Pan Fried Gnocchi Recipe -

Gnocchi with spinach and cherry tomatoes

Pan Fried Gnocchi Recipe

Crispy, golden, pan fried gnocchi with spinach and roasted cherry tomatoes. A very tasty lunch or dinner, ready in under 30 minutes, so perfect for busy weeknights.

Course Dinner, Lunch

Cuisine Italian

Diet Vegetarian

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 25

Total Time 30

Servings

Calories 529kcal

Author Michelle Alston

Ingredients

10 oz cherry tomatoes on the vine (280g/ 0.62lb)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 1.1 lb pack store bought gnocchi (500g)
2 tablespoon butter
2 cloves garlic
4 cups spinach (90g/3.3oz)
2 tablespoon chopped flat leaf parsley
¼ teaspoon cracked black pepper
½ teaspoon sea salt divided into two parts
20 g Grano Padano or a parmesan-style cheese. finely grated. Plus more for serving
2 tablespoon pinenuts (25g)

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 200° C/ 392° F, fan oven.
Add the cherry tomatoes to a roasting tin, drizzle over a tablespoon of balsamic vinegar and 1 tablespoon of olive oil, add a small pinch of salt and a pinch of freshly grated black pepper then roast them for about 15 - 20 minutes.
While the tomatoes are roasting toast the pine nuts. Add 2 tablespoons of pine nuts to a dry hot pan and toast for about 2 or 3 minutes, tossing often. They should be golden brown. Remove from the pan and set aside until you are ready to use them.
Add one tablespoon of olive oil to a large frying pan, add the spinach and cook until wilted. Remove from the pan to a medium-sized bowl and cover to keep it warm. Wipe the frying pan clean.
In a large frying pan add 2 tablespoons of butter, melt the butter over medium to high heat then once the butter is bubbling add the gnocchi. Fry the gnocchi for 15-20 minutes, tossing regularly. Cook until golden brown.
Add the minced garlic (2 cloves) and cook for a minute.
Squeeze the excess liquid from the spinach. Add the spinach, the grated cheese, and the cherry tomatoes along with any juices in the roasting tin.
Stir gently then add the parsley and the pine nuts.
Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Serve immediately.

Notes

Nutritional Information is calculated by an online nutrition tool, it is based on a serving of 3 and is approximate.
Serving size - this amount of gnocchi is perfect for 3 people for lunch or 2 for dinner. If we have this for dinner I will sometimes serve it with a side salad or garlic bread.
Store-bought gnocchi works perfectly well for this and makes it a really quick meal. You can, of course, make your own gnocchi but it will take longer.
I use salted butter for this dish, unsalted butter doesn't give you the same result so please use salted butter.
Try not to overcook the gnocchi, anything more than 20 minutes will make the gnocchi tough. You want it to be soft in the middle and crispy on the outside, so make sure the butter is piping hot but not burning so a medium-hot heat will work best.
Use a large pan to fry the gnocchi, you don't want the gnocchi to be too overcrowded.
Freezing and storing - I don't recommend freezing this dish. You really need to consume this dish as soon as you make it, the gnocchi gets tough as it cools and it is not suitable to reheat for the same reason.
Make it Vegan - you can easily make this vegan by omitting the cheese and using plant-based butter, and just make sure you buy or make vegan gnocchi.
Make it Gluten-Free - just make sure the gnocchi you buy is gluten-free and you're good.

Nutrition