Serves 4

Preparation time: 1 hour 20 minutes

Cooking time: 10 minutes

Ingredients

For the pesto

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 handful basil leaves
• 1 handful spinach leaves
• 30g sunflower seeds
• 30g cashew nuts
• Pinch of salt
• Pinch of pepper
• Juice of ½ lemon

For the gnocchi

• 300g cooked sweet potato
• 200g plain flour
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 sprigs rosemary

Method

First, make your pesto by placing all the ingredients in a small food processor and blitzing to a coarse consistency. Set to one side.

Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/gas mark 6 and bake the sweet potato in its skin until it is completely soft throughout, this can take up to 50 minutes (alternatively you can cook in the microwave on high for 6-8 minutes first, then bake for 10-15 minutes). Leave the potato to cool completely. Remove and discard the skin and place the flesh in a large mixing bowl.

Add the flour and olive oil to the potato and bring together as a dough. You may need to add a little more flour if the mixture is too wet. It should be firm enough so that when you touch it, it bounces back.

On a floured surface, form the dough into a ball and cut into four pieces. Roll each piece into a long sausage shape, about 2cm thick. Then cut those into 3cm pieces. Leave them to chill in the fridge for 20 minutes.

Bring a pan of salted water to the boil and drop in the gnocchi. When they rise to the top they are cooked; scoop them out and set them aside on some kitchen towel to dry.

Bring a pan onto a medium heat and sauté the rosemary in a little olive oil. Remove the rosemary, add a little more oil and add in the gnocchi. Fry them on each side until golden.

Serve straight away with a big dollop of homemade basil pesto and parmesan, or a vegan alternative.

Recipe by Lily Simpson, founder of Detox Kitchen, for Chefs in Schools (chefsinschools.org.uk), a charity that aims to improve food in schools and promote food education

Serves 4

Preparation time: 35 minutes

Cooking time: 1 hour

Ingredients

• 240g (about 2 medium) agria potatoes or maris piper potatoes
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 500g spinach, trimmed
• 80g grated parmesan cheese, plus extra to garnish
• 170g dried breadcrumbs
• 2 eggs
• 160ml whole milk
• 60g plain flour
• 10 hazelnuts, halved to garnish

For the sauce:

• 250g butter, diced
• leaves of 1 bunch of sage, plus a few extra to garnish

Method

Put the potatoes into a large pan of cold water, bring to a boil, then cook over a high heat for 40 minutes. Set aside.

In a frying pan, heat the olive oil over a high heat and cook the spinach for 10 minutes. Transfer the spinach to a colander and squeeze to extract as much water as possible. 

Transfer to a chopping board, finely chop the spinach until you have a paste. Peel the potatoes, transfer them to a mixing bowl and mash with a potato masher.

Add the chopped spinach, grated parmesan, breadcrumbs, eggs, milk and flour and mix well.

On a floured work surface, roll the dough into balls about 4cm in diameter. Flour your hands, then shape the dough into perfectly round gnocchi. 

Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and cook the gnocchi for about 3 minutes: they will rise to the surface when cooked. Reserve the cooking water.

Meanwhile, make the sauce. Heat the butter in a frying pan over a high heat until you have a beurre noisette (brown butter), then add the sage leaves. Immediately pour 1 ladle of the gnocchi cooking water into the pan to stop the cooking and prevent the butter burning.

Drain the gnocchi with a slotted spoon and add to the frying pan. Mantecare (mix) the sauce with the gnocchi with a few flicks of the wrist for 2–3 minutes. 

Transfer the gnocchi to serving dishes. Sprinkle with grated parmesan, hazelnuts and sage leaves.

Tip

Gnocchi are small sensitive little things and need to be handled with great care! Seriously, though, it’s best not to knead them because that develops gluten, which will make them too firm. 

From Big Mamma Cucina Popolare: Contemporary Italian Recipes by Big Mamma (£27.95, Phaidon), out now

Rukmini says: “The gnocchi with mozzarella and tomatoes from the first Roasting Tin book was so popular that I decided to revisit it, as there are never too many ways to eat crispy gnocchi. This version, with roasted red peppers and rosemary, is a lovely alternative. Use a very large and ideally metal roasting tin, for maximum crunch on the potatoes.”

Serves 2 generously

Preparation time: 15 mins

Cooking time: 30 mins

Total time: 45 mins

Ingredients

• 500g gnocchi
• 500g mixed red, yellow and baby peppers, roughly chopped
• 200g cherry tomatoes, halved
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1 tsp chilli flakes
• 2 large sprigs of fresh rosemary
• 1 tsp sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 4 tbsp ricotta
• a handful of freshly chopped parsley

Method

Preheat the oven to 200°C fan/220°C/gas 7. Tip the gnocchi into a large bowl, then pour a kettleful of boiling water over it and leave to stand for 2 minutes before draining well.

Tip the gnocchi into a roasting tin along with everything except the ricotta. Mix well – make sure you’ve used a tin big enough for everything to fit in one layer. Transfer to the oven and cook for 30 minutes, until the gnocchi is crisp and golden.

Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed, dollop on the ricotta and scatter with the parsley before serving hot.

From The Green Roasting Tin: Vegan And Vegetarian One Dish Dinners by Rukmini Iyer (£17.99, Square Peg), out now

Katy says: “This gnocchi dish with sage and dark cavolo nero is as comforting as it is delicious. The recipe also works well with seasonal roasted butternut squash.”

Ingredients

• 1 medium pumpkin, tough skin and seeds removed, flesh roughly sliced
• 2 tsp dried sage
• drizzle of sunflower oil
• 6 leaves of cavolo nero, roughly shredded and tough stem discarded
• 500g gnocchi (ensure vegan)
• 400ml hot vegetable stock
• generous pinch each of sea salt and black pepper

Method

Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4.

Arrange the pumpkin over a couple of baking trays and sprinkle with the sage. Drizzle over a little sunflower oil, then roast in the oven for 25–30 minutes until softened.

Meanwhile, bring a large pan of water to the boil and add the cavolo nero and gnocchi. Cook for 3 minutes, then thoroughly drain.

Remove the roasted pumpkin from the oven and spoon three-quarters of it into a high-powered blender jug. Pour in the hot vegetable stock then blitz on high until silky smooth. Pour the sauce into the pan, stirring it through the cooked gnocchi and kale.

Spoon the remaining pumpkin into the pan and lightly stir.

Season to taste with sea salt and plenty of black pepper.

Serve in warmed bowls (cosy jumpers optional).

Tips

This dish is suitable for freezing. 

Ready-made gnocchi can be found in supermarkets, and is a great addition to any store cupboard for fast and filling meals. Do ensure that the gnocchi is vegan, as some brands add eggs or milk proteins.

From Easy Vegan Bible: 200 Easiest Ever Plant-based Recipes by Katy Beskow (£20, Quadrille), out now

Katy says: “This indulgent supper is as simple as it is delicious, with a vodka-infused sauce. Vodka helps to emulsify acidic tomatoes and dairy-free cream, as well as bringing out a sweeter flavour in the tomato passata. Team this sauce with gnocchi, for a comforting bowlful.”

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp sunflower oil
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 500g good quality passata 
• pinch of sugar
• 4 tbsp soya single cream
• 100ml vodka
• 500g potato gnocchi (ensure egg-free)
• handful of small basil leaves
• generous pinch each of sea salt and black pepper

Method

Add the oil and garlic to a large pan and cook over a medium heat for 1 minute until the oil is infused. Pour in the passata and sugar and cook for 2–3 minutes.

Spoon in the soya cream and vodka and lay a lid loosely over the pan. Simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, bring a separate pan of salted water to the boil and add the gnocchi. Cook for 2–3 minutes until al dente, then thoroughly drain away the water.

Season the sauce to taste with salt and plenty of pepper, then remove from the heat. Add the cooked gnocchi and stir to coat in the sauce. Scatter over the basil leaves just before serving.

Tip

The sauce is suitable for freezing.

From Easy Vegan Bible: 200 Easiest Ever Plant-based Recipes by Katy Beskow (£20, Quadrille), out now

Roxy and Ben say: “Some days the last thing we want to do is spend our entire evening in the kitchen. That’s where our super green gnocchi steps in. Flavoursome and fuss-free, just how we like it.”

Serves 4

Preparation time: 10 mins

Cooking time: 4–6 mins

Ingredients

• 150g green beans
• 12 asparagus spears (300g)
• 800g vegan gnocchi
• 1 small garlic clove
• 150g baby spinach
• a bunch of fresh basil (30g), plus extra for serving
• 40g walnuts
• extra virgin olive oil
• 3 tbsp nutritional yeast
• a lemon
• salt and pepper

Method

Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil over a high heat.

Meanwhile trim the ends off the beans. Trim the tough ends off the asparagus and slice into thirds. Add both to the boiling water and simmer for 3–4 minutes, then use a slotted spoon to transfer the veggies to a large bowl.

Bring the water back to a fast boil, and carefully add the gnocchi. Cook for 1–2 minutes, until they float to the surface, then use a slotted spoon to transfer them to the bowl of veggies, reserving the cooking water.

Peel the garlic, pick the leaves off the basil and add both to a food processor (see tip below if you don’t have a food processor) along with the spinach, walnuts, 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, the nutritional yeast, the juice from the lemon half, and a pinch of salt and pepper. 

Add 2 tablespoons of the reserved cooking water and blend until you have a smooth pesto. Season to taste with extra salt and pepper, if necessary.

Discard the rest of the cooking water, then put the gnocchi and veggies back into the pan. Add every drop of the delicious pesto and stir to combine, until the gnocchi and veggies are completely covered. 

Finish with an extra pinch of pepper and top with a few fresh basil leaves. Yum!

Tip

Don’t have a food processor? Simply finely chop the garlic, spinach and basil, then add the walnuts and nutritional yeast and continue chopping until fine. Transfer to a bowl and add the oil, lemon juice, reserved water and salt and pepper.

From One Pot Vegan by Roxy Pope and Ben Pook (£16.99, Michael Joseph), out now