You can do all sorts of things with refrigerated gnocchi from the supermarket. In theory, you could make your own gnocchi at home with just a few potatoes and some flour, but who really wants to go to that trouble after work? thesis Quick Gnocchi with Chorizo, Pesto Rosso & Spinach are ready quickly and taste absolutely delicious – whether you use homemade gnocchi or not. It’s a total classic among weeknight dinners.
I have the feeling we’ve gotten a bit lazy around here over the last few years when it comes to cooking dinner. After an eight-hour day (or sometimes longer), neither of us really feels like cooking and working long in the kitchen. But we obviously don’t want to order takeout all the time, so we usually end up just making a simple salad… Or something easy like this gnocchi dish.
Chopping a few onions and cutting the chorizo into small pieces is something you can manage relatively well, even after the toughest day at work. The rest is a piece of cake or »pipifax«, as one might say (if one actually uses that word)… 😛
Seriously though, tossing everything into a large frying pan or Dutch oven one by one and giving it a quick sauté is something you can do even half-asleep. Using partially pre-cooked products in a recipe makes everything so much easier. If I had to boil potatoes and shape them into gnocchi first, this would be a different story here. But this way, it’s really easy.
One thing I especially like about refrigerated gnocchi (and other similar pasta products) is that once you’ve brought home a pack from the supermarket, you don’t have to use it the same day if you are not in the mood. Things can easily go sideways with meat and fresh veggies if you leave them in the fridge for a few days – whereas refrigerated gnocchi or pasta are much more forgiving. Whether that speaks for or against the product (think of preservatives) is a question for another time… but these products are certainly convenient!
Speaking of which, if you don’t have a package of gnocchi lying around in the fridge but do have a pack of Spätzle, Schupfnudeln (aka. German potato noodles), or other types of pasta, you can of course make the dish using those alternatives instead. Schupfnudeln, for example, are basically the same thing as gnocchi, just in a different shape.
Well… and pasta like Spätzle works perfectly in a sauce like this, too. You simply sauté them briefly in some oil or butter and then you toss them into the sauce in the end. Simple as that. If you don’t have any of those in the fridge but have some dry rigatoni or spaghetti in the pantry, you can just cook them while preparing the rest and then serve them with the sauce. Just as good!
As already mentioned – we love making simple weeknight meals. This means we have quite a few options for that on the blog. If you like gnocchi but want to add more veggies to the dish, I’d recommend our One-Pot Summer Veggie Gnocchi. It’s a bit like ratatouille. Very delicious.
Ever had Flammkuchen aka. Alsace tarts flambées? Flammkuchen are a great, simple dinner on their own, but they can also serve as the inspiration for some Tarte Flambée Style Gnocchi. Chunky potato dumplings with bacon and a creamy sauce… Sounds pretty good, doesn’t it?
INGREDIENTS / INGREDIENTS
(4 servigs)
some oil for frying
28 oz. (800g) gnocchi (from the refrigerated section)
1 red onion, diced
9 oz. (250g) chorizo*, diced
5 fl. oz. (150ml) veggie broth
1 tsp. dried oregano*
3.5 oz. (100g) pesto rosso*
9 oz. (250g) heavy cream
1.8 oz. (50g) Parmesan, coarsely grated & divided
3.5 oz. (100g) baby spinach leaves
salt, pepper
0.7oz. (20g) pine nuts, roasted
(4 people)
some oil for frying
800g gnocchi (refrigerated counter)
1 red onion, diced
250g chorizo*, diced
150ml vegetable broth
1 tsp oregano*
100g Pesto Rosso*
250g whipped cream
50g Parmesan, coarsely grated & divided
100g leaf spinach
Salt, pepper
20g pine nuts, roasted
DIRECTIONS / PREPARATION
1. If you don’t have roasted pine nuts at hand, roast them briefly before hand in a dry pan without any fat, then let them cool down.
2. Peel and finely dice the onion. Remove the casings from the chorizo (if necessary) and cut it into small pieces. Sort through the fresh spinach, wash it, and let it drain.
