Creamy Buttery Tuscan Gnocchi Recipe

From McGough's Recipes
Prep Cook Total Serves
10 Min 15 Min 25 Min 4

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons butter, (or olive oil)
  • 1 brown shallot, chopped (or 1 small onion)
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 pound (500 g) uncooked potato gnocchi, (the dry packaged gnocchi -- not fresh)
  • 1/2 cup jarred sun dried tomato strips in oil, (reserve 2 teaspoons of the jarred oil for cooking)
  • 1/2 cup chicken broth
  • 1 1/4 cups heavy cream, (thickened cream or half andf half)
  • 1 teaspoon dried Italian herbs
  • salt & pepper, to taste
  • 1 1/2 cups fresh baby spinach
  • 1/2 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese
  • 2 tablespoons fresh chopped basil, (or parsley)

Instructions

  1. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Melt the butter and sauté shallots until transparent, about 2 minutes. Sauté garlic until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
  2. Add the gnocchi and let sear in the butter for a minute. Add the sun dried tomatoes and reserved oil. Cook for a further minute to release flavours into the gnocchi.
  3. Pour in the chicken broth, cream and Italian herbs. Scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
  4. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Mix everything together and reduce heat to medium. Cover pan with lid and let cook for 5 minutes.
  5. Stir in the spinach leaves and cook until wilted, about 1 minute.
  6. Stir through parmesan cheese and chopped basil. Let simmer for a further minute or until gnocchi is soft, cooked through and the sauce has thickened to your liking.
  7. Season with a little extra salt & pepper, if needed, to suit your taste.
  8. Serve immediately.

Notes

  • Add uncooked dry gnocchi as it cooks right in the sauce! The starch released from the gnocchi thickens the sauce perfectly while cooking.
  • The sauce thickenes as it cools. If not serving immediately, add extra cream or chicken broth just before serving to thin it out a little.

HOW TO COOK ONE PAN GNOCCHI

You’re going to:

FRY your gnocchi in garlic butter first. Use uncooked dry gnocchi found with the dry package pastas in your supermarket. Fresh or homemade gnocchi will not work and may turn to mush in the sauce.

ADD the sun dried tomatoes and let them release flavours. POUR in chicken broth, cream and herbs. Scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan — browned bits equal flavour! MIX everything together, reduce heat to medium and cover pan with lid

COOK for 5 minutes. The starch released from the gnocchi thickens the sauce while cooking. WILT the spinach leaves in the sauce. Stir through parmesan.

SIMMER until gnocchi is soft and the sauce has thickened.

Serve immediately.

  • The sauce thickenes as it cools. If not serving immediately, add extra cream or chicken broth just before serving to thin it out a little*

WINE SELECTION

I choose a white wine to go with this. A light Chardonnay or Pinot Gris pairs really well. For a sweeter wine, choose a Riesling or a Sparkling Moscato. SOME TIPS:

  • Remember to use dry gnocchi and add it uncooked!
  • Heavy cream, thickened cream or half and half work well in this recipe. is an American product, made from equal parts light cream and milk. Feel free to use half light cream and half 2% milk (or full fat if not worried about calories and fat counts), in place of half and half. Alternatively, use all light cream if you wish.
  • I use sun dried tomato strips in oil. When draining them, reserve about 2 teaspoons of the jarred oil for added flavour when cooking.


Link to recipe