Creamy Garlic Spinach Gnocchi
Pan-seared gnocchi tossed in a silky garlic cream sauce with wilted spinach and parmesan. A one-pan Italian dinner that comes together in under 20 minutes.
- Total
- 17 min
- Prep 5 · Cook 12
- Serves
- 1
- Difficulty
- Easy
You'll practice: Searing · Blanching
- Savory
- Quick
- Italian
- Creamy
- Stovetop
- Oven
Instructions
-
Bring a medium pot of water to a boil over high heat. Meanwhile, peel and thinly slice the garlic. Grate the parmesan.
~4 min
Salting water raises its boiling point and seasons ingredients as they cook, while grating parmesan increases surface area for even melting.
-
Heat the olive oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the gnocchi in a single layer and sear, stirring occasionally, until golden and crisp on the outside, about 5 minutes.
~5 min
Searing in a single layer creates a golden crust through Maillard browning, which adds flavor and prevents steaming.
Sear the gnocchi undisturbed for the first minute or two so they develop a golden crust before you start stirring; this keeps them from turning gummy.
Searing Sear in a single layer over medium-high heat and don't stir for the first minute or two; this builds a golden crust. Stirring too early steams the gnocchi and makes them gummy.
-
While step 2 cooks
While the gnocchi sears, drop the spinach into the boiling water and blanch for 1 minute until just wilted. Drain well and squeeze out excess water.
~1 min
Blanching sets the spinach's bright green color and wilts it quickly; squeezing removes excess water so the sauce doesn't turn watery.
Blanching Blanch spinach for just 1 minute in boiling water, then drain and squeeze dry. Overcooking turns it mushy and dull green; squeezing removes excess water that would thin the sauce.
-
Push the gnocchi to one side of the skillet. Add the garlic to the empty side and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant, then stir it through the gnocchi.
~1 min
Cooking garlic briefly in the hot pan mellows its raw bite and releases flavor without burning, which would make it bitter.
-
Pour in the 80 ml cream and add the nutmeg, salt and black pepper. Simmer for 2 minutes until the sauce thickens slightly and coats the gnocchi.
~2 min
Simmering gently reduces the cream and helps it thicken so it clings to the gnocchi instead of pooling.
-
Stir in the drained spinach and grated parmesan. Cook for 1 minute until the cheese melts and the sauce is silky. Taste and adjust salt.
~1 min
Adding parmesan off high heat lets it melt smoothly into the sauce, preventing clumping or stringiness.
Add the parmesan off the heat or on low heat so it melts smoothly instead of clumping.