Soft, plump potato gnocchi is an easy and comforting meal. This easy dinner will come together in only 20 minutes if you already have some ready gnocchi in the pantry or the freezer. There are only 5 ingredients in this buttery, cheesy, heartwarming dish. Boiled gnocchi is sauteed in butter with garlic, thyme, and freshly grated Parmesan cheese until golden.
You can use this recipe either with Homemade Gnocchi or pre-packed ones from the store. Either way, this is a simple dish that you will love.
EASY GNOCCHI RECIPE
If I had to choose between gnocchi and regular pasta, I think you know what my choice would be. It would be gnocchi, hands down. They taste like soft little pillows of fluffy pasta and they soak up all the wonderful flavors around them.
Gnocchi is very versatile and go well with tomato based sauces, cream based sauces, pesto, or simply sauteed in butter with herbs and cheese. As far as the cooking method, gnocchi stands up to baking, boiling, and boiling/saute methods.
My favorite way to make gnocchi is to cook it in boiling water first, of course, and then toss it onto a hot skillet to give it a nice sear. At this point, a variety of ingredients can go in the pan to give the dish a lot of flavor. I always stick to the basics first like butter, garlic, herbs, and Parmesan cheese. After those, I can make it spicy with some red pepper flakes, or add some sun-dried tomatoes and basil, or go with aromatic lemon zest and rosemary.
Sky is the limit on flavor variations but, as my husband always remind me, “make it crispy, please.”
WHAT IS GNOCCHI?
In case you’ve never had gnocchi before, I’ll tell you about it and hope that the photos and description will be enough to encourage you to try it right away.
Gnocchi is one of my favorite classic Italian dishes. It’s basically a tiny Italian dumpling. The texture is so soft and light and it has a delicate flavor that is rich and filling at the same time. It’s made with potatoes, egg, flour, and some salt and pepper for flavor.
You can easily make a large batch of homemade gnocchi and freeze it in portions for later. Having some homemade gnocchi in the freezer can be a life-saver on a busy weeknight when you’re just too tired.
Store-bought gnocchi is another way to go because you don’t have to spend a couple of hours making it on the weekend. Simply keep a couple of packs in the pantry for those busy days. Although, store-bought gnocchi is usually more dense than homemade so not as fluffy.
HOW TO MAKE EASY GNOCCHI WITH BUTTER GARLIC AND PARMESAN
First thing to do, is get the ingredients ready. This is a fast recipe so you want to cut, mince, and measure everything ahead of time.
Bring a large pot of salted water to boil, stir the water with a wooden spoon, and add gnocchi. Let gnocchi boil until they all float at the top and give it another minute. Pour water and gnocchi through a fine strainer and let excess water drain off.
When gnocchi is almost done boiling, preheat a saute pan over medium-high heat. Melt butter and start to saute garlic. When garlic starts to golden, add thyme and saute just a couple of seconds until fragrant. Carefully add gnocchi, season with some salt, and toss to mix. Sear, stirring once in a while, until sides of gnocchi get golden. (If you like it crispier, sear it a little longer until browned.)
Grate Parmesan cheese on top, stir, and serve.
CAN I REHEAT GNOCCHI?
Yes you can! Since this gnocchi is seared in butter, it won’t stick together. So you can toss is back into a preheated pan and reheat it over medium heat. You can also use a microwave but gnocchi tends to get a little more chewy after the microwave.
MORE GNOCCHI RECIPES TO TRY:
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Easy Gnocchi with Butter Garlic and Parmesan
Ingredients
- 16 oz gnocchi
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter
- 3 large cloves of garlic smashed and minced
- 2 tsp fresh thyme
- 2 oz freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Prepare your ingredients first: smash and mince garlic, take thyme leaves off sprigs, cut butter, and open package of Parmesan cheese if needed.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to boil, stir the water with a wooden spoon, and add gnocchi while water is swirling. (This will help keep gnocchi from sticking.)
- Let gnocchi boil until they all float at the top and give it another minute. Pour water and gnocchi through a fine strainer and let excess water drain off.
- When gnocchi is almost done boiling, preheat a saute pan over medium-high heat.
- Melt butter and start to saute garlic. When garlic starts to golden, add thyme and saute just a couple of seconds until fragrant.
- Carefully add gnocchi, season with some salt, and toss everything to mix. Sear, stirring once in a while, until sides of gnocchi get golden. (If you like it crispier, sear it a little longer until browned.)
- Grate Parmesan cheese over the top, stir, and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
Gnocchi says
I used gluten free potato gnocchi. Sautéed garlic in olive oil and added the butter after everything was done. Went great with chicken tenders. Thank you!
LyubaB says
So glad you liked it!
Beverly says
I just made this but I didn’t have any thyme. I added fresh basil, onion, roasted red peppers and sun dried tomatoes. Love this and so easy and quick to make.
LyubaB says
I am so glad you liked it, Beverly!
Jocelyn says
“Amazing!” is what my daughter had to say about this dish. It is truly delicious and so easy to make. Thank you!
Sarah says
I made this last night for dinner. I added in some onion and dill as that’s what my boyfriend and I like in our gnocchi. It was the best gnocchi I’ve ever made. I’ll definitely be keeping it in the back of my mind for whenever we want gnocchi. I served it with some pork chops and Caesar salad. It made for a fantastic meal
Stephanie says
I loved this! Your husband is correct about crisping the gnocchi after. So simple yet really satisfying. Thanks for a fast dish to add to the rotation. Yum!
LyubaB says
Thank you, Stephanie! 🙂