Gnocchi Vs. Pasta: Which Has More Carbs?

Few things in this world compare to sitting down with a hearty meal of freshly cooked pasta and a glass of wine. It's comforting and wholesome. There are, of course, different kinds of pasta to choose from such as spaghetti, orzo, penne, ziti, and other slightly different options such as gnocchi, which is not like traditional pasta because it has a mix of potatoes, eggs, and wheat flour (via Livestrong). Usually, you'll find that pasta itself is made from durum wheat. Interestingly, most kinds of pasta have two things in common: they're rather high in carbohydrates and don't have much to offer in terms of protein.

As you've probably guessed by now, regular pasta and gnocchi have some similarities when you compare their overall nutritional profiles. If you're only looking at carbohydrates, though, you're going to be intrigued by the answer you find. Read on to know more.

Strictly speaking, gnocchi is lower in carbohydrates compared to other kinds of pasta. As Livestrong reports, the exact nutritional profiles will differ based on the type of pasta you're looking at but if you compare dry pasta to gnocchi, two ounces of the former will generally have around 43 grams of carbohydrates. You're looking at 19 grams of carbohydrates for the same amount of raw gnocchi. 

There is a catch, however. Gnocchi is denser than pasta, meaning it takes fewer pieces of gnocchi to achieve the same weight. So if you compared two servings of both dishes, you'll notice that the quantity of gnocchi is not as much as regular pasta. Simply put, you might end up eating a lot more gnocchi than regular pasta to feel satisfied.

Because gnocchi is high in carbohydrates and doesn't offer much in terms of nutrition, you'll want to ensure that you enjoy it in moderation (via The Healthy Patron). Maybe you could pair your dish with a fun homemade side salad in order to make it more nutritionally dense.