Lemon Gnocchi with Spinach and Beans

Wow. I was too excited for this. When I found pre-made Gnocchi at Safeway last week, I was so happy. So unbelievably happy. That delicious potato pasta that you see in Italian restaurants was finally going to grace my kitchen. Not really knowing what to do with it besides a simple tomato sauce, I got to searching on epicurious and found this doable, simple and delicious looking recipe. With some minor modifications (the recipe originally called for peas and not beans), I was on my way.



Ingredients
1 cup frozen baby peas (not thawed)— Or 1 Can of White Cannelli Beans

1/2 cup heavy cream (i used whipping b/c that is what we had in the fridge!)

1/4 teaspoon dried hot red-pepper flakes

1 garlic clove, smashed

3 cups packed baby spinach (3 ounces)

1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

1 1/2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

1 pound dried gnocchi (preferably De Cecco)

1/4 cup grated parmesan (I used a some mozzarella— no Parmesan in the house!)

Directions
1 ) Simmer peas (beans) with cream, red-pepper flakes, garlic, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a 12-inch heavy skillet, covered, until tender, about 5 minutes.

2) Meanwhile, cook gnocchi in a pasta pot of boiling salted water (3 tablespoons salt for 6 quarts water) until al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta-cooking water, then drain gnocchi.


3) Add spinach to saucepan and cook over medium-low heat, uncovered, stirring, until wilted. Remove from heat and stir in lemon zest and juice.

4) Add gnocchi to sauce with cheese and some of reserved cooking water and stir to coat. Thin with additional cooking water if necessary.

5) Enjoy and Share! :-)









Additional Notes: As previously mentioned, I wanted to ensure that I was going to get my daily protein, so I substituted the peas for the beans and I really enjoyed that (i also didn’t have the peas :-D ). I also added some mozzarella instead of parmesan which I think helped make it a little thicker, but I think both would be equally delicious. I’m a little obsessed with this recipe and I think you will love it too.
VIA http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Lemon-Gnocchi-with-Spinach-and-Peas-240959#ixzz0p6IFKTvj