Gnocchi with Kale & Sun-Dried Tomatoes – ONE PAN!

At a glance

What stands out: One pan gnocchi with kale, sun-dried tomatoes, and mushrooms is a truly rich vegetarian entree or filling side dish.

How long it takes: 30 minutes
Equipment you’ll need: large straight-sided skillet or Dutch oven
Servings: 6

Skillet Vegetarian Gnocchi

Lots of big flavor! Soft and pillowy gnocchi, with meaty sautéed mushrooms and buttery kale, flecked with sun-dried tomatoes and red pepper flakes, embraced by a light Parmesan cheese sauce — this is a truly flavorful and satisfying pasta dish.

Straightforward one pan meal. Don’t you just love one pan pasta recipes? We sure do! This skillet gnocchi is made in one big skillet, and it’s quickly becoming one of our favorites. (Be sure to check out our list of one pot pasta recipes for more of our favorites.)

Filling, tasty, and speedy! It doesn’t get much better than that! Plus, this recipe is packed with good-for-you veggies, too. Shelf-stable gnocchi cooks up in just a couple of minutes, making it a convenient choice for dinner.

Looking for more dinner ideas? Take a look at our list of 30 Minute Meals.

Tonda Said:

“we just made this dish for church fellowship dinner….it may not make it to the church! This is an memorable flavor-packed dish!”

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About Gnocchi

What is gnocchi? Although we're calling this a pasta dish, gnocchi is not a true pasta. It’s more of a dumpling and instead of semolina flour, it’s made with potatoes. The word may be from the Italian word, nocca, which means “knuckle”. Gnocchi look like little dumplings, or pillows, usually with fork indentations to help hold the sauce.

Although you can buy frozen gnocchi, for this recipe we recommend either shelf-stable gnocchi (look for it near the boxed pastas) or refrigerated gnocchi.

How To Pronounce "Gnocchi"

This can be a tricky word to pronounce. Here’s how to say it: N-YOW-kee (check out this YouTube video to hear it). Like the word “lasagna”, don’t pronounce the G, the O sound is long (think row, or mow, not plow or cow). The CCHI sounds like “key.” Practice a few times until you sound like a true Italian!

How it comes together

Sauté and simmer. Begin with a speedy sauté of mushrooms, garlic and chopped kale. Add broth, and the gnocchi. Let that simmer a bit, and then finish it up with sun-dried tomatoes and Parmesan cheese.

Season. Sprinkle on a few red pepper flakes, and season with salt and pepper. Ready in 30 minutes or so, all in one pan. You’ll find yourself turning to this recipe often!

Serve. While gnocchi with kale and mushrooms can be served as a meatless main dish, you could serve it as a side with grilled chicken. Try this Italian chicken marinade for grilled chicken.

Enjoy, or as they say in Italy, Buon Appetito!

Serving Ideas

Serve one pan gnocchi with a warm loaf of bakery bread and Italian olive oil dipping sauce. A crisp green salad with from-scratch ranch dressing or a Caesar salad with from-scratch Caesar dressing and Caesar croutons goes great with it, too.

Ways to change it

• Add protein. It’s straightforward to stir in cooked chicken, shrimp, Italian sausage, or white beans.
• Substitute greens. Spinach, Swiss chard, beet greens or arugula are good substitutes for baby kale.
• Use fresh tomatoes. Substitutecherry or grape tomatoesfor the sun-dried tomatoes.
• Enhance with lemon. Add a squeeze of fresh lemon juice to the sauce. Start with the juice and zest of one lemon.
• Craving something creamy instead? Try our creamy one pan gnocchi with sausage and zucchini or straightforward pesto gnocchi, another one pan meal.

Keeping leftovers

Store leftovers in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat gently on the stove or in the microwave. If mixture appears dry, add a splash of broth or water.

Free Meal Plan

Interested in a weekly meal plan that includes this recipe? Take a look at Meal Plan #51 or Meal Plan #96. You’ll find a wholesome recipe for each weekday plus a categorized grocery list. Let us do the planning for you this week!

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• Yield: 6
• Prep: 10 minutes
• Cook: 20 minutes
• Total: 30 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 cups sliced mushrooms (white, button, or baby bella mushrooms)
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 5 cups loosely packed kale leaves, chopped
• 1 ½ cups chicken or vegetable broth
• 6 cups shelf-stable gnocchi (about 2 one pound packages)
• ¾ cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes (7 ounce jar or 3.5 ounce package)
• 1 cup grated Parmesan or Romano cheese, more for garnishing
• ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes, more or less to taste
• Salt and pepper to taste

Method

1. Prepare tomatoes. If you have oil-packed sundried tomatoes, drain the oil and pat the excess oil off with paper towels. Chop finely. If using sun-dried tomatoes that are not packed in oil, soften the tomatoes by soaking them in very hot water for 10 minutes. Drain well, and chop.
2. Heat oil in large skillet at medium heat. Add minced garlic and sauté for 1 minute. Add mushrooms and sauté for 4 to 5 minutes more.
3. Add butter to skillet and allow to melt. Add chopped kale and sauté for 1 to 2 minutes, until bright green and just starting to wilt. Pour in broth.
4. Add the gnocchi, stir once, and cover. Let cook for 7 to 8 minutes, until gnocchi is soft, stirring occasionally but keeping covered as much as possible.
5. Remove cover, reduce heat, and add sundried tomatoes, cheese, and red pepper flakes. Simmer, stirring occasionally, and allow any remaining liquid to cook down a bit. Season with salt and pepper.
6. Garnish with additional cheese, if desired. Serve warm.

Notes

Recipe variations: If you prefer, use fresh cherry or grape tomatoes instead of sun-dried tomatoes. Instead of kale, substitute spinach or another green. Fast-cooking greens, like baby spinach, can be stirred in with the tomatoes because they won’t take as long to cook as kale does.

Add protein: Add cooked chicken, sausage, shrimp, or white beans if you like.

Storage: Store leftovers in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat gently on the stove or in the microwave. If mixture appears dry, add a splash of broth or water.