Broccoli, Pea and Spinach Gnocchi Bake

An easy veggie dish that came straight out my veg bag and the freezer.

Broccoli, Pea and Spinach Gnocchi Bake
(Serves 4)

800g gnocchi
1 head broccoli, cut into florets and stalk chopped
100g frozen peas
2 large handfuls spinach
3 garlic cloves, crushed
bunch mint, chopped
300g crème fraîche
salt and pepper
Parmesan cheese, grated

Preheat the oven to 200C. Grease the inside of a 2-litre ovenproof dish.

Bring a large pan of water to the boil. Add the gnocchi, broccoli and peas. Bring the water back to the boil and simmer for 3 mins, until the gnocchi are bobbing on the surface. Drain straightaway.

Return the gnocchi and peas to the saucepan and stir through the spinach, crushed garlic and mint. Add the crème fraîche. Mix until all the ingredients are evenly distributed and then season well with salt and pepper.

Transfer the contents of the pan to the greased dish, level the surface, scatter with parmesan and cook, covered, in the preheated oven for 20-25 mins, until the gnocchi have puffed a little. Serve straight from the oven.

Fennel and Tomato Gnocchi Bake

This handily used up a leftover half bulb of fennel and some of the huge amount of tomatoes I have from my garden! The original recipe uses pasta but I swapped it for gnocchi and it was yum!

Fennel and Tomato Gnocchi Bake (adapted from The Guardian)

(Serves 4)

300g gnocchi
2 tbsp oil
1 fennel bulb, sliced
200g cheddar, grated
100ml half-fat creme fraiche
1 tbsp dijon mustard
335g cherry tomatoes, halved
salt and pepper

For the breadcrumb topping
2 tbsp olive oil
100g white breadcrumbs
zest 1 lemon

First make the breadcrumbs. Put the oil in a small pan over a medium heat. Fry the breadcrumbs until golden. Add the lemon zest, some salt and fry for a min more. Remove from the heat.

Bring a pan of water to the boil, add the gnocchi and cook for 2 mins less than the time on the packet. Drain, reserving some cooking water.

Preheat the oven to 180C.

Put the oil in a saucepan large enough to hold the cooked pasta. Fry the fennel over a medium heat until soft and starting to brown. Add the creme fraiche and reduce the heat. When the creme fraiche is warm, add the grated cheese, leave to melt, and stir to combine. Add the mustard and the tomatoes and stir again. Add the cooked pasta along with a splash or two of its cooking water (you want it pretty saucy) and mix until combined. Season to taste.

Spoon into a roasting dish and top with the lemony breadcrumbs. Bake in the oven for 15-20 mins. Serve.

Squash Gnocchi with Creamy Mushrooms

I made a whole pile of squash gnocchi a little while ago and froze them. Now I'm starting to use them in dishes. I have never tried fried gnocchi before, but it totally works, these were absolutely delicious. The sauce didn't go creamy but it was a passable sauce and the mushrooms an squash mad a lovely combination. You could, of course, use normal gnocchi.

Squash Gnocchi with Creamy Mushrooms
(Serves 2)

25–30 gnocchi
120gr mushrooms, roughly chopped
1/2 onion, sliced
1 tsp paprika
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
4 tbsp Greek yogurt
4 tsp oil

Bring a pan of water to the boil, add the gnocchi and cook until they all float, about 1–2 mins. Drain.

Heat 2 tsp oil in a medium frying pan over a medium-low heat. Add the gnocchi and sauté until light brown, stirring occasionally, 12–15 mins.

Heat the remaining 2 tsp oil in a medium frying pan. Add the onion, mushrooms and paprika and sauté until mushrooms start to brown. Add the mustard and stir to combine.

Remove from heat and stir in yogurt. Arrange gnocchi on small plates. Spoon over the sauce and serve.

Squash Gnocchi, Sausage and Kale Bake

I have a lot of squash leftover sitting in my shed from the Pick Your Own back in October. So I'm now endeavouring to do things with it, the first thing I thought of was gnocchi, so I made a huge batch of the dough, most of which I froze but the rest of which I used to make this lovely bake. It was very tasty.

