Chickpea Gnocchi with a Tomato Bouillon Sauce
When Northern Arizona's Community Food Project's pantry shelves start to look a little bare, this is one of the struggle meals we turn to — though the flavor is anything but a struggle. Gnocchi is one of those humble, ingenious foods that stretches what you have into something comforting. If you haven’t met it before, think of it as a soft, pasta‑like dumpling. Traditionally, it’s made from potatoes, flour, spinach, cheese, or whatever a household had on hand. Ours leans into the same spirit: beans, flour, garlic, and salt, transformed into something tender and satisfying.
Gnocchi has been feeding people for a very long time. The Romans invented early versions as an inexpensive, filling staple for their legions — proof that good food doesn’t need luxury ingredients, just a little creativity and a pot of boiling water. Even now, Italians tend to serve gnocchi as a side dish, a quiet echo of its ancient purpose: something filling, tender, and meant to stretch a meal just a little further.
Chickpea Gnocchi
1 can of chickpeas, drained
1/2 cup unbleached flour
1 tsp garlic powder
pinch of salt
1 tbsp olive oil, reserve for frying
Tomato Bouillon Sauce
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp tomato bouillon
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp raw sugar
pinch of Spanish paprika
1/2 cup water
splash of vinegar or red wine
pink salt & black pepper to taste
1 tbsp butter (optional)
2 servings as a meal, 4 servings as a side dish
Start by draining and smashing the beans. I used a small food chopper for this; a potato masher will be hard, but would work. A food processor of some kind would make it easier, though. Add the flour, garlic powder, and salt. Kneed the dough for a few minutes. It should come together and resemble pasta dough. If the dough sticks to your fingers, add a little flour, about a teaspoon at a time. Roll into ropes and cut the pasta into anything from wine-cork size to 1/2-inch pieces. If you care about the traditional pattern, take a fork or the edge of a grater and press it into each pasta.
Drop into salted boiling water. Cook for 1-3 minutes. They will float when they are done. Drain and set aside. In a skillet over medium heat, add oil and fry the gnocchi till golden brown. Set aside to drain.
For the sauce, in a skillet, over medium heat, add the oil, tomato bouillon, basil, garlic powder, onion powder, sugar, and paprika. Let it sizzle for 20-30 seconds. It will darken and begin to smell like roasted tomato paste. Add the water and simmer for 3-4 minutes. The sauce should thicken and darken. Add vinegar or red wine (I used red wine in my sauce), salt, pepper, and butter. Simmer for 1 more minute. Turn off the heat, and let it sit for 2 minutes. Toss with the gnocchi. Let this sit 1-2 minutes, so the sauce coats and thickens around the gnocchi. Serve with cheese on top.
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Pasta doesn't make you fat. How much pasta you eat makes you fat.
- Giada De Laurentiis
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