This Potato Gnocchi in Mushroom Cream Sauce recipe is an incredibly easy and oh-so-comforting dish. The pillowy soft gluten-free gnocchi is like mini potato dumplings, tossed in dairy-free creamy mushroom sauce. With a touch of fresh arugula and lemon juice, this is a restaurant-worth one pan meal for any busy weeknights!

Making the gnocchi recipe in one pot with arugula
Creamy delicious one pot meal!

Why people love this dish

There’s a wonderful Italian restaurant in my neighborhood that imports many products from Italy. Nate and I visit that store almost weekly and the food quality is absolutely amazing – just like how I remembered when I spent a summer in Italy when I was in college.

I bought a bag of gluten-free potato gnocchi from the store and was immediately hooked on the first try – soft pillowy gnocchi with a little chewy al dente texture inside. The gnocchi quality was so good that I immediately thought it’d pair beautifully with a cream-based sauce.

This recipe is really flexible and I’ve tested it a few times with potato gnocchi and Trader Joe’s cauliflower gnocchi. You can use the same recipe and the same cooking steps regardless of which one you use.

Ingredients for gnocchi and mushroom sauce
Simple ingredients perfect for weeknight!

Ingredients

  • Gluten-free potato gnocchi or Trader Joe’s cauliflower gnocchi
  • Califia dairy-free creamer
  • Garlic, Shallot
  • Ghee
  • Olive oil
  • Nutritional Yeast
  • Chicken stock
  • Mixed fresh mushrooms (I use shiitake, trumpet, and oyster mushrooms)
  • Baby arugula
  • Lemon

Is Potato Gnocchi Gluten-Free?

It depends and you need to read the label. The primary ingredient of gnocchi is potatoes. Wheat flour or semolina can be used as a binder and that makes potato gnocchi not gluten-free. The good news is that there are many gluten-free potato gnocchi brands available. I use Falabella. Delallo seems to have good reviews, too.

If you can’t have potatoes, try Trader Joe’s cauliflower gnocchi. It’s made with cauliflower and cassava flour. You can see how I use it in my Cauliflower Gnocchi Recipe.

dairy-free creamer to make the mushroom sauce
Which dairy-free creamer should you use?

The BEST dairy-free creamer for mushroom cream sauce

Not all dairy-free creamers work the same! Some creamers have thinner consistency than others even within the same brand. I’ve tried Nutpods, Califia dairy-free creamer (the tall 25 oz. jar pictured above), and Califia better half dairy-free creamer (the small carton) and the winner is definitely Califia dairy-free creamer (pictured above). It has the thickest consistency and that makes the best dairy-free mushroom cream sauce.

I’ve used the same creamer for all my dairy-free cream-based dishes – creamy napa cabbage casserole, chicken mushroom casserole, creamy chicken kale soup, and shrimp pasta in tomato cream sauce.

How to make the dish

You can make this dish, using either cauliflower gnocchi (to keep it Paleo) or potato gnocchi (gluten-free)!

  1. Boil the gnocchi, following the package instructions. Cook it al dente.
  2. Melt ghee and olive oil with garlic and shallot
  3. Saute the mushrooms until they are in light golden brown
  4. Add stock and dairy-free creamer
  5. Add gnocchi. Toss to thicken the sauce.
  6. Stir-in baby arugula and serve with lemon wedges on the side.
Serve the potato gnocchi dish in a neutral gray bowl

Expert tips

  • You can use either gluten-free potato gnocchi or Trader Joe’s cauliflower gnocchi. The cauliflower gnocchi releases slightly less starch than potatoes. Just simmer the sauce down a tab bit longer.
  • Not every dairy-free creamer is the same! I use Califia dairy-free creamer (the tall size 25 oz jar). Scroll up to see the one I use.
  • Use any fresh mushrooms you like. I prefer a combination of shiitake, trumpet, and beech mushrooms.
  • Pay attention to the timing. Take a look at how much time it needs to boil the gnocchi to al dente while you prepare the mushroom cream sauce so you can combine the gnocchi and the sauce at the perfect timing.

