Vegan Gnocchi Mushroom Florentine

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Prick potatoes with a fork all around. Then place in the oven, directly on the oven rack. Bake at 375 degrees for 50-75 minutes or until very soft and tender. Remove from oven and let cool.

Once the potatoes are cool, peel the skins off, they should come off really easily.  Now you have a few options. Either using a ricer, rice the potatoes into a bowl, or place in a bowl and use a hand mixer to whip the potatoes until they are very smooth. 

Once the potatoes are smooth and have no lumps, add in the flour a little at a time, stirring, then kneading until all the flour is incorporated and the dough is no longer sticky. Now add the salt. If the dough is still sticky, you can add up to another half a cup of flour. Continue to knead until you have a smooth ball of dough. 

Now, start boiling a large pot of water. 

Then, get the sauce started. Add the olive oil to a cast iron skillet and heat on medium high. Now add the mushrooms and garlic. Saute until the mushrooms are cooked through. About 5-7 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. 

While the mushrooms are sauteing, cut the dough into four. On a floured surface, roll each piece of dough into a long thin rope. Then cut into 1 inch squares. You can either leave them like this, or roll on a fork to make the lines. 

When the water is boiling, add some gnocchi, about 10-15 pieces at a time. Boil until they float, about 2-4 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and place in a bowl. Repeat until all the gnocchi is cooked. 

Now  finish the sauce, mix together the veggie broth, almond milk and corn starch in a bowl. Whisk until fully combined and corn starch has dissolved. Now add to the mushrooms. Reduce to medium low and simmer for about 5-10 minutes until it has thickened. Now add the nutritional yeast, and lemon juice. Whisk. Season with salt and pepper. 

Now add the spinach and stir, just cook until the spinach has wilted. Reduce heat to low. Taste and adjust seasoning. 

Once the gnocchi and sauce are done, either toss the gnocchi in the sauce or pour the sauce over the gnocchi. Serve immediately with vegan parm or a drizzle of balsamic, or just as is!