3. Add some oil to a large frying pan and sauté the gnocchi for a few minutes until they have taken on some color here and there – this takes about 6-8 minutes. Remove the gnocchi from the frying pan, set them aside (eg in a bowl), and keep ’em warm.
4. Add a little more oil to the frying pan (a teaspoon should be enough) and heat it up. Add the diced onion and chorizo and Sauté both for a few minutes. The chorizo and onion should take on some color. Depending on the type of chorizo you are using, the sausage will release quite a bit of (red) fat.
5. Deglaze the sausage and onion with the veggie broth and add the dried oregano. Let the liquid reduce slightly, then stir in the pesto rosso and heavy cream and mix until well combined. Add about half of the grated Parmesan as well as the spinach. Stir until the spinach has wilted and lost most of its volume. Add the gnocchi and warm them briefly in the sauce. If the sauce thickens too much, simply add a little water. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
6. Divide the gnocchi among plates or bowls and sprinkle them with some roasted pine nuts and grated Parmesan. Enjoy!
1. If you don’t have roasted pine nuts, you should roast them briefly in a dry pan without fat and then let them cool.
2. Peel the onion and dice finely. Skin the chorizo (if necessary) and then cut into small pieces. Pick out the spinach leaves, wash them and then drain them.
3. Heat some oil in a large pan and then fry the gnocchi for some time until they get a little color here and there – takes about 6-8 minutes. Remove from the pan and set aside in a bowl, for example, to keep warm.
4. Add some more oil to the pan (here a teaspoon is enough) and heat it up. Add the diced onion and chorizo to the pan and fry for a few minutes. The chorizo and onion should both have some color on them – depending on the type of chorizo, the sausage will release some (red) fat.
5. Deglaze the chorizo with the vegetable stock and add the oregano. Let the liquid boil down a little, then add the pesto and whipped cream and mix everything well. Add about half of the grated Parmesan and the spinach leaves and mix in – the spinach should collapse and lose most of its volume. Add the fried gnocchi, mix in and warm up again briefly in the sauce. If the sauce thickens too much, just add a little more water. Season/season to taste with a little salt and pepper if desired.
6. Divide the gnocchi onto plates or bowls and sprinkle with the toasted pine nuts and a little more grated Parmesan.
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Here is a version of the recipe you can print easily.
Description
We love to make this simple and easy weeknight dinner dish: Gnocchi with Chorizo, Pesto Rosso & Spinach. Flavorful and simply delicious! So good!
some oil for frying
28 oz. (800g) gnocchi (from the refrigerated section)
1 red onion, diced
9 oz. (250g) chorizo*, diced
5 fl. oz. (150ml) veggie broth
1 tsp. dried oregano*
3.5 oz. (100g) pesto rosso*
9 oz. (250g) heavy cream
1.8 oz. (50g) Parmesan, coarsely grated & divided
3.5 oz. (100g) baby spinach leaves
salt, pepper
0.7oz. (20g) pine nuts, roasted
1. If you don’t have roasted pine nuts at hand, roast them briefly before hand in a dry pan without any fat, then let them cool down.
2. Peel and finely dice the onion. Remove the casings from the chorizo (if necessary) and cut it into small pieces. Sort through the fresh spinach, wash it, and let it drain.
3. Add some oil to a large frying pan and sauté the gnocchi for a few minutes until they have taken on some color here and there – this takes about 6-8 minutes. Remove the gnocchi from the frying pan, set them aside (eg in a bowl), and keep ’em warm.
4. Add a little more oil to the frying pan (a teaspoon should be enough) and heat it up. Add the diced onion and chorizo and Sauté both for a few minutes. The chorizo and onion should take on some color. Depending on the type of chorizo you are using, the sausage will release quite a bit of (red) fat.
5. Deglaze the sausage and onion with the veggie broth and add the dried oregano. Let the liquid reduce slightly, then stir in the pesto rosso and heavy cream and mix until well combined. Add about half of the grated Parmesan as well as the spinach. Stir until the spinach has wilted and lost most of its volume. Add the gnocchi and warm them briefly in the sauce. If the sauce thickens too much, simply add a little water. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
6. Divide the gnocchi among plates or bowls and sprinkle them with some roasted pine nuts and grated Parmesan. Enjoy!
Notes
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