Cauliflower Gnocchi (Vegan and Gluten-Free) with Balsamic Tomato Basil Sauce

Fluffy and soft gnocchi made from cauliflower that is vegan, gluten-free and easy to make. With 4 ingredients, these are a great alternative to shop-bought gnocchi and great served with your favourite sauces.

I have gnocchi obsession this quarantine period and after mastering my Sweet Potato Gnocchi a couple of weeks ago, I wanted to push myself again. Rather than opt for normal white potato, I had seen a lot of praise for an American branded gnocchi made from cauliflower. So many people I know from social media had been raving about this gnocchi, so I thought I just had to try and make some! After a few experiments and some research, I decided to try my gnocchi with oat flour – as my flour supply was running very low. And I am delighted with the results.

Cauliflower Gnocchi (Vegan and GF) with Balsamic Tomato and Basil Sauce

Using oat flour makes this recipe naturally gluten-free with an added boost of fibre, too. Don’t have oat flour? Nor do I! just blitz up your oats until they form a fine meal or flour. I do then add some cornflour or arrowroot powder to help the gnocchi bind together.

To get started, you need to steam or boil your cauliflower and then blend to a smooth puree as you would with potato. Then mix in the flour, gently knead for about a minute on a floured surface and continue as normal! Roll each piece into a log, chop into gnocchi-sized pieces and then you can press a fork into each one to make the classic groove marks.

Cauliflower Gnocchi (Vegan and GF) with Balsamic Tomato and Basil Sauce

Cook them in boiling water for 2 minutes or so until they float to the surface and that’s it! These Cauliflower Gnocchi really are not as intimidating or difficult as you may think. I loved serving them in a few different ways, the first was a simple Balsamic Tomato and Basil Sauce.

For the sauce, fry off some onion, garlic and mixed herbs before adding in some fresh chopped tomatoes, balsamic vinegar for tang, tomato puree for richness and finish with some fresh basil. Sometimes the simple sauces are the best. It would be great with normal pasta, too, or stirred into roasted vegetables and stuffed into a baked potato for example.

I look forward to hearing what you think of this vegan, gluten-free and simple recipe for Cauliflower Gnocchi and for the Balsamic Tomato and Basil Sauce. It is naturally nut-free while being packed with fibre and wholesome goodness. The gnocchi are soft, pillow and hearty like you expect but slightly lighter being made from vegetables instead of potatoes. They are also great cold, to serve them in a pasta style salad or make them ahead of and keep for a few days in the fridge.

If you are looking for more pasta inspiration, how about my Sun-Dried Tomato and Chickpea Gnocchi, Roasted Cauliflower and Beetroot Pasta, Tomato Chickpea Pasta Bake with Tempeh Crumble or Roasted Aubergine and Tomato Pesto Pasta.

Cauliflower Gnocchi (Vegan and Gluten-Free)

• Servings: 2 (makes 38-40 gnocchi)
• Time: 10 minutes plus cooling
• Difficulty: easy
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Fluffy and soft gnocchi made from cauliflower that is vegan, gluten-free and easy to make. With 4 ingredients, these are a great alternative to shop-bought gnocchi and great served with your favourite sauces.

Ingredients

• 250g cauliflower (roughly ½ head)
• 100g oat flour + extra for dusting (about 10g) (or oats)
• 2 tbsp cornflour or arrowroot powder
• A pinch of salt

Directions

1. Remove the leaves from the cauliflower and chop into florets, measure out 250g. Steam the cauliflower until tender. Allow to cool and blitz to a smooth puree.
2. If needed, blitz the oats to a fine flour and place in a bowl with the cornflour and a large pinch of salt.
3. Add the cauliflower puree to the flour bowl and stir together with a spoon and finish off by bringing the dough together with your hands. Tip the dough onto a lightly floured surface, knead it a few times (less than 1 minute or the dough will be tough) and chop into 4 equal pieces.
4. Roll each piece into a log-shape about 18-20cm long (make sure the surface is very lightly dusted). Cut each into 9 or 10 individual gnocchi. Continue to make all the gnocchi.
5. Press a fork lightly into each one. Cook straight away or store in the fridge for 2-3 days.
6. To cook, bring a pan of salted water to boil and pop in a few gnocchi at a time – enough to cover the bottom of the pan. Cook for a couple of minutes, they will rise to the top when they are cooked. Remove with a slotted spoon and continue to cook all the gnocchi.

Cauliflower Gnocchi with Balsamic Tomato Basil Sauce

• Servings: 2
• Time: 15 minutes
• Difficulty: easy
• Print

A quick and easy rich tomato sauce packed with fresh basil and balsamic vinegar that is naturally vegan, gluten-free and light. Perfect over pasta, served with gnocchi or with vegetables.

Ingredients

• 1 x batch Cauliflower Gnocchi
• 1 small red onion, small dice
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed
• Olive oil
• 160g fresh tomatoes, chopped (or tinned)
• 1 tsp dried mixed herbs
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 3-4 tbsp tomato puree
• 2 tbsp water
• 2 tbsp fresh basil, chopped
• Salt and pepper

Directions

1. Heat a large drizzle of olive oil in a frying pan and add the red onion and garlic. Fry for 5 minutes to soften and add the fresh tomatoes, dried mixed herbs, balsamic vinegar, tomato puree and water. Season with salt and pepper. Continue to stir and cook over a medium-high heat for 5-10 minutes until the tomatoes have softened.
2. Cook the gnocchi and drain and add to the tomato sauce and heat through. Stir in the fresh basil.
3. Serve topped with some vegan parmesan and fresh basil.

Cauliflower Gnocchi (Vegan and GF) with Balsamic Tomato and Basil Sauce

I hope you will love this Cauliflower Gnocchi and Balsamic Tomato and Basil Sauce, let me know what you think below and tag me in your creations, I’m @nourishing.amy on Instagram and use the hashtag #nourishingamy. I’m also on Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest  – please say hello!

With cauliflower gnocchi love x