• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • About
  • Browse Recipes
  • Resources
  • subscribe
  • Navigation Menu: Social Icons

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
Life Currents
Home » Vegetarian Gnocchi with Peruvian Seco Sauce

Gnocchi with Peruvian Seco Sauce

March 11, 2014 by Debi 15 Comments

  • Share
Jump to Recipe

This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase through links on our site, we may earn a commission.

Spice up your dinner routine with this authentic Gnocchi with Peruvian Seco Sauce. It brings a subtle kick and a burst of flavor to your plate without any fuss.

I’ve been on a big Peruvian food kick around here lately, and this Vegetarian main dish is just awesome!

a white bowl filled with gnocchi and vegetables in a sauce with cilantro on top.

We appreciate you

Please let me know if you have any questions about this recipe. I read all the comments myself and I try to help as soon as I can. I have readers from all levels of comfort and experience in the kitchen on my site, and I’ve tried to answer some of your questions already in the post. But if I’ve missed anything, please feel free to leave a comment and ask.

Peruvian recipes

I’ve spent time looking through many websites and blogs for yummy looking recipes. Pinterest has some great ideas for Peruvian food as well. So I came up with this recipe for Vegetarian Gnocchi with Peruvian Seco Sauce to share with you.

Want more of my Peruvian recipes. Check out Peruvian Green Aji Sauce and Vegetarian Peruvian Stew.

What are gnocchi?

I love the idea of (affiliate link) gnocchi in the mix.

Little pillows of potato goodness. Of course, you could make your own, but I chose to use pre-made ones from the grocery store to save a little time.

And, I’ve never been able to really perfect the homemade Gnocchi.

If you wanted a few more veggies in the stew I’d suggest using broccoli and green beans.

close up on gnocchi in brown sauce with vegetables and a spoon in the dish.
Vegetarian Gnocchi dish featuring a Peruvian Seco Sauce

Spicy sauce

This sauce is perfect! Rich and thick with a little kick of heat. That kick of heat comes from the (affiliate link) aji amarillo paste.

I highly recommend buying some.

It’s pretty much required in Peruvian cooking, and it has a lovely fruity heat to it.

I buy mine from a local Mexican market near my house.

Check around, you may have some well-stocked markets in your area as well. If not, Amazon {affiliate link} sells the aji amarillo paste.

Make it a meal

This Peruvian dish makes a great dinner with some nice crusty bread, or make the stew the day before and send it for lunches. It reheats beautifully!

Vegetarian Gnocchi with Peruvian Seco Sauce #meatlessMonday #Peruvian #sauce #gnocchi #potato

Let’s keep in touch

If you like seeing my recipes subscribe via email in the upper right.
Or, connect with me on your favorite social media channel for recipes, photos, & much more:
Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Twitter!
And find my shop on Amazon for recommendations on cool tools

If you try this recipe,
please come back & leave a comment below letting us know how it goes.
Share a picture & tag @lifecurrents on Instagram.
Or you can upload a “tried it” photo (I would love to see)
via the pin.

Vegetarian Gnocchi with Peruvian Seco Sauce two images for long pin gnocchi in a Peruvian sauce in a white bowl with a green hot pad behind it

Recipe

looking down on a white bowl filled with gnocchi and vegetables and a spoon is in the food.

Vegetarian Gnocchi with Peruvian Seco Sauce

Debi
A delicious vegetarian stew made with gnocchi and vegetables topped with a complex spicy Peruvian inspired sauce.
5 from 16 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe Rate this Recipe
Prevent your screen from going to sleep.
Prep Time 10 minutes mins
Cook Time 30 minutes mins
Total Time 40 minutes mins
Course Main Course, Sauce
Cuisine American, Peruvian
Servings 3 servings
Calories 401 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • ¾ cup cilantro leaves
  • 2 Roma tomatoes seeded and roughly chopped
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil or light-tasting oil of your choice
  • 1 medium red onion chopped
  • ½ tablespoon ají amarillo paste
  • ½ red bell pepper diced
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 cup low-sodium vegetable broth
  • 16 ounce fresh potato gnocchi
  • 1 cup frozen green peas defrosted

Instructions
 

  • In the bowl of a blender, blend cilantro leaves and stems with ¼ cup water. Once cilantro is well blended, add the tomatoes, and blend until smooth. Set aside.
  • Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium heat until it shimmers. Add the onion and cook, stirring until tender and beginning to brown, about 7 minutes.
  • Add ají amarillo paste, red bell pepper, cilantro paste, salt and pepper, and continue to cook for 5 minutes.
  • Add the vegetable broth, put the lid on, bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer for 15 minutes.
  • While the sauce simmers, cook the gnocchi according to package directions, they’ll usually take approximately 2-3 minutes to cook. In the last minute of gnocchi cooking time, add the frozen peas to the boiling water. Once gnocchi and peas are done, drain well.
  • Using the blender, take about half of the vegetable-sauce mixture and blend until smooth, being very careful, as the mixture is hot. Pour the blended sauce back in with the sauce-veggies mixture. Gently toss the cooked gnocchi and peas into the sauce. Enjoy!

Notes

Adapted from Peru Delights

Nutrition

Calories: 401kcalCarbohydrates: 68gProtein: 10gFat: 11gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 7gSodium: 1223mgPotassium: 343mgFiber: 8gSugar: 7gVitamin A: 1797IUVitamin C: 58mgCalcium: 60mgIron: 7mg

Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations, and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary based on brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes, and more.

