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Easy and SO CREAMY Tuscan Gnocchi recipe full of flavor and ready in less than 30 minutes. A quick and simple pasta dish all cooked in just ONE PAN!
THE ultimate comfort food! Even if you don’t particularly like creamy sauces, you will fall in love with this one-pan gnocchi recipe. Quick and easy to make, ready on the table in less than 15 minutes, you will even impress yourself!
What Is “Tuscan” Style?
You have loved those Tuscan flavours on shrimp, scallops, and chicken. NOW it is time to let gnocchi SHINE. Leave people wondering if there is a hidden chef in your kitchen with this for dinner. An easy to make and filling meal!
But Tuscan? I know, this is NOT a traditional recipe from Tuscany. Traditional Tuscan cooking is rustic, focusing on olive oil, beans, and simple meats. In everyday cooking, “Tuscan style” refers to the iconic combination popularized by restaurants like Olive Garden: a base of garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, spinach, and cream. That mix brings those Italian-inspired flavours right to your table in one pan.
What Sets These Tuscan Gnocchi Recipe Apart?
Inspired by classic Italian flavours, this gnocchi recipe feels like you are travelling to Rome in just one bite, all while cooking everything in JUST ONE PAN. Paired with green beans and parmesan, these gnocchis make the perfect meal when you’re craving pasta.
I wanted a dish that delivers restaurant-quality results on busy nights without leaving a sink full of pots and pans. Cooking everything together in a single skillet lets all the flavours meld seamlessly in under 30 minutes. It has become my go-to for quick weeknight dinners and last-minute get-togethers when I need something fast and reliable.
Tuscan Gnocchi Recipe: Key Ingredients
- Sun-Dried Tomatoes: Use the ones packed in oil. They are so much softer than dry-packed ones, and you can use two tablespoons of that jarred oil in the pan to bring extra flavor directly into the gnocchi.
- Heavy Cream: Thickened cream or heavy cream gives you a stable sauce that will not split while cooking. Lower-fat options like milk or light cream tend to curdle when mixed with tomatoes and high heat.
- Parmesan Cheese: Stick to fresh parmesan FROM A BLOCK. Pre-shredded bagged cheese is coated in anti-caking agents that stop it from melting naturally, creating a weird grainy texture.
- Garlic: THIS IS KEY. Aromatics are always a must in my kitchen, and freshly minced cloves are no exception. Jarred garlic is not bad, but it sometimes loses its punch and ends up tasting sweet instead of giving the sharp garlic flavor that we are looking for.
Note: Please see Recipe Card at the bottom for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Additions And Substitutions
You can adapt this gnocchi recipe with whatever you have in your house, or if you want to be a little extra, add your favorite protein.
- Spicy Italian Sausage: One of my favorite protein options. Brown some loose Italian sausage in the pan before cooking the gnocchi. If you only have sausage links, squeeze them out of their casings first.
- Extra Veggies: Bulk up the skillet by tossing in chopped bell peppers, sliced mushrooms, zucchini, or kale. Sauté them alongside the garlic so they soften properly.
- If you love spicy food: A pinch of red pepper flakes or smoked paprika adds a subtle kick to cut through the heavy cream.
How To Make Creamy Tuscan Gnocchi
Making this one-pan gnocchi dish means less cleanup and way more flavor. And the best part is how fast and easy it is to make.
Start by heating a large skillet over medium-high heat. Melt the butter or oil, then cook the chopped shallot and garlic just until fragrant.
Next, toss the uncooked gnocchi directly into the pan. I usually grab a pack from the refrigerated section. Let it sear for a minute to get some color, then stir in the sun-dried tomatoes along with two tablespoons of oil from their jar.
To build the base, pour in the chicken broth, heavy cream, and dried Italian herbs.
- Make sure to scrape up any browned bits stuck to the bottom of the skillet.
- Season with salt and pepper, cover with a lid, and let it simmer on medium heat.
After about 5 minutes, you will have perfectly cooked, pillowy gnocchi. Stir in the fresh baby spinach until it wilts, which beautifully complements the sauce’s flavor.
