If winter is for sweaters and scarves and hours spent in the warmth of a kitchen cooking up a storm, summer is des repas en plein air, barefooted, and quick recipes that let you take advantage of good weather. For a chilly spring dinner to help with this seasonal transition, there’s nothing faster than gnocchi pan-fried in brown butter. It’s heavy enough to be filling, but considerably lighter than when laden with tomato sauce. Paired with wilted spinach and peppered with chili flakes and bacon, it’s the tastiest thing we’ve made under 30 minutes.
Browned Butter Gnocchi with Wilted Spinach
Serves two large portions or three small ones
Recipe slightly adapted from Jackie Mill via MyRecipes.com
Ingredients
1 package vacuum-packed gnocchi
2 tablespoons butter
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 (10-ounce) package fresh spinach, torn
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Optional
Chili flakes
Bacon or pancetta
Preparation
Cook gnocchi according to package directions, omitting salt and fat; drain.
Heat butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until the butter browns to a caramel colour. You know the butter is ready when it begins to foam and releases a nutty aroma. Add garlic to pan; cook 1 minute. Add gnocchi and spinach to pan; cook until spinach wilts, stirring constantly. Stir in salt, pepper, chili flakes, and bacon pieces.
Note: If you don’t have a large enough pan to accommodate both the spinach and the gnocchi, you can cook half of the greens with the gnocchi and then serve the rest as a side or mix it in after.
Enjoy!
