This Creamy Gnocchi Recipe is the ultimate comfort food. Made with store-bought gnocchi and a few simple ingredients this tasty, creamy dish can be on the table in under 30 minutes. Great for a quick and easy weeknight dinner!
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Gnocchi is always a great idea for a quick and easy dinner. Whether it's pesto gnocchi or pan-fried gnocchi it always goes down a treat with the whole family.
For this recipe, the potato gnocchi is cooked in a deliciously cheesy, creamy sauce with sun-dried tomatoes and spinach. The result is a delicious gnocchi recipe with perfectly tender gnocchi and a very tasty, creamy sauce!
This is such a simple recipe and the whole thing is cooked in one pan! Making it perfect for a busy weeknight. I mean what's better than coming home to a wholesome meal like this after a long day! It's filling and warming and gives me all those comfort food vibes you need this time of the year!
What You'll Need
- Gnocchi - Store-bought gnocchi is perfect for this dish. You can find good quality gnocchi in the pasta aisle in the grocery store. You can of course make your own fresh gnocchi if you prefer. Rosemary from An Italian In My Kitchen has a great recipe for homemade gnocchi if you want to make your own.
- Spinach - fresh baby spinach is best for this recipe. If you want to use frozen spinach I would thaw it first then add it to the sauce.
- Sun-dried Tomatoes - store-bought sun-dried tomatoes are best for this recipe, the kind you find with oil in a jar are perfect!
- Cream - I use double cream for this recipe, also known as heavy cream.
- Cheese - you'll need a hard Italian cheese for the sauce, I use Grana Padano but Pecorino or fresh Parmesan cheese if you're in the US will work too.
- Stock - I add stock to make the sauce for this recipe, vegetable stock is perfect so I use one stock cube and 300ml of boiling water.
- Other Ingredients - you'll also need dried oregano, butter, onion, garlic, pine nuts, salt and black pepper.
How To Make Creamy Gnocchi
The full list of ingredients and detailed steps can be found in the recipe card below.
1. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet, add the chopped onion and a pinch of salt and cook for 15 minutes. Next add the garlic, oregano and sliced sun-dried tomatoes.
2. Next, add the butter, once the butter has melted add the gnocchi. Toss the gnocchi in the butter, onions and sun-dried tomatoes. Cook for 1 - 2 minutes to allow the gnocchi to absorb all the flavours in the pan.
3. Now, add the stock and stir well over a medium-heat. Season with salt and black pepper.
4. Next, pour in the cream. Simmer for 4-5 minutes over medium heat.
5. Once the sauce has reduced a bit, reduce to low heat then add the fresh spinach. Stir the spinach into the sauce until it has wilted.
6. Finally, remove the pan from the heat then add the grated cheese. Once the cheese has melted the dish is ready to be served.
Tips & Variations
- Swap the spinach for kale, sauté the kale separately then add it to the sauce for a more rustic dish.
- Add mushrooms for an extra veggie hit! Add the mushrooms to the pan after the onions and cook until they release their juices before adding the sun-dried tomatoes.
- Turn this into a baked gnocchi dish! Transfer the finished dish to a casserole dish, top with mozzarella and more Grana Padano and bake until the topping is golden and the sauce is bubbling!
- To avoid excess oil from the sun-dried tomatoes going into your sauce place the sun-dried tomatoes flat on a chopping board. Using the blunt end or back of a knife and scrape the oil from each piece of sun-dried tomato. You can also pat the tomatoes with kitchen paper if you want to remove even more oil!
- Swap the cream for cream cheese or mascarpone for a deliciously next level take!
FAQs
Gnocchi are a traditional Italian type of pasta made from semolina or flour, potatoes and egg. They look like little dumplings and are often cooked in the same way as pasta.
No, the gnocchi will cook in the sauce.
If you have any leftovers you should store them in an airtight container in the fridge and use them within two days. The sauce for this recipe thickens quite a lot once it cools so you will need to add more cream or stock to the dish if you want to reheat it It is best reheated on the hob.
This dish is best made fresh and does not freeze well. The cream has a tendency to split or go grainy so I do not recommend freezing this dish.
How To Serve Creamy Gnocchi
We love this dish with a side of Ciabatta Garlic Bread, but you could also serve this simple crusty bread to soak up any letter sauce! I also love this topped with toasted pine nuts but you can omit them or saw them for toasted walnuts if you prefer.
More Comfort Food Recipes
If you are in need of more comfort food then I have you covered. My Baked Gnocchi Bolognese is one of my favourite gnocchi recipes and is perfect for the weekend! If you need a pasta hit then my Broccoli Pasta Bake is one of the most popular pasta recipes on my blog. Or try my Red Pasta Pasta, this is the perfect creamy cosy pasta! And if you're in the mood for a cosy soup then you really need to try my Veggie Tortellini Soup, it's creamy rich and so delicious.
Creamy Gnocchi Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium brown onion finely chopped
- 3 cloves of garlic very finely chopped or put through a garlic press
- 1 heaped tsp dried oregano
- 10 pieces of sundried tomatoes thinly sliced
- 30 g / 2 tbsps of butter I use salted butter
- 1 x 500 g / 17.6 oz pack of gnocchi
- 300 ml / 1 ¼ cups of vegetable stock made with 1 stock cube and 300ml of freshly boiled water
- 150 ml / ¾ of a cup of double cream (heavy cream)
- 60 g / 2 cups of fresh baby spinach
- 50 g / ½ a cup of Grana Padano cheese finely grated
- 2 - 3 tbsps toasted pine nuts optional
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper + more for serving
Instructions
- Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet or saute pan. Add the chopped onion along with a small pinch of sea salt. Cook over low to medium heat for about 15 minutes or until the onions are translucent and springy.
- Next, add 1 heaped teaspoon of dried oregano and 3 finely chopped cloves of garlic. Then add the sliced sun-dried tomatoes and cook for a minute.
- Now, add 30g of butter to the pan then add all the gnocchi. Break up any gnocchi that has stuck together. Toss the gnocchi in the butter adn the onion and sundried tomatoes. Let the gnocchi cook for a minute or two so that it absorbs all the flavours that are in the pan.Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- Next, pour in the stock. Stir well, catching any pieces that have stuck to the bottom of the pan. Then pour in the cream, and stir it into the stock. Simmer over low heat for about 10 minutes stirring often.
- Once the sauce has reduced and thickened add the spinach. Stir in the baby spinach, it should wilt very quickly. Once the spinach has wilted remove the pan from the heat, then stir in the grated cheese. Once the cheese has melted into the sauce the dish is ready to be served.Top with toasted pine nut, if using, extra grated cheese and some freshly ground black pepper.
Notes
- Cooking gnocchi - You do not need to cook the gnocchi before adding it, the gnocchi will cook in the sauce.
- Storage/reheating/freezing - If you have any leftovers you should store them in an airtight container in the fridge and use them within two days. The sauce for this recipe thickens once it cools so you will need to add more cream or stock to the dish if you want to reheat it It is best reheated on the hob. This dish is best made fresh and does not freeze well. The cream has a tendency to split or go grainy so I do not recommend freezing this dish.
- Nutritional Information - all nutritional information shared is an estimate based on third-party calculations. If calorie count and/or nutritional values are important to you, we recommend putting the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary depending on which brands were used. Each recipe and nutritional value will vary depending on the brands you use, measuring methods and portion sizes per household.
- Weights and measurements - For US readers, I use Cuisipro measuring cups and spoons, and a Pyrex measuring jug for liquids. These are the industry standard. Cup/spoon volumes can differ from brand to brand, for accuracy, I recommend weighing all ingredients if possible for best results.
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