Roast Gnocchi with Sage Vegetables

Sunday mornings are food TV time in our house. As a family, we usually watch the Food Network after breakfast and veg-out (no pun intended!) on the couch for an hour or two.

Months ago we were watching the Food Network’s talk show, The Kitchen, and co-host Jeff Mauro was making what he called a “cheat sheet” roast gnocchi. I love gnocchi, but I had never thought to roast it in the oven! So I had to try it. The result was a new family favorite.

My daughter doesn’t like potatoes, or so she claims. (Who ever heard of an Irish kid that doesn’t eat potatoes?!) So, the first time I served the roast gnocchi, we didn’t tell her what it was until she cleared her plate and asked for more. At first she didn’t believe us. Once we convinced her that gnocchi is indeed a pasta made from potatoes, she shrugged her shoulders and asked when we were having it again!

During quarantine I made roasted gnocchi quite a few times. It is a great weeknight meal, especially when schedules are busy (the pandemic hasn’t really slowed us down!). With each preparation, I made tweaks until I finally settled on a version that I think is pretty darn delicious. Unlike Jeff Mauro’s version, my recipe utilizes ingredients found at nearly any grocery store or big box chain.

One of the great things about this dish is that it is on the table in short order without a big clean up after. One baking sheet, a cutting board, a knife, a spatula and your serving dishes. Simple!

As I’ve adapted the original recipe and made it my own, one of the biggest changes was to the roasting technique itself. The original version was made on a large commercial baking sheet, which allowed the ingredients to be spread out more (and cook faster). However, I found that using a regular rimmed cookie sheet (and cooking a little longer) actually yielded better flavor. As you can see in the photo, I jam pack the cookie sheet. This allows the pasta and the veggies cook in rendered bacon fat. The gnocchi was a lot more tender (with a tiny bit of crisp) in my version and so delicious that extra butter or sauce wasn’t needed.

Roast gnocchi is a great weeknight meal. However, it is delicious enough that I’d happily serve it to friends when entertaining. Give it a try and let me know what you think in the comments. At our house, there are never left overs when this dish is put on the table.

Roast Gnocchi with Sage Vegetables

Recipe by Kacey Baxter, Oven and SpiceCourse: DinnerCuisine: Italian AmericanDifficulty: Easy

Servings

4

servings

Prep time

10

minutes

Cooking time

30

minutes

Roast Gnocchi with Sage Vegetables is a quick and easy weeknight meal that is flavorful enough for weekend entertaining. Rather than boil the pasta, I oven roast it with fresh vegetables and a generous helping of bacon. This family favorite is so good, you won’t miss sauce. You may also never go back to boiling gnocchi!

Ingredients

• 1 17.5 oz package potato gnocchi

• 6 asparagus spears, cut into 1-inch pieces

• 7 slices thick cut bacon, sliced into small pieces

• 1 large red bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1-inch pieces

• 1 small yellow onion, cut into 1/2-inch pieces 

• 2 tbs unsalted butter

• 6-8 sage leaves, ripped into small pieces

• Salt

• Pepper

• 1/2 cup Parmesan, grated or shredded

• 2 tbs fresh basil or 1 tbs lightly dried basil

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 425F. Line a medium cookie sheet with parchment paper.
• Spread the gnocchi in a single layer on the prepared cookie sheet. Add a layer of bacon over the gnocchi. Then add the vegetables to the baking sheet.
• Sprinkle salt and pepper over everything. Cut the butter into pieces and top the gnocchi mixture with the butter pieces and sage leaves. Place on the middle rack and bake, stirring halfway through, until the bacon is cooked and gnocchi are tender and just starting to brown, 20-30 minutes.
• Transfer everything to a serving bowl. Top with Parmesan and basil. Enjoy!

Notes

• Baking time depends on the size of your baking sheet. I use a standard cooking sheet and find 30 minutes perfect. If you are using a large commercial baking sheet or jelly roll pan with lots of space, 20 minutes should be plenty.
• Fresh asparagus is best. However, since it is only available seasonally, feel free to use thawed frozen asparagus.
• In the photo I used one full size red bell pepper plus a mini orange and a mini yellow bell pepper for color.

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