Side dish suggestions

You can keep the meal veggie-based with a refreshing big side salad or make it more hearty with savory paleo main dishes. And if you love mushrooms, my steakhouse mushrooms and sauteed mushrooms and cauliflower are great pairings, too!

gluten-free gnocchi with mushroom cream sauce made in one pot

Comfort food lovers!

Serve the potato gnocchi dish in a neutral gray bowl
5 from 8 votes

Potato gnocchi with mushroom cream sauce recipe

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Servings: 4 people
Author: ChihYu Smith
Potato Gnocchi in Mushroom Cream Sauce with pillowy soft gluten-free gnocchi and dairy-free mushroom sauce is a fantastic one pot meal!
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Ingredients 

  • 12 oz gluten-free potato gnocchi, or Trader Joe’s cauliflower gnocchi
  • 0.5 oz garlic, finely chopped
  • 1.5 oz shallot, finely chopped
  • 6 oz. mixed fresh mushrooms, I use shiitake, trumpet, and oyster
  • 2 tbsp olive oil, plus more for serving
  • 2 tbsp ghee
  • ¼ cup chicken stock
  • ½ cup califia dairy-free creamer, unsweetened
  • 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
  • 1 to 1.5 cups baby arugula, optional
  • ¼ to ½ one lemon, for serving
  • Coarse sea salt, to taste
  • Ground black pepper, to taste
  • Paleo parmesan cheese, optional

Instructions 

  • First take a look how much time it needs to boil the gnocchi to al dente. You want to plan the timing well so that you can combine the gnocchi and the cream sauce at the perfect timing.
  • Bring a pot of water to boil for the gnocchi. Prepare the garlic and shallot in one bowl. Slice or use your hands to separate the mushrooms.
  • Boil the gnocchi by following the package instructions to al dente texture. Drain the gnocchi and don’t rinse them in water.
  • Preheat a large skillet over medium low heat until it feels warm when you place your palm near the surface, about 2-3 inches away. Melt the olive oil and ghee then add the garlic and shallot with a pinch of salt. Saute over medium heat for 10 seconds.
  • Add the mushrooms. Spread them out in a single layer. Cook, uncovered and without disturbing, until the bottom sides are in light brown color, about 5 minutes. Season with 2 pinches of salt and black pepper. Then cook the flip side for 1 additional minute.
  • Add the stock, cream, and the yeast. Stir with a wooden spoon for about 1 minute.
  • Add the boiled gnocchi. Keep stirring and the sauce should turn thicker in about 1 minute.
  • Turn off the heat. Stir-in baby arugula until it wilts slightly. Taste and adjust with salt and pepper.
  • Transfer to a serving plate. Drizzle with a dash of olive oi.
  • Serve with lemon wedges on the side. Drizzle before serving. Sprinkle with paleo parmesan cheese, if using. Serve warm.

Notes

You can use either gluten-free potato gnocchi or Trader Joe’s cauliflower gnocchi. The cauliflower gnocchi releases slightly less starch than potatoes. Just simmer the sauce down a tab bit longer.
Not every dairy-free creamer is the same! I use Califia dairy-free creamer (the tall size 25 oz jar). Scroll up to see the photo I use.
Use any fresh mushrooms you like. I prefer a combination of shiitake, trumpet, and oyster mushrooms.
You can modify this recipe, using vegan butter to make this dish vegan friendly. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving, Calories: 330kcal, Carbohydrates: 40g, Protein: 7g, Fat: 16g, Saturated Fat: 6g, Cholesterol: 19mg, Sodium: 300mg, Potassium: 286mg, Fiber: 4g, Sugar: 4g, Vitamin A: 119IU, Vitamin C: 3mg, Calcium: 37mg, Iron: 4mg
Course: Main Course, Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Keyword: gluten-free gnocchi, gnocchi sauce, mushroom sauce, Potato gnocchi, potato gnocchi mushroom sauce, potato gnocchi recipe
DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?Tag @iheartumami.ny on Instagram and hashtag it #iheartumami.
an overhead image shows individual serving dish with lemon on the side