Italian, One Dish, Pasta, Vegetarian

Skillet Gnocchi with Spinach and White Beans

Posted by wyoung on

This is a really good winter recipe taught to me by an old… Italian….website.  Actually, it was a new website…and wasn’t Italian.  But the recipe is good anyway.  Tasty.  Fairly Healthy. The kind of meal my grandpa used to call a “lifesaver”…which means it was both filling and pretty cheap to make.

Gnocchi is basically an old-school Italian dumpling.  It can be made from semolina like other pasta, or wheat, or even potatoes.  You can make them by hand or…if you’re not a crazy person, you can do like me and just buy it…which is fine…because ALL of the versions I’ve ever had were tasty.  You just about can’t go wrong.

Time: 30 Minutes start to finish

Ingredients:

  • 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil, divided
  • 16oz package shelf-stable gnocchi, (see Notes)
  • 1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 6 cups chopped spinach
  • 15-ounce can diced tomatoes with Italian seasonings
  • 15-ounce can white beans, rinsed
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
  • 1/2 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
  • 1/4 cup finely shredded Parmesan cheese

Preparation:

1. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add gnocchi and cook, stirring often, until plumped and starting to brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.

2. Add the remaining 1 teaspoon oil and onion to the pan and cook, stirring, over medium heat, for 2 minutes. Stir in garlic and water. Cover and cook until the onion is soft, 4 to 6 minutes. Add chard (or spinach) and cook, stirring, until starting to wilt, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, beans and pepper and bring to a simmer. Stir in the gnocchi and sprinkle with mozzarella and Parmesan. Cover and cook until the cheese is melted and the sauce is bubbling (roughly 2-3 minutes).

Makes 6 Servings

NUTRITION: 325 Calories per serving; 7 g Fat; 2 g Sat; 3 g Mono; 8 mg Cholesterol; 55 g Carbohydrates; 14 g Protein; 6 g Fiber; 616 mg Sodium; 360 mg Potassium

NOTES: Look for shelf-stable gnocchi near other pasta in the Italian section of most supermarkets. Also you can add some chicken to this recipe and it ups your calories per serving but also your protein.