I have been making Gnocchi for Passover for years. This year, I thought I would try to take my gnocchi to the next level by making Baked Feta Gnocchi.

It did NOT disappoint. It is definitely not the same as regular Baked Feta Pasta as gnocchi has a completely different texture, but it is delicious and definitely a Level Up from just regular Passover Gnocchi Arrabiatta or Marinara.

For the gnocchi I used my traditional recipe. I actually made a double recipe and used 3/4 of it for the Baked Feta Gnocchi and the remaining gnocchi I served with Marinara for my 2 less adventurous eaters. If, like me,  you don’t require a ton of sauce on your gnocchi, you could easily mix the entire double recipe into the Baked Feta.

Here is the recipe (I doubled it for the Baked Feta version, meaning 12 potatoes, 4 egg yolks etc.) :

Passover Gnocchi

6 well-baked*, medium-sized yellow-fleshed potatoes, still warm (even hot!)  NOTE: It’s important that they be well-baked so that the flesh is very soft
2 egg yolks
1 c. potato starch
salt & pepper, to taste
Pinch of nutmeg (optional)
Water

• Place a large pot of salted water on stove top over high heat to bring to a boil
• Meanwhile, cut potatoes in half & scoop flesh into a bowl (you can use a fork or a spoon for this, I prefer a fork as it flakes the potato nicely & requires less mashing afterwards)
• Mash the potatoes well
• Add egg yolks and seasonings to the potatoes & mix well
• Add potato starch and knead together until a smooth dough forms
• If dough is extremely sticky add some more potato starch (1-2 Tbsp at a time)
• Form the gnocchi as desired.  I often make little almond/olive-shapes about 1.5″ x 1/2″. I squeeze some so that my fingers made indentations (See photo) – For the Baked Feta gnocchi I made tiny little balls that were slightly oval.

• Drop the gnocchi into the boiling water (about 24 at a time)
• When the gnocchi float to the top they are ready (about 45-60 seconds!)
• For Baked Feta version: Once the Baked Feta sauce is ready, remove the gnocchi from the boiling water with a slotted spoon and add to the pan/casserole with the sauces. Toss together gently to coat and Enjoy! 
• Yield: about 4 servings (depends on how big a serving you like!)

*Note 1: I bake my potatoes by pricking with a fork and placing in a 425-degree oven for about an hour, turning them over after the first 30 minutes.

*Note 2: You can prepare the gnocchi in advance and lay out in a single layer on a cookie sheet lined with parchment. cover with a tea towel and refrigerate until ready to add to boiling water.

CHEF’S TIP: Rather than discarding the potato skins from which you’ve scooped out the flesh, top with cheese (or even sauce & cheese) & pop under the broiler for a few minutes for a delicious snack of baked potato skins! Today I actually served these for lunch as I made the gnocchi in advance 😉 

For the Baked Feta itself, I followed this recipe from FoodNetwork.com ( but used the quantity of gnocchi as described above rather than pasta as per that recipe)

***REMEMBER TO BOIL THE GNOCCHI PRIOR TO ADDING TO THE BAKED FETA SAUCE***

Full disclosure: Although it calls for 8 oz of Feta, My block was 7 oz…no problem, it worked just fine!

In the oven it looked like this:

When I took it out, it looked like this:

I could have taken it out a minute or two sooner- watch it during the last stage of cooking. That said, it was still delish!

Mashing it up:

With the boiled gnocchi added:

Bon appétit!

Tanya