Take the pan off the heat and stir through the freshly grated parmesan and fresh herbs like basil. Ladle it into a warm bowl, add a final sprinkle of parmesan, and serve immediately.
My Top Tips For Gnocchi
After testing this recipe multiple times, here is what you actually need to know to get the texture right:
- Check the label: Store-bought gnocchi from the refrigerated section usually cooks a bit faster than shelf-stable brands you keep in the pantry. Check the pan at the four-minute mark to make sure they do not turn to mush.
- Using homemade gnocchi: If you are making pasta from scratch using just flour and eggs, those pieces will be extremely delicate. Instead of simmering them in the skillet, boil them separately in salted water and gently fold them in at the very end.
- Storage rules: Keep your leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days. Do not put this dish in the freezer. Cream sauces will split and become very grainy when thawed, ruining the texture.
- Fun variations: You can easily tweak this recipe. Toss in extra vegetables like halved cherry tomatoes right before serving. You can also use this exact sauce base for other meals, like a baked gnocchi mac or to thicken up creamy soups. Adapting this base is one of my favorite things to do for a quick midweek dinner.
What To Serve With Tuscan Gnocchi
I love pairing this dish with a hot loaf of pull-apart garlic bread or a few thick slices of cheesy garlic bread to mop up every last drop of that sauce.
If you are trying to cut down on carbs, you can skip the pasta entirely and spoon this rich Tuscan sauce over a simple bowl of cauliflower rice instead (just leave out the soy sauce and Asian seasonings when prepping the rice).
Recipe FAQ’s
To make this dish dairy-free, use olive oil instead of butter and swap the cream for coconut cream. Toss the Parmesan cheese and top the gnocchi with nutritional yeast for that cheesy flavor.
I wouldn’t recommend using fresh gnocchi. Dry gnocchi cooks wonderfully in the sauce and soaks up all those delicious flavors. If you still want to use fresh gnocchi, add it in towards the end and don’t let it cook for too long.
You can substitute heavy cream with half and half or a mixture of milk and cream. The sauce may be slightly less rich, but it will still be delicious.
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Creamy Buttery Tuscan Gnocchi Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter or olive oil
- 1 brown shallot chopped or 1 small onion
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 pound uncooked potato gnocchi the dry packaged gnocchi – not fresh
- 1/2 cup sun dried tomato strips in oil jarred, reserve 2 tablespoons of the jarred oil for cooking
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 1 1/4 cups heavy cream thickened cream or half andf half
- 1 teaspoon dried Italian herbs
- 1 pinch salt to taste
- 1 pinch pepper to taste
- 1 1/2 cups fresh baby spinach
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese fresh grated
- 2 tablespoons fresh chopped basil or parsley
- 2 Tablespoons oil from the sun-dried tomatoes jar
Instructions
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Melt the butter and sauté shallots until transparent, about 2 minutes. Sauté garlic until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Add the gnocchi and let sear in the butter for a minute. Add the sun dried tomatoes and reserved oil. Cook for a further minute to release flavours into the gnocchi.
- Pour in the chicken broth, cream and Italian herbs. Scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste. Mix everything together and reduce heat to medium. Cover pan with lid and let cook for 5 minutes.
- Stir in the spinach leaves and cook until wilted, about 1 minute.
- Stir through parmesan cheese and chopped basil. Let simmer for a further minute or until gnocchi is soft, cooked through and the sauce has thickened to your liking.
- Season with a little extra salt & pepper, if needed, to suit your taste.
- Serve immediately.*
Notes
- Add uncooked dry gnocchi as it cooks right in the sauce! The starch released from the gnocchi thickens the sauce perfectly while cooking.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Absolutely delicious! Next time I am going to make a double batch because my family gobbled it up so quickly and all wanted more!
Delicious! We made a few adjustments. First, we made it dairy-free using full fat coconut milk instead of cream. Before starting, we toasted pine nuts in the skillet, then cooked 3 slices of pancetta in the skillet until crisp, crumbling when cooled. Then we followed the recipe, adding the pancetta and toasted pine nuts before serving.