Green Vegan Gnocchi
This gluten-free wild garlic gnocchi with smoked tofu pasta sauce is Spring on a plate: pillowy green gnocchi flecked with fresh leurda (wild garlic), draped in a creamy, smoky tofu sauce, and finished with peppery arugula. It comes together fast because the sauce is just blended, and it lands somewhere between comforting and fresh, which is exactly what you want when the first warm days arrive.
The first time I made homemade pasta was last week, and I don’t even know why I didn’t try this any sooner! I’m now hooked. I don’t have a pasta machine and I wanted to start with something easy and practically fail-proof, so I chose to make gluten-free gnocchi. Because Spring is finally here, I wanted this dish to taste and look like Spring on a plate, so I added wild garlic (my love) into the gnocchi, created a kickass tofu pasta sauce, and topped everything with tasty, fresh arugula leaves.
I’ve been eating tofu like crazy lately, usually plain or mixed with dill and peppers. Sometimes I eat smoked tofu too, which is my absolute favorite, though I tend to avoid it because smoked food isn’t that great for anyone in large amounts. This recipe called for a smoked tofu pasta sauce, so I happily made an exception. And even though the sauce ingredients may sound like they won’t go well together at first, trust me, they do.
What you need for the gnocchi and the sauce
This is a two-part dish, but neither part is complicated. For the base you’ll need 400 g of homemade gluten-free wild garlic gnocchi (enough for four servings). The wild garlic, or leurda, is what gives the gnocchi their green color and that mild, garlicky-chive flavor that defines the whole plate. Wild garlic shows up only for a short window in early Spring, so grab it while you can; if you’ve got extra, it freezes well chopped.
For the smoked tofu pasta sauce you’ll blend 300 g of crumbled smoked tofu, 2 tablespoons of mustard, 3 tablespoons of nutritional yeast, 1/3 teaspoon of ground white pepper, and water as needed. The smoked tofu carries the savory, smoky backbone; the nutritional yeast adds a cheesy, umami depth; the mustard brings a gentle tang that cuts through the richness; and the white pepper gives a clean, quiet heat without dark specks. To finish, you’ll want about 50 g of fresh arugula, or as much as you like.
How to get the sauce just right
The sauce is the easiest part: everything goes into the food processor at once. Start by adding about 1/2 cup of water, blend until smooth, then add more water a splash at a time until it reaches the consistency you want. A thicker sauce clings to each gnocco; a looser one coats more evenly, so adjust to your taste.
The one tip I really want you to remember: don’t add any salt. Smoked tofu is already salty enough on its own, and because you’re concentrating it into a sauce, extra salt tips it over fast. Blend, taste, and only then decide if it needs anything at all. If you crumble the tofu before it goes in, it breaks down more easily and you’ll get a smoother, creamier finish.
Why this flavor combination works
On paper, mustard, nutritional yeast, and smoked tofu sound like an odd trio. In practice they balance one another: the nutritional yeast supplies the savory, cheese-like roundness, the smoked tofu brings salt and smoke, and the mustard’s acidity keeps the whole thing from feeling heavy or flat. Blending turns the crumbled tofu into a silky, creamy sauce without any dairy, so it stays light enough to let the fresh wild garlic and arugula come through. The peppery arugula on top isn’t just garnish; its bite is the counterpoint that makes each forkful taste balanced rather than rich.
What to serve alongside
This dish is satisfying on its own, but it plays well with other fresh, green Spring flavors. While the wild garlic is in season, set out a bowl of wild garlic hummus with bread to start. A crisp, smoky side like this grilled smoked tofu and tomato salad echoes the tofu in the sauce without repeating it, and if you’re feeding a hungry table you can round things out with a simple pasta with arugula pesto and capers. If you love this style of saucy gluten-free pasta, the oyster mushroom spaghetti with tomato and basil sauce is a great next one to try.
Make-ahead and storage
The smoked tofu sauce is the make-ahead hero here. Blend it up to two or three days in advance and keep it in an airtight container in the fridge; it may thicken as it sits, so loosen it with a little water before serving. I’d hold off on combining the gnocchi, sauce, and arugula until just before you eat, since the gnocchi are best fresh and the arugula wilts once it meets the warm sauce. If you cook a big batch of the gnocchi, store them separately and reheat gently. For more ways to fold dishes like this into a week of cooking, the weekly vegetarian meal plan is a handy starting point, and this baked pasta tart with smoked tofu is a good way to use up any extra smoked tofu.
If you make this green gnocchi, I’d love to know how your smoked tofu sauce turned out and whether you went thick or saucy with it. Leave a star rating and a comment below with your wild garlic finds and any tweaks you tried!
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Gluten-Free Wild Garlic Gnocchi with Smoked Tofu Pasta Sauce
Ingredients
- 400 g homemade gluten-free wild garlic gnocchi for four (Click for recipe)
- 50 g arugula as much as you like
Smoked Tofu Pasta Sauce:
- 300 g smoked tofu crumbled
- 2 Tbsps mustard
- 3 Tbsps nutritional yeast
- ⅓ tsp white pepper ground
- water as needed
Instructions
Tofu Pasta Sauce:
- Put all sauce ingredients in your food processor. Start by adding 1/2 cup of water. Process until smooth and add more water until the sauce reaches the desired consistency. Don’t add any salt. You’ll see that smoked tofu is already salty enough.
- Pour sauce over gnocchi and add fresh arugula leaves on top. Perfect!
Frequently Asked Questions
The smoked tofu pasta sauce in this recipe is fully plant-based: smoked tofu, mustard, nutritional yeast, white pepper, and water. The recipe card lists it as a vegetarian dish, so check the ingredients of your homemade gnocchi and your smoked tofu (some smoked tofu and mustards vary by brand) if you want to confirm it’s vegan for your needs.
Wild garlic, also called leurda or ramsons, is a leafy Spring green with a mild garlic-and-chive flavor that gives the gnocchi their green color and aroma. It’s only in season for a short window in early Spring. If you can’t find it, fresh chives plus a little spinach for color is the closest stand-in, though the flavor will be milder.
Crumble the smoked tofu before adding it to the food processor so it breaks down more easily. Blend everything with about 1/2 cup of water first, then add more water a splash at a time until it’s silky and reaches the consistency you want. A higher-powered blender or processor gives the smoothest result.
Smoked tofu is already quite salty, and blending it into a concentrated sauce intensifies that saltiness. Adding more salt can easily make the sauce too salty. Blend first, taste, and only adjust seasoning at the very end if it truly needs it.
Yes. The sauce keeps in an airtight container in the fridge for two to three days and is a great make-ahead component. It may thicken as it sits, so stir in a little water to loosen it before serving. Combine the gnocchi, sauce, and fresh arugula just before eating so the gnocchi stay fresh and the arugula doesn’t wilt.
Yes, when you use the homemade gluten-free wild garlic gnocchi this recipe calls for. The sauce itself is naturally gluten-free, but double-check your mustard, since some brands can contain gluten, to keep the whole dish gluten-free.
I never thought homemade gnocchi could be 1. so easy and 2. so MUCH more delicious than store-bought ones! This recipe really changed my perspective on homemade pasta and now I want to try countless more recipes. Thank you, Ruxandra!
You’re welcome! 😀