Creamy Baked Gnocchi

While this dinner from Giada's Everyday Pasta was good, I didn't feel it was great. However, I am so so so so so partial to a nice baked gnocchi with a yummy meat sauce, so perhaps I am a bit biased.


I thought the flavors were very good, and this was very easy to put together. And Ryan did actual eat a decent amount, so that right there says a lot. ;)


Ingredients

• 2 (17 ounce) packages potato gnocchi
• 3 cups heavy cream
• 1 cup reduced sodium chicken broth
• 1/4 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 12 ounces baby spinach
• 3 ounces fresh goat cheese
• 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Place the gnocchi in a lightly greased 9x13x2 inch baking dish. Set aside.
3. In a medium saucepan, whisk together the cream, chicken broth, and flour over medium heat. Continue whisking until the sauce is simmering and thickened, about 5 minutes. Add the salt, pepper and nutmeg and stir to combine. Add the spinach and toss to coat in the cream. Pour the cream and spinach mixture evenly over the gnocchi and gently spread the spinach out to cover.
4. Crumble the goat cheese over the spinach. Sprinkle with the parmesan cheese. Bake until the top is golden in places, about 30 minutes.

Baked Gnocchi Parmesan

About a year ago, Pat and I went out to eat at Leonardo’s with Brooke and Joe. For some reason, I ordered baked Gnocchi Parmesan, which is weird because I rarely order that. It was beyond fabulous... I seriously want to go back to that place just to have that meal again. DELISH!

I've always wanted to attempt my own gnocchi but felt intimidated. Finally, I decided to bite the bullet and prepared to make this version from Cooking Light.



While this was more labor-intensive than I even realized, it was enjoyable to make. I actually had fun rolling out the potatoes and rolling them along my fork. Hee hee! They tasted pretty yummy too. I wish I had made more.

Note to Cooking Light - 10 gnocchi is NOT a serving! That's, like, an appetizer!

Ingredients:
Sauce:

• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
• 1 pound ground turkey
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 5 carrots, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 1/2 cups skim milk
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh or 1 teaspoon dried thyme

Gnocchi:

• 2 1/2 pounds large baking potatoes
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, divided
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 large egg yolks
• 1 gallon water
• handful mozzarella cheese

Preparation
To prepare sauce, heat 1 teaspoon oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add beef; cook 3 minutes. Remove meat from pan, and cool slightly.

Heat pan over medium heat. Add onion, , carrot, and garlic cloves; cook 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add chopped meat, milk, 3/4 teaspoon salt, tomatoes, and bay leaf; bring to a boil.

Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 1 hour. Uncover and cook 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in parsley and thyme; cook 15 minutes or until slightly thick, stirring occasionally. Discard bay leaf.

To prepare the gnocchi, preheat oven to 400°.

Bake potatoes at 400° for 1 1/2 hours or until done; cool slightly. Cut each potato in half lengthwise; scoop out pulp. Discard skins. Mash pulp. Place 4 cups mashed potatoes in a large bowl, reserving remaining mashed potatoes for another use. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Add 1 cup flour, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and egg yolks to 4 cups mashed potatoes, and stir to combine. Knead until smooth (about 2 minutes); add enough of remaining flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, to prevent dough from sticking to hands (dough will feel tacky).

Divide dough into 6 portions. Shape each portion into a 10-inch-long rope. Cut each rope into 10 (1-inch) pieces; roll each piece into a ball. Working with one dough piece at a time (cover remaining dough to prevent drying), using your thumb or index finger, roll dough piece down the tines of a lightly floured fork (gnocchi will have ridges on one side and an indention on the other).

Place gnocchi on a lightly floured baking sheet.

Bring 1 gallon water to a boil in a large stockpot. Add half of gnocchi; cook 3 minutes or until done (gnocchi will rise to the surface). Remove cooked gnocchi with a slotted spoon; place in a colander. Repeat procedure with remaining uncooked gnocchi.

Place in baking dish and cover with sauce and mozzarella. Bake at 350 for about 15-20 minutes.

Sprinkle with cheese.

Yield
6 servings (serving size: 10 gnocchi, 3/4 cup sauce, and 1 tablespoon cheese)

Nutritional Information
CALORIES 475(22% from fat); FAT 11.6g (sat 4.5g,mono 4.3g,poly 1.5g); IRON 6.9mg; CHOLESTEROL 129mg; CALCIUM 271mg; CARBOHYDRATE 67.7g; SODIUM 788mg; PROTEIN 31.4g; FIBER 8.4g
Lorrie Hulston Corvin , Cooking Light, APRIL 2004