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Gnocchi is a type of Italian dumpling that consists of dough made from potatoes and flour. This dough is then shaped into pieces, boiled and served with a simple sauce or dressed in any number of creative ways. But you don’t have to take our word for it–gnocchi has been heralded by chefs around the world as one of the best foods ever. Gnocchi other brilliant ideas are explored in the infographic below from Tuscany’s Olive Oil . For instance, the tubular shape of gnocchi makes it perfect for serving with a wide variety of sauces. Gnocchi also melts in your mouth with each bite you take, and its low calorie count makes it detox-friendly as well.

Features Of Gnocchi That Make Everyone Love It :

1. Gnocchi has only six ingredients.

When it comes to cooking, there are some things that shouldn’t be complicated. So when you’re working with gnocchi, start with this simple explanation from Baked Italian : “a potato dough cooked, mashed and then shaped.” 

When you boil gnocchi in water, the potato starch breaks down into a gelatinous substance known as albumin. This produces a rich and flavorful sauce–far richer and deeper than your average pasta sauce that’s made from flavored chicken broth or tomato paste.

2. Gnocchi has little fat content.

Unsurprisingly, gnocchi is a healthy dish. A small serving of gnocchi contains only 63 calories, so you can count on it not messing with your dieting efforts. In addition to its low fat contents, it is also gluten-free (as long as you use the proper flour). With this recipe from Baked Italian , you can make gnocchi without any dietary problems. It is important to note that this recipe uses a combination of potato starch and flour, which means that you won’t get a grainy texture like you might if you used cornstarch or rice bran.

3. Gnocchi is low in carbohydrates.

As we said in our introduction, gnocchi is a flour-based dumpling. This means that it won’t spike your blood sugar levels. In fact, the gnocchi-making recipe in Baked Italian calls for a good portion of potato starch–a glycemic index of zero. When you eat this dish, you’ll take in just 25 grams of carbohydrate per serving.

4. Gnocchi is high in protein and fiber.

A serving of gnocchi has around 8 grams of protein and 12 grams of fiber, which means that you’ll be getting some valuable nutrients without the expected carbs. Both of these nutrients can help reduce your risk of developing heart disease, diabetes and other chronic health conditions.

5. Gnocchi is good for you.

Because gnocchi is made from potatoes, it is reasonably low in fat. The calories in a serving of gnocchi come to 63 per serving–around half of what you’d find in a cup of noodles, for example. Only the starch and dietary fiber are present in the dumpling; all other ingredients (such as milk and eggs) such as protein and fat have been removed from this recipe so that the gnocchi can be made with one simple ingredient: potatoes. Moreover, potatoes are one of the best sources of antioxidants — they have very powerful anti-inflammatory properties.

6. Gnocchi has a versatile flavor that works with almost anything.

As we’ve already mentioned, the flavor of gnocchi makes it a unique food that can be served alongside a variety of sauces and dressings. It is best suited to creamy or tomato-based dishes, but because it’s so versatile and relatively tasteless, you really can cook it in any sort of sauce. 

In fact, Tuscany’s Olive Oil takes this approach with its red pepper sauce recipe . For a simpler dish, try a garlic and butter sauce. Just remember that you can make all of these sauces without a recipe or measuring, since you’ll be serving the dumpling with the sauce on top.

7. Gnocchi is incredibly fast and easy to make.

The creation of this dish can take over an hour, but if you start with the recipe in Baked Italian , it’ll take just 20 minutes to create 1 pound of gnocchi. Even better, there are no special skills needed–you don’t have to be a chef–just a potato ricer and food processor.

8. Gnocchi feels and tastes just like pasta.

Because gnocchi is made from a potato-based dough, it offers a texture that is a lot like pasta. It will be soft, yet firm when you bite into it, and the texture will melt slowly in your mouth as you chew it up. You’ll find this texture comparable across all different kinds of gnocchi dishes, because every type of gnocchi has the same consistency. This also means that you don’t have to worry about finding substitutes for other ingredients–like flour. The substitution would result in a very different finished product.