Sautéed Gnocchi with Mushrooms and Spinach

Who wants a plate of pan-fried gnocchi with mushrooms and spinach! As I imagine many hands will go up and I don't have a pan that big, I think the best solution so that no one misses out on their portion of gnocchi is to share the recipe with you. That way, after trying it, you can repeat it as many times as you like and, besides, adapt it to your taste.

Gnocchi are a type of pasta that have the particularity of incorporating boiled potato into the dough preparation, along with flour, egg and salt. Their cooking is very quick and, like other types of pasta, they are very versatile, as they accept a multitude of different accompaniments.

Today's dish, this pan-fried gnocchi with mushrooms and spinach recipe, is a quick, colorful and very tasty solution for any weekday meal. We will count on the quick cooking time of the gnocchi and on a wonderful ally for sautéing, the Mineral B iron frying pan by De Buyer that, with its great heat retention, will leave all the ingredients perfectly cooked in a few minutes so you can have a delicious and very nutritious dish.

Take note of the ingredients and the recipe steps, and enjoy!

Ingredients for 4 people

• 400 g of gnocchi
• 12 Portobello mushrooms (or white mushrooms)
• 12-14 vine cherry tomatoes
• 150 or 200 g of baby spinach
• Parmesan cheese for grating
• A handful of local pine nuts
• 1 tbsp of pimiento choricero paste or 2 tbsp of tomato passata
• A few chervil leaves (or parsley)
• AOVE, salt and black pepper
• A few basil leaves (optional)
• Juice of 1/2 lemon (optional)

Preparation

1. Bring plenty of water to a boil in a pot to cook the gnocchi.
2. When the pot's water boils, add a level tablespoon of salt and add the gnocchi. As they float, remove them with a slotted spoon, draining them, and reserve them in a covered bowl so they don't dry out.
3. While the gnocchi cook, prepare and set aside the rest of the ingredients: clean and thinly slice the mushrooms, halve the cherry tomatoes, and wash and dry the spinach.

 

4. Heat over medium heat the Mineral B iron frying pan by De Buyer, add the pine nuts and toast them lightly. When they begin to change color, remove and set aside.

5. Continue heating the pan and add a little oil. When the pan is hot enough, raise the heat a bit and sauté the mushrooms for a few minutes. They should brown quickly so they don't release water (for this reason, don't add salt yet).

6. When they are browned (seared), remove them from the pan and then sprinkle a pinch of salt on them.

7. Add a little more oil to the pan and, without lowering the heat, add the gnocchi and sauté them for a couple of minutes.

8. Add a tablespoon or two of pimiento choricero sauce or tomato passata (or both, to taste!), and stir to distribute it well.

9. Add the spinach and stir gently, also to distribute it.

 

 

10. Add the cherry tomatoes and stir lightly.

11. Finally, add the mushrooms and also distribute the pine nuts, the chervil leaves and some torn basil leaves.

12. Add salt and black pepper to taste (don't be stingy with spices, you don't want them bland but a cheerful and "salty" recipe)

13. Remove the pan from the heat and grate the parmesan on top with a grater.

13. Serve with a little lemon juice on top, and you'll see how delicious it is!

 

Notes

• This is a recipe that must be made quickly, since all the ingredients are sautéed over medium-high heat for a few minutes. None of them require long cooking, as they would lose texture and flavor.
• It's preferable to use Portobello mushroom, because its texture is firmer and its flavor is fresher and more delicate. But if you prefer, you can use white mushroom.
• If you want more intensity, you can also add some sun-dried tomatoes preserved in oil. Add them when the mushrooms are almost ready and you have set them aside and return them to the pan with the mushrooms.
• The same applies to chervil. Its subtly aniseed aroma fits very well in this recipe. But if you don't like it or can't find it, you can use parsley or omit it.
• You can substitute the parmesan with a creamier cheese. It's an alternative that turns out delicious. You can also add plenty of cheese and gratin in the oven, for a slightly more festive meal but with few complications.
• It's a vegetarian recipe, but if you want to turn it into a main dish for the kids, you can roast some sausages in the same pan after making the mushrooms, set them aside and cut them into 2 cm pieces. Then add them at the end, when adding the mushrooms. You'll see how they devour the plate!