Gnocchi in a Frying Pan – Delightful Weekday Dinner

I can be skeptical about fancy food, viral recipes, and anything that gets “too much” attention. (This is my attention. I need it.) So it was with the sudden splash of dumpling recipes in the pan. “This is wrong,” I said. “Gnocchi should be soft, not crunchy.” But then I tried it – reader, it works very well.

It’s almost offensively simple: You take a pound of dumplings, mix it with butter, vegetables, and herbs, then spread it out on a baking sheet and bake for about half an hour. You can also add sausages there if you are the type of people who eat them. This is a complete meal with minimal preparation and minimal cleaning.

In terms of texture, it’s just a delight. The gnocchi remain soft and soft on the inside, while the thinnest crispy crust forms on the outside. When they are cooked, you can drizzle them with more oil, sprinkle them with small pieces of cheese, or add some marinara (or pesto, or butter sauce). This is a good recipe for cleaning your refrigerator, grocery drawer, and pantry. You don’t have to stick to the exact recipe; anything that takes about half an hour to cook in a 425 degree oven can be thrown into the skillet. I like mine with apple chicken sausages for breakfast because they are sweet, salty and brown, but a good sausage or other smoked sausage will work too. I said that you don’t have to use the recipe, but of course I have one.

To make this miracle in one pan, you will need:

  • 450 g long-term storage gnocchi
  • 1 small onion, cut vertically into 8 pieces
  • 6 sweet minion peppers, seeded and halved (or 2 bell peppers, seeded and cut into 8 segments)
  • 1/2 1 small fennel onion, thinly sliced
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 pound sausage of some kind, chopped into 2-inch chunks if needed
  • About 8 sprigs of fresh thyme

Preheat oven to 425 ℉ and line baking sheet with parchment. Add dumplings and all vegetables to a bowl, drizzle with olive oil and stir. Season with salt, stirring to make sure it is evenly distributed.

Place the gnocchi and vegetables in a skillet lined with parchment, spread the sausages on top and sprinkle with whole thyme sprigs. (Leaves fall off during frying, leaving behind easily torn stems.)

Cook for 20-30 minutes, stirring every 10, until the sausages are brown, the vegetables are soft and slightly charred at the ends, and the gnocchi are soft on the inside and slightly crispy on the outside. Remove the thyme stems and serve immediately with grated cheese , a little pesto, whatever sauce you have, or nothing at all.

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