Sweet Potato Gnocchi With Light Bolognese Sauce

This recipe is from Clean Eating magazine. I just love gnocchi, and love sweet potatoes, so this has to be a winning combo!

• Ready In: 1 hr 30 mins
• Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 1  large sweet potato
• 2  medium russet potatoes or 2  medium idaho potatoes
• 2  cups whole wheat flour, divided, plus additional flour for dusting on hands and cookie sheets
• 2  tablespoons whole wheat flour, divided, plus additional flour for dusting on hands and cookie sheets
•  olive oil flavored cooking spray
• 1  medium yellow onions or 1  medium  white onion, diced
• 1  stalk celery, diced
• 2  medium carrots, diced
• 1  lb  lean  ground turkey breast
• 1  cup skim milk
• 1 (28 ounce) can  no-salt-added crushed tomatoes
• 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
• 1  teaspoon  dried Italian seasoning
• 2  tablespoons fresh basil, minced
•  sea  salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400°F Use a fork to poke holes in all potatoes. Bake on a cookie sheet, lined with foil, for 45 minutes. Remove potatoes from oven, let cool, remove skins and slice. Add potato slices to a food processor fitted with a standard blade and purée for 3 minutes or until smooth.
2. To make gnocchi, put potato purée in a large bowl and mix in 2 cups flour, a 1/4 cup at a time (you will get a very sticky consistency). Dust hands with a bit of flour and form purée into teaspoon-sized oval-shaped balls. You will periodically need to dust your hands with more flour while making balls. Once all balls are made (you will have 90 to 100), take a fork and, pressing lightly, make indentations around the circumference of the balls, being careful not to flatten them. Dust 2 plates or a cookie sheet with flour and place gnocchi on them to air-dry so they will not be quite as fragile.
3. While gnocchi are drying, fill a large stockpot with water and bring to a boil over medium-high. Once dry, add gnocchi to stockpot in small batches of about 10 to 15. When they float to the surface, after about 3 minutes, remove gnocchi with a slotted spoon.
4. To make sauce, heat a medium saucepot over medium-high. Let heat for 1 minute, then mist with cooking spray. Add onion, celery and carrots and sauté for 3 to 4 minutes. Add turkey and stir, breaking meat up into pieces with a spoon or spatula as it cooks, about 5 minutes.
5. Once turkey is cooked, add remaining 2 tbsp flour. Whisk in milk and stir until thickened.
6. Pour in tomatoes, tomato paste and 1/2 cup water. Reduce heat to medium-low and stir. Add Italian seasoning and basil. Season with salt and pepper, if desired, and cook for another 5 minutes.
7. To serve, place 1 cup gnocchi in a bowl and top with 1 cup sauce. Garnish with additional basil, if desired.