Squash Gnocchi, Sausage and Kale Bake
(Serves 4)

250g gnocchi or squash gnocchi
6 sausages, sliced
1 bunch kale, tough stems removed and leaves chopped
2 tbsp butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp plain flour
250ml milk
2 tbsp pesto
100g mozzarella, grated
salt and pepper, to taste
25g parmesan cheese, grated

Preheat the oven to 180C. Grease an ovenproof dish.

Bring a large pot of water to boil. Cook gnocchi according to package instructions. Drain and set aside.

In a large frying pan, cook the sausages over a medium-high heat for 8-10 mins or until thoroughly cooked, stirring frequently; set aside. Place the frying pan back on the heat and cook the kale for 5 mins, or until wilted a little. Put the sausage back into the frying pan.

In a saucepan over a medium heat, melt the butter. Stir in the garlic and cook until lightly golden, about 1 min. Whisk in flour until mixture thickens. Add the milk gradually and whisk until the sauce thickens. Stir in the pesto and 50g of the cheese. Stir until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.

Add the gnocchi, sausage, and kale to the cheese sauce and stir to combine, pour into the ovenproof dish. Sprinkle with the remaining mozzarella and parmesan. Cover with foil and bake for 25 mins. Remove the foil and bake for an 5 mins longer, or until the cheese is golden and melted. Serve with a green salad

Gnocchi and Courgette Bake

Ah courgettes! I don't actually have as many this year as I have in some years although having said that I've picked six over the last week, so they're starting to come again. I've had this recipe in mind for a little while and I finally made it. I didn't squeeze the water out of the courgette but I suggest you do as mine ended up a little watery.

Gnocchi and Courgette Bakes (from WeightWatchers Cooking For Two)
(Serves 2)
(11 WW ProPoints per serving)

cooking spray
1 courgette, grated
200g fresh gnocchi
75g baby plum tomatoes, halved
2 tbsp pesto
6-8 fresh basil leaves, torn into shreds
2 eggs
100g low fat soft cheese
pepper
20g Parmesan cheese, finely grated

Preheat the oven to 190C. Spray a shallow ovenproof dish with the cooking spray.

Grate the courgette into a tea towel and then squeeze out as much of the water as possible.

Bring a pan of water to the boil, add the gnocchi and cook according to packet instructions. Drain well, return to the saucepan and add the tomatoes, courgette, pesto and torn basil leaves, stirring gently to combine. Pour the mixture into the ovenproof dish.

Beat the eggs together with the soft cheese. Season with pepper and pour into the dish. Sprinkle with the parmesan.

Transfer to the oven and bake for 25-30 mins until set and golden brown. Serve with a green salad.

Chicken and Bacon Ranch Gnocchi Casserole

This was a lovely and very cheesy dish. I definitely need to experiment more with making my own gnocchi, which I'm sure are much better than the packet stuff. I added a handful of spinach in to the dish as it needed using, and this was a lovely addition.

Chicken and Bacon Ranch Gnocchi Casserole (from What's Cooking Love?)
(Serves 6-8)

450g gnocchi
3 chicken breasts, cooked and cubed
6 rashers bacon, cooked and sliced
120ml ranch dressing
370ml milk
200g grated cheddar cheese
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tbsp chives, chopped

Preheat the oven to 200C.

Meanwhile cook the gnocchi according to the packet instructions.

Heat up the ranch dressing, milk, and 100g of the cheese in a saucepan over medium heat until the cheese melts and the mixture becomes creamy.

In a large bowl combine the cooked gnocchi, cheese sauce, chicken, bacon, garlic powder, and chives. Then spoon the mixture into a greased baking dish. Top with the remaining cheddar cheese.

Bake for 20 mins or until the cheese is melted. Serve immediately. 

Daring Cooks September 2013: Courgette Ricotta Gnocchi

Todd, who is The Daring Kitchen’s AWESOME webmaster and an amazing cook, is our September Daring Cooks’ host! Todd challenged us to make light and fluffy potato Gnocchi and encouraged us to flavor the lil pillows of goodness and go wild with a sauce to top them with!

