I love that my favorite Italian pasta, gnocchi, seems to be catching on in the home cooking world! I am finding numerous recipes using gnocchi with different combinations of fresh & delicious ingredients every week. And I am working on trying them all!
Today’s gnocchi-based recipe is inspired by the herbaceous flavors of the popular Greek dish, spanakopita. In this savory dish, spinach and feta headline. Fresh baby spinach is not cooked but instead is gently massaged with some briny feta cheese. The salt in the feta helps to tenderize the leaves while also adding jaunty flavor to the vegetable as the leaves become coated with the creamy, tangy cheese. The generous addition of herbs and lemon bring a bold freshness to the dish that plays well off the saltiness of the feta. The base of potato rich gnocchi anchors this filling and satisfying meal.
Gnocchi with Spinach & Feta
Gnocchi with Spinach & Feta (adapted from cooking.nytimes.com) Total Time Required: 30 minutes, Prep Time: 10 minutes, Cook Time: 20 minutes, Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients:
- 5 ounces baby spinach
- 6 ounces Greek feta, crumbled (about 1 cup)
- 1 lemon, halved
- 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- salt and pepper
- 1 pound shelf-stable potato gnocchi
- 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 2 scallions, thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup pine nuts
- handful of chopped dill
- handful of chopped mint
Directions:
Place the pine nuts in a dry skillet over medium low heat. Toast for 2 – 3 minutes, until the nuts start to brown and they are fragrant. Remove the nuts from the pan and set them aside.
Toast the pine nuts.
Place the spinach into a large bowl. Add half of the feta, juice of 1/2 a lemon, 1 tablespoon of olive oil and a big pinch of salt.
Place the spinach in a large bowl with some feta, olive oil, lemon juice and salt.
Rub the ingredients vigorously into the spinach to tenderize it. Leave it to sit and soften further while the gnocchi cooks.
Rub the cheese, oil, salt & juice into the spinach.
Heat a 12-inch cast-iron or nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the gnocchi to the pan, breaking up any that are stuck together. Cook the gnocchi for 8 to 10 minutes, tossing every 2 minutes, until each one is golden and crispy all over. Turn off the heat and allow them to cool in the pan for 5 minutes.
Toast the gnocchi.
Add the gnocchi to the spinach, along with the red pepper flakes, scallions, dill and mint. Drizzle with about 2 tablespoons of olive oil, add the remaining crumbled feta and pine nuts and toss to combine.
Combine the gnocchi with the spinach, red pepper flakes, scallions, dill, mint, remaining feta, and pine nuts.
Squeeze the remaining lemon juice over top.
Squeeze the rest of the lemon over top.
Serve immediately.
Serve and enjoy!
Italian & Greek Staples combine in this delicious dish! ~Linda
Gnocchi with Spinach & Feta (adapted from cooking.nytimes.com) Total Time Required: 30 minutes, Prep Time: 10 minutes, Cook Time: 20 minutes, Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients:
- 5 ounces baby spinach
- 6 ounces Greek feta, crumbled (about 1 cup)
- 1 lemon, halved
- 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- salt and pepper
- 1 pound shelf-stable potato gnocchi
- 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 2 scallions, thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup pine nuts
- handful of chopped dill
- handful of chopped mint
Directions:
Place the pine nuts in a dry skillet over medium low heat. Toast for 2 – 3 minutes, until the nuts start to brown and they are fragrant. Remove the nuts from the pan and set them aside.
Place the spinach into a large bowl. Add half of the feta, juice of 1/2 a lemon, 1 tablespoon of olive oil and a big pinch of salt. Rub the ingredients vigorously into the spinach to tenderize it. Leave it to sit and soften further while the gnocchi cooks.
Heat a 12-inch cast-iron or nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the gnocchi to the pan, breaking up any that are stuck together. Cook the gnocchi for 8 to 10 minutes, tossing every 2 minutes, until each one is golden and crispy all over. Turn off the heat and allow them to cool in the pan for 5 minutes.
Add the gnocchi to the spinach, along with the red pepper, scallions, dill and mint. Drizzle with about 2 tablespoons of olive oil, add the remaining crumbled feta and pine nuts and toss to combine. Squeeze the remaining lemon juice over top and serve.