You are probably thinking another plantain recipe? How many different ways can you use a plantain? Hold my beer please. How about Gnocchi? And I still have two more recipes in development.
Gnocchi is an Italian variety of pasta made with flour, potato and eggs. The mixture is rolled out, cut into half inch sized dumplings and then rolled on a fork to create ridges. They are then tossed into boiling water until they start floating.
Cauliflower is having its moment and when Trader Joe’s released its cauliflower gnocchi, it got everyone’s attention including mine. The good thing about cauliflower gnocchi is that it is pretty neutral, allowing you to utilize it in whichever way you wish.
When I thought of this recipe, I figured I could use cauliflower gnocchi but decided to get a little creative. I had thought of using plantain in gnocchi for a while and envisioned how it would come together. This mexican style plantain gnocchi is super easy to make and extremely tasty.
Once I figured out the plantain gnocchi, I prepared it like I would for traditional gnocchi and tossed it in some enchilada sauce, shredded rotisserie chicken, sauteed peppers, onions and black beans.
Plantain Gnocchi
Mexican inspired plantain gnocchi tossed in enchilada sauce with black beans, shredded rotisserie chicken and peppers
- 2 plantains (ripe (soft and dark))
- 1¼ cup flour
- 1 egg
- 1 bell pepper (medium dice)
- 1 small onion (medium dice)
- ½ cup rotisserie chicken (shredded)
- 1 16 oz enchilada sauce
- ½ cup canned black beans (rinsed)
- ½ jalapeno (optional)
- 2 tbsp cotija cheese (optional)
- 2 tbsp cilantro
Plantain Gnocchi
Bring a medium pot filled with enough water to cover the plantains to a boil over medium-high heat. Peel and cut the plantains in half and add to the pot of boiling water. Allow to cook for 5 – 10 minutes, until softened.
Once the plantains are cool enough to handle, slice them lengthwise and remove the seeds/stringy section in the middle. Mash the plantains until pureed and then add in the flour and egg. Mix until no longer sticky and fully combined. You may need to add a little more flour as you go but be sure to not make it into a hard dough.
Flour a flat surface and split the dough into four. Roll each batch out into a long thin log, cutting it into ½ inch pieces. Although not necessary, after forming the gnocchi, you can flash freeze them for about 5 – 10 minutes to make them easier to handle before tossing them in the boiling water.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add in the plantain gnocchi until they rise to the top, about 5 minutes.
Follow steps below for mexican inspired plantain gnocchi below. Otherwise, use immediately.
Mexican Inspired Plantain Gnocchi
Add the onions and peppers to a skillet over medium heat and allow to cook until crisp, for about 5 minutes.
Add the enchilada sauce to the skillet with the peppers and onions and allow to heat up until warm, for about 5 minutes. Add the cooked gnocchi, black beans and shredded rotisserie chicken to the skillet.
Divide into 2 plates and top with sliced jalapenos, cilantro and cotija cheese.
- Homemade gnocchi has a short shelf life and should be used immediately.
- I used shredded rotisserie chicken because I forgot to take some chicken out of the freezer but feel free to use whichever protein you desire.