So apparently I can't read! One of the mandatory items was using potato, except I missed that bit and because I had so many courgettes growing in the garden I used them instead. I haven't made gnocchi since I went on a pasta making course 3 or 4 years ago and I'm really pleased that this challenge got me making it again. My Mum made the monkfish in a creamy sauce and I'm not sure what went into it but it was delicious!

The gnocchi were also really yummy and the recipe yielded far more than expected so I have lots of leftovers in my freezer. So much so that I had them again with cherry tomato sauce.

Courgette Ricotta Gnocchi (adapted from Closet Cooking)
(Serves 4-6)

1 large courgette, grated

1 tbsp salt

handful loosely packed basil, sliced

zest 1/2 lemon

250g ricotta

2 egg yolks

30g parmesan, grated

1/4 teaspoon pepper

125g 00 flour

Mix the courgette and salt and let it drain in a colander for 20 minutes. Place in tea towel and squeeze out as much liquid as possible.

Mix the courgette, basil, lemon, ricotta, egg, cheese and pepper and then mix in enough flour to form a dough that is not too sticky to work with.

Divide the dough, roll into 1 inch thick strings, slice into 1 inch pieces and roll over gnocchi board or fork using enough flour so that the dough does not stick to everything.

Cook the gnocchi in boiling water until it floats, remove and enjoy in your favourite sauce.

Cauliflower, Swiss Chard and Gnocchi Bake

I've been trying to grown Swiss chard in my garden for the first couple of years and it just doesn't work. The leaves grow a bit and then they turn brown and crispy no matter how much I water them. It's really irritating. So when I saw a huge bunch in my local Turkish supermarket I wanted to try it. This bake seemed the perfect option, disguising the boring cauliflower with a lovely leafy green vegetable! What could be better?

This was really good, lovely and cheesey. I made a mistake though, I actually cooked the chard before putting it in the dish to bake and I forgot to squeeze all the water out so mine came out a little watery. I really don't think you need bother cooking the chard before, maybe the thick stalky bits but not the leaves.

Cauliflower, Swiss Chard and Gnocchi Bake (adapted from www.weightwatchersfoods.co.uk)
(Serves 4)
(9 WW ProPoints per serving)

275g cauliflower florets
500g gnocchi
125g baby plum tomatoes, halved
75g Swiss chard, cooked, squeezed and chopped
30g low fat spread
30g plain flour
450ml skimmed milk
100g mature cheddar
1 tsp wholegrain mustard
salt and freshly ground black pepper to season

Preheat the oven to 180C.

Boil the cauliflower for 5 minutes, then drain and arrange in a 1½ litre ovenproof dish with the gnocchi, the tomatoes and the chard. Set aside.

Melt the low fat spread in a pan. Whisk in the plain flour, cook, whisking, for 2 minutes, then whisk in the skimmed milk. Gently simmer, whisking constantly, for 15 minutes or until it thickens.

Stir in the cheese and mustard and season. Spoon over the cauliflower.

Bake for 25-30 minutes. Serve with a green salad.

Baked Gnocchi with Mushrooms and Spinach

This is a delicious and easy dish to make and it makes a fantastic lunchtime time treat. It makes you feel naughty with the cream and the yummy gnocchi but it actually pretty healthy!

Baked Gnocchi with Spinach and Mushrooms (from WeightWatchers Magazine September 2012)
(Serves 2)
(10 WW ProPoints per serving)

cooking spray
200g chestnut mushrooms, sliced
1 garlic clove, chopped finely
260g spinach
1/2 small carton single cream
10 small sage leaves
20g Parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 200C. Heat a frying pan and spray with cooking spray. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring for 5 mins or until coloured and softened. Add the garlic and cook for 1 min more, then add the spinach handful by handful, stirring until it wilts down and any liquid has evaporated (this takes about 5 mins).

Meanwhile, cook the gnocchi according to the instructions on the packet.

Turn off the heat, stir in the gnocchi and season well, then divide between two wide shallow gratin dishes. Add the cream, sage leaves and then the Parmesan and bake for 12-15 mins or until golden and bubbling.