Creamy Gnocchi with Spinach and Sun-Dried Tomatoes
Pan-seared gnocchi in a silky garlic cream sauce with wilted spinach and sweet sun-dried tomatoes. A one-pan Italian dinner that tastes rich but comes together in under half an hour.
- Total
- 26 min
- Prep 8 · Cook 18
- Serves
- 1
- Difficulty
- Easy
You'll practice: Searing · Simmering
- Savory
- Standard
- Italian
- Creamy
- Stovetop
- One pan
Instructions
-
Bring a kettle of water to a boil. Grate the parmesan. Peel and thinly slice the garlic. Slice the sun-dried tomatoes into thin strips.
~5 min
-
Heat the olive oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the gnocchi in a single layer and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden and crisp in spots, about 6 minutes.
~6 min
Searing gnocchi in a single layer creates a golden crust through Maillard browning, adding crisp texture and nutty flavor.
Searing the gnocchi straight from the package gives a crisp golden crust; boiling them first makes them soft and they will not brown the same way.
Searing Use medium-high heat and a single layer; avoid stirring too often so a golden crust forms. The cue is crisp spots and easy release from the pan.
-
Push the gnocchi to one side of the skillet. Add the garlic and sun-dried tomatoes to the clear side and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
~1 min
Briefly cooking garlic and sun-dried tomatoes in the hot pan blooms their flavors and softens the garlic without burning.
-
Pour in the 100 ml cream and 60 ml water. Stir everything together, scraping up the browned bits, and simmer until the sauce thickens enough to coat the gnocchi, about 3 minutes.
~3 min
Simmering reduces the cream and water, thickening the sauce so it clings to the gnocchi instead of pooling.
Simmering Keep the sauce at a gentle bubble, not a rolling boil, and stir occasionally. It is ready when it coats the back of a spoon or the gnocchi.
-
Add the spinach in handfuls, stirring until wilted, about 2 minutes. Stir in the parmesan, salt and black pepper until the sauce is smooth and glossy.
~2 min
Adding spinach in handfuls lets it wilt evenly without steaming; stirring in parmesan emulsifies the sauce for a glossy finish.
-
Taste and adjust the salt and black pepper. Serve straight from the skillet.
~1 min