Leftover Mashed Potato Gnocchi (2024)

Leave a Comment

124 Shares

Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe

After Thanksgiving dinner, give your leftover potatoes new life by turning them into the most delicious homemade gnocchi! Once you realize how easy it is to make leftover mashed potatognocchi from scratch, you'll want to make these little dumplings way more often!

Leftover Mashed Potato Gnocchi (1)

Although we're all about eating our leftovers, sometimes you need to change things up. This leftover mashed potatoesgnocchirecipe is such a great alternative to reheating old mashed potatoes and gravy for every meal. Plus, they taste great with a wide variety of sides and toppings, and they only take acouple of minutesto make!

Why You'll Love This Leftover Mashed Potato Gnocchi

  • So easy to make.The great thing about this recipeis that it's so simple to make! Since the mashed potatoes are already cooked, you don't even have to peel a single potato. Just add all of the ingredients to a bowl, knead it into aworkable dough, then cut the gnocchi into 1inch pieces.
  • Fun to eat.I'm not sure which part is more fun - making the gnocchi or eating it! There's something so nice about popping a little perfectly seasoned gnocchi into your mouth. They have such a light, chewy texture, and they taste great with a variety of sauces.
  • Finish your leftovers. Don't let those potatoes go to waste! This recipe will ensure every last bit of those mashed potatoes gets eaten. It’s one of my favorite way to repurpose leftovers!
Leftover Mashed Potato Gnocchi (2)

Ingredient Notes

To make this delicious leftover mashed potato gnocchi recipe, you will need the following ingredients (full measurements in recipe card below):

  • leftovermashedpotatoes- let your mashed potatoes rest overnight in the fridge until fully chilled. Thenext day, use them to create your dough.
  • flour- use regular allpurpose flour. Add half the flour first, then gradually add more.
  • egg- you'll need onewhole eggto bind the potatoes and flour together. This will also help the pillowy gnocchi float to the top of the water.

You will also need a large bowl, spatula, knife or pastry cutter, fork or gnocchi board, a large pot, and slotted spoon.

Leftover Mashed Potato Gnocchi (3)

How to Make the Best Leftover Mashed Potato Gnocchi

  1. Make dough.In a large mixing bowl, add mashed potato, half of the flour, and egg. Stir well with a spatula until the flour is well incorporated. Add theremaining floura little bit at a time and use your hands to mix together until all the flour is evenly combined. The dough should be soft but not sticky.
Leftover Mashed Potato Gnocchi (4)
Leftover Mashed Potato Gnocchi (5)
Leftover Mashed Potato Gnocchi (6)
Leftover Mashed Potato Gnocchi (7)
  1. Divide dough.On alightly floured surface, divide the gnocchi dough into 4 pieces.
Leftover Mashed Potato Gnocchi (8)
Leftover Mashed Potato Gnocchi (9)
  1. Cut dough into pieces. Roll each piece into 1 inch thick rope. Cut each rope into 1 inch long pieces. Lightly sprinkle the gnocchi pieces with flour if needed.
Leftover Mashed Potato Gnocchi (10)
Leftover Mashed Potato Gnocchi (11)
Leftover Mashed Potato Gnocchi (12)
Leftover Mashed Potato Gnocchi (13)
  1. Add pattern.Use theback of a forkorgnocchi boardto shape each gnocchi piece with ridges.
Leftover Mashed Potato Gnocchi (14)
Leftover Mashed Potato Gnocchi (15)
Leftover Mashed Potato Gnocchi (16)
Leftover Mashed Potato Gnocchi (17)
  1. Cook.Add gnocchi in alarge potof boiling water and sprinkle with a little bit of salt. Boil overmedium heatfor 2-3 minutes until the gnocchi floats.
  2. Serve.Remove with aslotted spoonand toss in your favorite pasta sauce, such as marinara.
Leftover Mashed Potato Gnocchi (18)
Leftover Mashed Potato Gnocchi (19)

Recipe Variations

  • Make sweet potato gnocchi. Instead of regular Russet potatoes, use leftover roasted sweet potatoes. But skip the sweet potato casserole leftovers — it's far too sweet to convert into a savory dish.
  • Butternut gnocchi.Transform leftoverroasted butternut squashinto gnocchi, following the same steps!
  • Shape your noodles. The little grooves help the sauce adhere, so they're important to add! For the thumbprint version, place the gnocchi on top of the tines of a fork and gently press down and roll.
  • Add herbs or spices.Since Thanksgiving mashed potatoes are so heavily seasoned and flavored, you don't usually need to add much to bring this recipe together. For extra flavor, feel free to add your favorite herbs like rosemary, parsley, sage, or thyme. They're also great with some roasted garlic!

How to Serve

This leftover potato gnocchi recipe is delicious served on its own tossed in some pasta sauce like Alfredo, Bolognese, or Marinara, or serve it as a complete meal paired with some of delicious mains and sides including:

  • Butternut Squash Apple Soup
  • Roast Beef
  • Fall Harvest Salad with Butternut Squash and Apple
  • Skillet Chicken with Lemon Garlic Sauce
  • Cream of Mushroom Soup

For more recipe inspo, see our 30 Side Dishes for Pasta.

Leftover Mashed Potato Gnocchi (20)

Recipe Tips and Tricks

  • Add the flour gradually.If you add toomuch flourat once, it'll be hard to bring the dough together, and you'll make your gnocchi too dry. Start by adding half theamount of flourand add more as needed.
  • Adapt the seasoning to your sauce. On their own, these gnocchi are quite neutral. They can be used with a range of different flavors and sauces, likebrown butter, creamycheese sauce, marinara sauce, and more. Adjust the seasonings to match the flavor of the sauce.
  • Usesalted water. Anytime you cook pasta, including traditional gnocchi, you always want to salt the water really well. This draws out lots of flavor to make sure every bite is flavorful.

