This deliciously Creamy Tuscan Gnocchi will become your new favourite pasta dish. Soft, tender pillows of gnocchi enveloped in a full-flavoured cream sauce with sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, spinach, parmesan and fresh basil. All cooked in one pan!
THE ultimate comfort food! Even if you don’t particularly like creamy sauces, you will fall head-over-heels for this one pan gnocchi recipe. Quick and easy to make, ready on the table in less than 15 minutes, you will struggle to believe it wasn’t cooked by a Tuscan chef!
GNOCCHI RECIPE
You loved the flavours in our Garlic Butter Tuscan Shrimp, Creamy Garlic Tuscan Salmon and our Creamy Tuscan Chicken, NOW it’s time to shine a light on our silky, smooth Tuscan Gnocchi. So damn good, your guests will think you have a professional chef hidden away in your kitchen.
Not only is this recipe full of Tuscan flavours, but it’s also remarkably easy. Now, before you tell me this is not a traditional Tuscan dish – don’t worry, I’m aware! It is however, very popular in Olive Garden, so Potato – Potartoe right?
HOW TO COOK GNOCCHI
Speaking of potatoes, this recipe requires zero hard labour; that means no mincing potatoes for fresh gnocchi. Instead, we opted for uncooked dry gnocchi which can be found in your supermarket.
You’re going to:
FRY your gnocchi in garlic butter first. Fresh or homemade gnocchi will not work and may turn to mush in the sauce.
ADD the sun dried tomatoes and let them release their flavours.
POUR in the chicken broth, cream and herbs. Scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan – browned bits equal flavour!
MIX everything together, reduce heat to medium and cover pan with lid.
COOK for 5 minutes. The starch released from the gnocchi thickens the sauce while cooking.
WILT the spinach leaves in the sauce. Stir through parmesan.
SIMMER until gnocchi is soft and the sauce has thickened.
Serve immediately.
The sauce thickens as it cools. If not serving immediately, add extra cream or chicken broth just before serving to thin it out a little
WINE SELECTION
I chose a white wine to pair with this. A light Chardonnay or Pinot Gris pairs really well. For a sweeter wine, choose a Riesling or a Sparkling Moscato.
SOME TIPS:
- Remember to use dry gnocchi and add it uncooked!
- Heavy cream, thickened cream or half and half work well in this recipe. Half and half is an American product, made from equal parts light cream and milk. Feel free to use half light cream and half 2% milk (or full fat if not worried about calories), in place of half and half. Alternatively, use all light cream if you wish.
- I use sun dried tomato strips in oil. When draining them, reserve about 2 teaspoons of the jarred oil for added flavour when cooking.
MORE RELATED RECIPES
Slow Cooker Gnocchi Sausage Kale Soup
Creamy Tuscan Chicken (Low Carb)
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
- ½ cup sun dried tomato strips in oil jarred, reserve 2 teaspoons of the jarred oil for cooking
- ½ cup chicken broth
- 1 ¼ 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 ½ cups fresh baby spinach
- ½ cup parmesan cheese fresh grated
- 2 tablespoons fresh chopped basil or parsley
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.
Cryssi says
Is this possible to be done in a crockpot?
Kelly K Hale says
This is THE dish my husband asks for on the regular! Last night I tossed in some diced bacon and his comment was, “this is my number 1 favorite dish you make”! Pretty great feedback. Thanks for making me look so good.
Jay says
Delicious and so easy!
Kristin says
Fantastic! So simple and so good! Even my mother, who doesn’t really like gnocchi, loved it and had 2nds! I wanted to serve it with a meat, so I grilled up some Afresco Sun dried tomato chicken sausages and sliced them up and served on top of the gnocchi with extra parmesan to garnish. Everyone flipped for this meal and i already have requests for the recipe!
Rebecca Davis says
I don’t often leave a comment on recipes but this was delicious. I had to make some substitutions as I’m living abroad but it was so good. I used fresh gnocchi and just added it later. I’d never cooked it in the sauce before but it turned out fine, I never would have known the difference.
Chris says
We had this tonight and it was delicious. We followed the recipe as described and it turned out perfectly.
Talia says
I cook ALOT and this is easily one of the best things I have ever made. SO FREAKING GOOD! The fact it’s really simple to make also makes it amazing! Restaurant quality!
Jill says
This recipe was OFF THE HOOK. I made gnocchi from scratch and used that. THE BOMB. So delicious, my BF said, “We don’t need to go to a restaurant with food like this.” I agree. Thank you!
Nicole says
So fast and so easy that I made it as my after 8pm dinner because I was working late. This was sooooo goood!!! I’m cooking for my boyfriends parents for the first time soon (his mom is an amazing cook) and this’ll be my choice of dinner! I could cry how yummy this is!!!
Christi Scott says
What a wonderful dish! I added crushed red peppers, chicken and prosciutto to mine and doubled the recipe, I also served it with garlic knots. My hubby is still talking about that meal 3 days later! My son is a chef and I took him a bit to try and he couldn’t stop raving about it. Thank you so much for sharing your delicious recipe!!