Pan Fried Gnocchi with Spinach and Tomatoes

Gnocchi with Spinach, Roasted Cherry Tomatoes, parmesan and pine nuts

Pan Fried Gnocchi with Spinach and Tomatoes

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

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 25

Servings

Calories 529kcal

Author Michelle Alston

Equipment

A large saucepan
A slotted spoon
A large frying pan
A roasting dish
Grater

Ingredients

10 oz cherry tomatoes on the vine (280g/ 0.62lb)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1.2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 1.1 lb pack store bought gnocchi (500g)
3 tablespoon butter
2 cloves garlic
4 cups spinach (90g/3.3oz)
2 tablespoon chopped flat leaf parsley
¼ teaspoon cracked black pepper plus more for serving
¼ teaspoon sea salt plus more for serving
20 g parmesan cheese (vegetarian hard Italian cheese) Plus more for serving
2 tablespoon pinenuts (25g)

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C/ 392 F
Add the cherry tomatoes to a roasting tin, drizzle over ½ a tablespoon of balsamic vinegar and 1 tablespoon of olive oil, add ¼ teaspoon each of salt and black pepper then roast them for about 15 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.
Next bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil. Add the gnocchi to the water and as soon as they rise to the top, about 3 minutes, remove with a slotted spoon. Reserve half a cup of the water used to cook the gnocchi
In a large frying pan add 2 tablespoons of butter, melt the butter over a medium to high heat then once the butter is bubbling add the gnocchi. Fry the gnocchi for a maximum of 5 minutes, tossing regularly. Once the gnocchi is golden brown remove it from the pan.
Add I more tablespoon of butter to the pan then once that has melted add the minced garlic (2 cloves) cook for a minute then add the spinach and ½ a cup of the reserved water. The spinach will wilt quite quickly so now add the grated cheese, the cherry tomatoes along with any juices in the roasting tin.
Stir gently then add the parsley and the pine nuts and return the gnocchi to the frying pan. Toss everything together.
You should have a thin sauce in the pan now.
Serve immediately with some cracked black pepper and a little more grated cheese if you wish.

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 a light 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 5 minutes will make the gnocchi tough. You want it to be soft in the middle 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.
I add some finely grated vegetarian parmesan cheese to the spinach, just make sure the cheese you use will melt well. It's totally fine to omit the cheese at the cooking stage if you can't find a good vegetarian parmesan, I have made this with and without the cheese and both are totally acceptable.
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 it for the same reason.
Make it Vegan, you can easily make this vegan by omitting the cheese, 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