Keyword gnocchi, seco, stew
Tried this recipe?Mention @LifeCurrents or tag #LifeCurrents!
  • Share

Filed Under: Main Dish, Vegetarian Tagged With: aji, chile, Cooking, Food, gnocchi, healthy, Meatless Monday, peas, Peruvian, potato, recipe, red onion, red pepper, sauce, vegan, vegetarian

You May Also Like

square crop of a blue bowl filled with pink strawberry cream cheese and some fresh strawberries.
Strawberry Almond Cream Cheese
square crop of the Viral Cottage Cheese Sweet Potato Bowls but made vegetarian with lentils.
Cottage Cheese Sweet Potato Bowls
square crop of a white bowl filled with bean and vegetable salad.
Kidney Bean Salad
about debi

ABOUT DEBI

Hello! I’m Debi, the girl behind Life Currents where I write about mainly healthy vegetarian dishes. My husband eats meat, so occasionally I share some of his dishes as well. And, I’ll share tasty treats and projects that we do. Read more...

Previous Post: « Fresh Buttermilk Biscuits
Next Post: Custard Tart »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Heidy L. McCallum

    March 11, 2014 at 4:08 pm

    5 stars
    This is a SUPER recipe; nice spice. Great sauce! Vegetarian Gnocchi with Peruvian Seco Sauce never looked so wonderful!!

  2. Nicole

    March 11, 2014 at 4:20 pm

    5 stars
    Fantastic recipe! This Gnocchi is a favorite of mine! I’m really impressed by the photography too 🙂

  3. cheri

    March 11, 2014 at 4:22 pm

    5 stars
    never heard of a Peruvian Seco sauce before, and I have to tell you, it is so delicious. Will be making this again for sure.

  4. Joanne

    March 11, 2014 at 4:41 pm

    5 stars
    G’day! Love gnocchi! This is so yum; I actually ate it for brekkie! Easy to make too. I changed out a bit of the spice.
    Cheers!

  5. Sophia

    March 11, 2014 at 5:50 pm

    5 stars
    So DELISH Debi! YUM!

  6. Nancy Fox

    March 11, 2014 at 7:55 pm

    5 stars
    Debi, this vegetarian soup is so healthy and delicious!!!

  7. Laurie

    March 11, 2014 at 8:02 pm

    5 stars
    Gnocchi is my #1 Favorite Food! With Peruvian Seco Sauce, it’s even better! Thanks for sharing this one!! Great Post!

  8. Shelley

    March 12, 2014 at 10:18 am

    5 stars
    This is just fabulous! I visited Peru years ago on a faculty trip before my kiddos were born, and my father-in-law regularly flies down there to do dentistry in rainforest villages with poor access to health care. I even took a Peruvian class in cooking school. The foods and culture of Peru are wonderful and often overlooked here in America. This totally inspires me to get in a Peruvian cooking groove, too! 😀 Love it! Thanks for the inspiration!!!

  9. Nicky

    March 12, 2014 at 11:08 am

    5 stars
    I hadn’t had Peruvian food before. This was delicious and it’s something I’d make again and again. I did change out the spice a bit to what I could find at the store.

  10. Kate

    March 12, 2014 at 6:32 pm

    5 stars
    This gnocchi is delicious. Thanks for sharing.

  11. Sandra

    March 12, 2014 at 8:04 pm

    5 stars
    This is delicious! Peruvian food is so tasty. I added chicken that I cooked in the sauce with a bit more water.

  12. Ronda

    March 14, 2014 at 5:26 pm

    5 stars
    Thank you for sharing your beautiful recipe – it was so easy to make & I love gnocchi.

  13. Gaye

    March 16, 2014 at 5:21 pm

    5 stars
    Hi Debi – This is delicious. Thanks so much for sharing it. I never knew about Peruvian food befor but now I have to try your other Peruvian recipes. So much flavor.

  14. Joyce

    March 20, 2014 at 1:12 pm

    5 stars
    I never heard of this. This potato lover couldn’t get enough. I did leave all the hot and spicy stuff out though. Can’t take the heat!

  15. Cindy

    March 23, 2014 at 8:24 am

    5 stars
    YUM, I have been so hungry for gnocchi lately! What a great recipe! I loved how the soft gnocchi melted into the spicy sauce with the wholesome veg.

5 from 16 votes (1 rating without comment)

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Hi! I’m Debi, the girl behind Life Currents, where I write about mainly healthy vegetarian dishes with some great desserts and other goodies mixed in! Read More >>>

Most Popular Recipes

square crop of cottage cheese bread surrounding sandwich fillings of mushrooms, lettuce, tomato.
square crop of a bowl of lemon cottage cheese pudding with a spoon on the side.
square crop looking down into a baking dish filled with pepper jelly topped cheese dip with crackers on the right.
square crop of creamy dressing in a glass jar with fresh cilantro and limes around it.
square crop looking down on a small white bowl filled with ranch and surrounded by vegetables and a lemon wedge.
A chip that's been dipped in cheese and the bowl of cheese is behind it.
looking fown in a cast iron skillet filled with White Bean Sun-Dried Tomato Gnocchi and a wooden spoon sticking out.
cooked green beans in a bowl.
a blue ceramic cup filled with a milk drink and two cinnamon sticks in the lower right.

Footer

SEEN ON

as seen on

This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase through links on our site, we may earn a commission.

This month’s featured recipes: Bourbon Banana Bread, Crescent Roll Chicken Squares, Pecan Pie Muffins, and Flourless Chocolate Cookies.

Want to tip me? You can Buy Me a Coffee! And thanks!

© 2025 lifecurrentsblog.com. All rights reserved. Find my Privacy Policy Here.

  • Pinterest
  • Facebook
  • Flipboard
  • Mix
  • Threads
  • X
  • Email

Rate This Recipe

Your vote:




A rating is required
A name is required
An email is required

Recipe Ratings without Comment

Something went wrong. Please try again.