Pan Fried Gnocchi with Pumpkin & Spinach
See video above. This is an easy gnocchi recipe made using store bought gnocchi which has come a long way in its time! It's pan fried to brown which makes it even tastier - soft and chewy inside, buttery and lightly crisp on the outside.Standard 500g/1lb packets of gnocchi are supposed to serve 4 but it never feels like enough, and using more quickly turns this into a pretty calorie-heavy meal. So I bulk it out with roasted pumpkin, which has fewer calories for the same weight, and is delicious with the buttery gnocchi. Add spinach for greens, toss it all together and dinner's done!Try to use gnocchi from the fridge or freezer if you can, rather than aisle as it's made from fresh potato (shelf stable gnocchi uses reconstituted potato).
Servings: 2
Calories: 600cal
Ingredients
Roasted pumpkin
- 500g/1lb pumpkin , cut into 2cm / 0.8" pieces
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 tsp cooking salt / kosher salt
- Pinch black pepper
Gnocchi
- 350g/12oz gnocchi , store bought (Note 1)
- 50g (3 tbsp) butter , salted (unsalted also ok, just add more salt)
- 1 large garlic clove , finely minced
- 80g / 2.5oz baby spinach leaves
- 1/2 tsp fresh sage , finely sliced
- Salt & pepper
- Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
Instructions
- Roast pumpkin - Preheat oven to 200°C/390°F (180°C fan-forced). Place pumpkin in a large bowl, drizzle with oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss to coat, spread out on tray and bake for 20 - 25 minutes, turning once, until golden and soft inside. (Start the gnocchi 10 minutes into the roasting time).
- Cook gnocchi - Bring a large pot of water to the boil, add a good pinch of salt. Cook gnocchi according to packet directions (usually ~2 minutes), or until gnocchi pops to the surface of the water (see video). SCOOP OUT a large mug of cooking water, then drain gnocchi well.
- Toast gnocchi - Place butter in a skillet then put on the stove over medium high heat. Once it foams, add gnocchi immediately. Stir, turn up the heat to high, then leave to cook for about 30 seconds.
- Add garlic and sage, then stir / toss for no longer than 1 1/2 minutes (i.e. 2 minutes in total - see Note 2) until gnocchi is golden on both sides.
- Make sauce - Add 1/2 cup of gnocchi cooking water and toss - the water will evaporate quickly and thicken into a glaze-like sauce that coats the gnocchi (the starch in the water + butter thickens when combined).
- Finish - Then add the pumpkin and spinach and stir quickly until the spinach is just wilted, adding a small splash of the gnocchi cooking water if it looks like the sauce has evaporated (it hasn't, it's just thickened and is coating the gnocchi so extra water will magically recreate the sauce). Taste and add salt and pepper to taste (saltiness of gnocchi depends on brands, so important to try). Toss then serve immediately with freshly grated parmesan.
Notes
1. Gnocchi from the fridge is fresh gnocchi that is made with natural potato, and is my preference. Gnocchi from the pasta aisle will work too but it does taste slightly different as it's made from reconstituted potato (a little like powdered mashed potato).
2. Over toasting gnocchi - If you pan fry gnocchi for too long, it becomes chewy inside which is not very nice! That's why I limit the pan frying to 2 minutes.
Leftovers - Gnocchi is best served freshly made but leftovers will keep for 3 days. Save a little of the cloudy cooking water to loosen, you can recreate the lovely butter sauce (add a slosh, microwave to reheat, mix gently).
Nutrition per serving.
Nutrition
Serving: 468g | Calories: 600cal | Carbohydrates: 80g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 29g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 54mg | Sodium: 1370mg | Potassium: 1082mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 25658IU | Vitamin C: 34mg | Calcium: 137mg | Iron: 9mg