This creamy spinach gnocchi recipe is impossible to resist. It's a delicious one-pot meal ready in about 15 minutes, the perfect weeknight dish for the family yet fancy enough for guests.
This creamy spinach gnocchi recipe is like a secret weapon: it’s simple, quick, and cheap enough to cook for the family on busy weeknights but also elegant and sophisticated enough for entertaining.
The tender, pillowy gnocchi are pan-fried (not boiled) and then smothered in a comforting spinach sauce made with garlic and cream.
It’s meatless yet incredibly satisfying without meat, perfect for serving both vegetarian and non-vegetarian guests (provided you sprinkle the dish with vegetarian hard cheese and not with Parmesan, which is not vegetarian). And that’s always great when you don’t want to cook two separate dishes to satisfy both parties.
Looking for more gnocchi recipes? Check out the Creamy Gnocchi Bake Recipe or the Simple Gnocchi Gorgonzola.
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Recipe ingredients and substitutions
- Refrigerated gnocchi: You can find them in the refrigerated pasta section of most grocery stores.
- Alternatively, you can use shelf-stable potato gnocchi. Although I prefer the refrigerated kind (their texture and taste are better), I agree that shelf-stable gnocchi is a great pantry staple and that I often use them.
- Homemade gnocchi would also be a great choice.
- Fresh spinach: I used baby spinach.
- Mature spinach is also great; in this case, remove its stems and chop the leaves roughly.
- Frozen spinach: Thaw, drain, and squeeze it with your hands to remove the excess water before adding it to the pan. If using frozen spinach, the dish will look a bit different, but it will still taste delicious.
- Alternatively, you can use arugula, Swiss chard, or kale.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to cook spinach gnocchi?
- Step #1: Roast the pine nuts until golden and fragrant. Transfer them to a plate.
- Step #2: Pan-fry gnocchi for about 8 minutes, often stirring, until soft, puffed, and slightly crispy on the outside. Remove them from the pan.
- Steps #3: Sauté onion, add garlic
- Step #4: Add the spinach leaves.
- Step #5: Let them wilt for 1-2 minutes.
- Step #6: Add cream and heat the spinach sauce for about 1 minute on medium-low heat.
- Step #6: Carefully stir in the fried gnocchi.
- Step #7: Adjust the taste with salt (½ - ¾ tsp), plenty of ground black pepper, and a few generous grindings of nutmeg.
- Serve immediately, sprinkled with freshly grated Parmesan cheese. You can also sprinkle the gnocchi in a creamy sauce with fresh herbs like parsley, basil, or fresh thyme.
Remember
The pan: Use a large high-sided, heavy-bottomed skillet. The pan will be quite full after adding all the ingredients, and if you use a regular shallow frying pan, you won’t be able to combine the ingredients without spilling some all over the stovetop.
Vegetarian version: Use vegetarian hard cheese instead of Parmesan, made with animal rennet.
Vegan or dairy-free version: Replace butter with a vegan alternative or olive oil and the cream with coconut milk, soy, or oat cream. Leave out the Parmesan. To make the sauce a bit cheesy, add 1-2 tablespoons of nutritional yeast to the cream sauce and stir it well before adding the gnocchi.
Recipe FAQ
Sure, if you don’t have any, you can serve the same creamy spinach sauce with any kind of pasta. The sauce is also great served over rice, polenta, bulgur, or quinoa. All these ingredients must be boiled in a different pot before mixing with the spinach sauce.
Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Reheat: Add a splash of milk to loosen the sauce and reheat gently on the stovetop. Stir often.
Reheat in the microwave: Add a splash of milk and stir well. Reheat for 1 minute and stir again. If not hot enough, reheat for another 30-60 seconds.
Freeze: I don’t recommend freezing this dish; I tried it once, and it was not great. You can still eat it, but you will probably not enjoy it much; the texture of both gnocchi and sauce changes too much.
What to serve with them?
- Serve the creamy spinach gnocchi with a fresh green salad with vinaigrette dressing.
- Roasted vegetables like broccoli, asparagus, green beans, or cauliflower are also a good match.
- Check out What to Serve with Gnocchi? (25 Ideas).
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📖 Recipe
Creamy Spinach Gnocchi Recipe
Equipment
- High-sided heavy-bottomed pan
Ingredients
- 2 lbs potato gnocchi 1 kg, Note 1
- 2 tablespoons pine nuts
- 2 tablespoons butter divided
- 1 small onion finely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 7 - 9 oz fresh baby spinach 200 - 250 g, Note 2
- 1 cup heavy cream 250 ml
- a few gratings of nutmeg
- fine sea salt and ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons Parmesan freshly grated or to taste
Instructions
- Pine nuts: Heat the pan and roast the pine nuts for about 2 minutes until golden and fragrant. Shake the pan often to prevent them from burning. Transfer them to a plate immediately.2 tablespoon pine nuts
- Pan-fry gnocchi: Melt 1 ½ tablespoons of butter in the same pan. Add gnocchi and fry them for about 8 minutes, often stirring, until they are soft, puffed, and slightly crispy on the outside. Remove them from the pan.1 ½ tablespoon butter + 2 lbs (1 kg) gnocchi
- Prepare vegetables: In the meantime, finely chop the onion, mince the garlic cloves, and wash the spinach in a colander.1 small onion, 3 garlic cloves, 7-9 oz (200-250 g) spinach
- Sauté the onion in the remaining butter, add garlic, and stir for about 30 seconds. Add the spinach and let it wilt for 1-2 minutes.½ tablespoon butter
- Add cream, stir to combine, and heat the spinach sauce for about 1 minute. Carefully stir in the fried gnocchi.1 cup (250 ml) heavy cream
- Adjust the taste with salt (½ - ¾ tsp), plenty of ground black pepper, and a few generous grindings of nutmeg.
- Serve immediately, sprinkled with freshly grated Parmesan (to taste).
Notes
- Refrigerated potato gnocchi (refrigerated pasta aisle of the grocery store). Homemade gnocchi are also great. Alternatively, you can use shelf-stable potato gnocchi.
- Spinach: If using mature spinach, remove its stems and roughly chop the leaves.
Frozen spinach: Thaw, drain, and squeeze it with your hands to remove the excess water before adding it to the pan. If using frozen spinach, the dish will look a bit different, but it will still taste delicious.
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