Storing and Freezing Instructions

How to Store

Store leftover gnocchi in an airtight container inthe fridge for 2-3 days.

How to Reheat

You can either microwave leftover gnocchi or reheat it in a skillet with moredelicious sauceand toppings. It may help to add a splash of water as well to rehydrate the cooked gnocchi. Be careful not to overcook them, or they can become gummy.

How to Freeze

Forbest results, freeze uncooked gnocchi in asingle layeron aparchment paper lined baking sheet. Once fully frozen, store the gnocchi dumplings in an airtight container or freezer bag for 2-3 months. Thaw in the fridge before cooking like normal.

FAQ

Can I fry gnocchi instead of boiling?

You certainly can fry gnocchi instead of boiling them insalted water, but you might notice that they are crispy on the outside and dense on the inside. When boiled, the dough becomes tender and light with a slightly chewy texture. For the best of both worlds, boil the gnocchi, strain them really well to avoid splatters, then pan-fry them in butter withsage leaves. So good!

How do you jazz up refrigerated mashed potatoes?

Instead of just heating up the same old mashed potatoes, change things up! Thishomemadegnocchirecipeuses Christmas orThanksgiving leftoversand transforms them into a totally different dish. It only requires 2 other ingredients, so it's a very simple technique that gives old potatoesnew life! They can be seasoned in a variety of ways and served with the sauce of your choice and leftover turkey, pork roast, or roasted chicken.

What to do if gnocchi doesn't float?

If your gnocchi does not float, that's usually a sign that you haven't added enough flour or the water isn't hot enough. If you see some of your gnocchi floating and not others, you should remove them all at the same time. Some gnocchi may not float properly, but if others from the same batch are ready, it's best to remove them so you don't overcook them.

More Leftover Mashed Potato Recipes

  • Mashed Potato Casserole
  • Mashed Potato Soup
  • Potato Dinner Rolls
  • Mashed Potato Cakes
  • Mashed Potato Balls

Did you make this recipe?I would greatly appreciate a comment and rating below, letting me know what you thought of the recipe. You can also snap a picture and tag me on Instagram@aheadofthymeor share it on the Pinterest pin so that I can follow along.

Don't forget to sign up for myemail newsletterso that you don't miss any recipes. You can also follow along onInstagram,Pinterest, andFacebookfor more recipe updates.

Print

Recipe

Leftover Mashed Potato Gnocchi (21)

Leftover Mashed Potato Gnocchi

5 Stars4 Stars3 Stars2 Stars1 Star

No reviews

  • Author: Sam Hu | Ahead of Thyme
  • Total Time: 15 minutes
  • Yield: 4 servings
  • Diet: Vegetarian
Print Recipe

Description

After Thanksgiving dinner, give your leftover potatoes new life by turning them into the most delicious homemade gnocchi! Once you realize how easy it is to make leftover mashed potato gnocchi from scratch, you'll want to make these little dumplings way more often!

Ingredients

  • 1 cup leftover mashed potatoes, chilled
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 large egg

Instructions

  1. In a large mixing bowl, add mashed potato, half of the flour, and egg. Stir well with a spatula until the flour is well incorporated. Add the remaining flour a little bit at a time and use your hands to mix together until all the flour is evenly combined. The dough should be soft but not sticky.
  2. On a lightly floured surface, divide the gnocchi dough into 4 pieces and roll each piece into 1 inch thick rope. Cut each rope into 1 inch long pieces. Lightly sprinkle the gnocchi pieces with flour if needed.
  3. Use a fork or gnocchi board to shape each gnocchi piece with ridges.
  4. Add gnocchi in a large pot of boiling water and sprinkle with a little bit of salt. Boil over medium heat for 2-3 minutes until the gnocchi floats.
  5. Remove with a slotted spoon and toss in your favorite pasta sauce such as marinara.

Notes

How to store:Store leftover gnocchi in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days.

How to reheat:You can either microwave leftover gnocchi or reheat it in a skillet with more delicious sauce and toppings. It may help to add a splash of water as well to rehydrate the cooked gnocchi. Be careful not to overcook them, or they can become gummy.

How to freeze:Forbest results, freeze uncooked gnocchi in asingle layeron aparchment paper lined baking sheet. Once fully frozen, store the gnocchi in an airtight container or freezer bag for 2-3 months. Thaw in the fridge before cooking like normal.

  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 5 minutes
  • Category: Pasta
  • Method: Stovetop
  • Cuisine: Italian

« Baked Mashed Potatoes

Vegetable Lasagna »

Leftover Mashed Potato Gnocchi (22)

Food Blogger Business School

A step-by-step program that teaches food bloggers how to grow and scale their blogs into a full-time business

in less time and without posting endless content until you burn out.

Reader Interactions

Leave a Comment

Leftover Mashed Potato Gnocchi (2024)
Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Nicola Considine CPA

Last Updated:

Views: 5761

Rating: 4.9 / 5 (49 voted)

Reviews: 88% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Nicola Considine CPA

Birthday: 1993-02-26

Address: 3809 Clinton Inlet, East Aleisha, UT 46318-2392

Phone: +2681424145499

Job: Government Technician

Hobby: Calligraphy, Lego building, Worldbuilding, Shooting, Bird watching, Shopping, Cooking

Introduction: My name is Nicola Considine CPA, I am a determined, witty, powerful, brainy, open, smiling, proud person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.