, roll it into a long tube about ¾" thick. Then cut the individual gnocchi about ½" thick.
To help sauce adhere to gnocchi, it is given some texture. You can:
- Simply press the tongs of a fork lightly into the gnocchi to create some grooves.
- Press your thumb into the centre of the gnocchi to form a divot.
- Roll the gnocchi down the back of a fork to create indents with the prongs and a crevice in the back.
Freeze your gnocchi at this point by laying the raw gnocchi on a lined sheet pan in a single layer. Place in the freezer for 1-2 hours until frozen. Remove the frozen gnocchi and transfer to a freezer safe bag or container.
Cook your gnocchi by adding it to a large pot of salted boiling water. Stir and wait just 2-3 minutes for the gnocchi to float before removing. Toss immediately in sauce and serve! (For the gnocchi pictured, I browned it in a saute pan after boiling for just a few minutes. Then I added sun-dried tomatoes, smoked tofu, tomato sauce, a bit of coconut milk and spinach).
Recipe Cost
Since this isn't an exact recipe I won't give you an overall approximation of my cost. However, I can tell you that adding flour to leftover mashed potatoes only costs me a few cents. ½ cup all-purpose flour costs me roughly 12 cents Canadian so that is a small price to pay for transforming leftover mashed potatoes into a new and exciting meal!
Let me know in the comments if you enjoy this leftover mashed potato gnocchi and how you serve it! You might find some of my other low waste recipes interesting. Try my delicious Cauliflower Stem Curry, my Watermelon Rind Jam, and my Pineapple Skin Ginger Turmeric Tea.
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Leftover Mashed Potato Gnocchi (Egg-Free)
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 1-2 servings 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Give your leftovers new life with leftover mashed potato gnocchi. A simple ratio of potatoes to flour is all you need for delicious gnocchi!
Ingredients
- 1 cup (200 g) leftover mashed potatoes* (russet potatoes preferred)
- ½ cup (65 g) all-purpose flour, spooned & levelled
*Ingredients you need that are not part of our pantry and freezer tips.
Instructions
*Use the ratio above as a guide but feel free to increase the recipe as much as needed to use up your leftover mashed potatoes. (Example: if you have 2 cups leftover mashed potatoes use 1 cup all-purpose flour etc).
- In a large bowl, combine the leftover cold mashed potatoes and flour. Stir with a spoon to start but then use clean hands to bring the dough together. You want a dough that you can easily roll out and slice so it shouldn’t be too sticky. Depending on the moisture level in your potatoes you may need to add more flour a little at a time. (Mashed potatoes made from russet potatoes will produce the best gnocchi. If other varieties of potato were used, the gnocchi dough may be more challenging).
- Once the dough is formed, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and slice it into smaller portions that will be easier to roll into a tube.
- With one portion at a time, use your hands to roll the dough into a long tube about ¾ inch thick.
- Slice the tube into ½ inch pieces which will become your individual gnocchi.
- Give each piece of gnocchi some texture so that it can hold onto sauce by lightly pressing the tongs of a fork into the gnocchi, pressing your thumb into the centre of the gnocchi or rolling each piece down the tongs of a fork to mimic the design of a gnocchi board.
- Freeze your raw gnocchi by spreading it in an even layer on a lined sheet pan and placing in the freezer. Once frozen (1-2 hours) remove from the sheet pan and transfer the frozen gnocchi to a freezer safe bag or container.
- Cook your gnocchi by bringing a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the gnocchi, stir, and boil for 2-3 minutes until the gnocchi floats. Remove from the boiling water.
*For the pictured gnocchi, I boiled the gnocchi and then browned it in a sauté pan for a few minutes in a touch of oil before adding sun-dried tomatoes, smoked tofu, tomato sauce, a bit of coconut milk, spinach, green onion and my vegan parmesan "cheese".
Notes
Approximate Cost: Adding flour to your leftover mashed potatoes to make gnocchi will likely only cost a few cents. ½ cup of all-purpose flour costs me roughly 12 cents. Not a bad way to give leftovers a new life!
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Category: Thrifty How-Tos
- Method: Boiling
- Cuisine: Italian
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