I’m always searching for creative ways to be able to enjoy pasta dishes and still eat relatively clean. My last post featured a zucchini noodle dish, which we loved, but I wanted to try something new. I’ve often found gnocchi (potato based pasta) offered as a gluten-free option at some restaurants, but with my diet I stray away from all potatoes, with the exception of sweet potatoes. Figuring that there must be such a thing as gnocchi made from sweet potatoes, I took to Google to find such a recipe using flour that was both grain-free and gluten-free. Thanks to Heartbeet Kitchen for providing me with this winner!

5 Ingredient Gluten-Free Sweet Potato Gnocchi
Author: Amanda Paa, adapted from Fork and Beans 
Serves: 2-3 servings

Now it was onto deciding what to serve over top of the gnocchi. We recently had a cooking demo at work that featured a pasta dish with a maple Dijon sauce. Since I couldn’t eat it with the past I figured it was the perfect opportunity to try it out with this dish and had the notion that it would pair well with ground turkey simmered in garlic, sage, and thyme. But what veggies to throw in? Kale and asparagus seemed to be the perfect savory accompaniments to the sweetness of the maple and sweet potatoes. If you are avoiding naturally sweetened dishes, and the maple syrup is throwing you off from trying this dish, I suggest experimenting with a sage pesto sauce. I haven’t tried it yet, but this one from The Suburban Soapbox caught my eye to try out next time.

We made this meal with friends for a fun date night in! It was certainly an experience making pasta from scratch. Hint, hint: next time I think I’ll be buying canned (BPA-free) sweet potato puree to skip a few steps. Luckily we had some delicious Ithaca Hummus, rainbow carrots, and Plentils to hold us over until dinner time! Side note: Best. Hummus. Ever. (and made right in my town!).

Here is the recipe for the maple Dijon sauce adapted from food.com, along with my recipe for the ground turkey and veggie topping:

• 185ml pure maple syrup
• 125ml Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon mustard seeds (heaped teaspoon)
• ¹⁄₄ teaspoon black pepper

Ground Turkey Topping

• 1lb organic ground turkey
• 1 medium sized onion chopped
• 10oz asparagus cut into pieces (fresh or frozen if not in season)
• 2 cups chopped kale
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil (olive oil works too)
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 2 teaspoons ground sage
• 1 tablespoon dried thyme
• fresh ground pepper and sea salt to taste

Optional Garnish

• Shaved raw milk organic Parmesan cheese

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Bring the maple syrup to the boil and boil keeping it bubbling. When the bubbles start to go from small to big and the mixture is thickened it should be ready ( about 4-5 minutes).
2. Remove maple mixture from heat when thickened and let cool
3. While maple mixture is cooling, heat coconut oil in a large skillet over medium high heat
4. Add in chopped onion until and cook for 3-5 minutes until it begins to become translucent
5. Now add in the ground turkey and cook until no longer pink, break up the pieces of meat as you cook
6. Sprinkle in garlic, sage, thyme, sea salt, and fresh ground pepper. Cook for one minute longer
7. Add in the kale and asparagus to the mixture and cook until the kale has begun to wilt and the asparagus is fork tender. (if using fresh asparagus you may want to add it in a few minutes ahead of the kale.
8. Once the maple mixture has cooled, whisk in the Dijon mustard, seeds and pepper
9. Serve turkey topping over sweet potato gnocchi and drizzle with the maple Dijon sauce.
10. If you aren’t avoid dairy, garnish the dish with fresh shaved raw milk Parmesan. We found this tasty option at our local Wegmans.
11. Enjoy!