Sicilian Gnocchi with Eggplant

gnocchi. gnocchi. gnocchi.

there is just something about that word that can make a girls heart just crumble. the thought of those pillowy balls of pasta potato dressed in some delicious outfits...they really can be the life of the party.

although i am not at the homemade gnocchi place in my life yet (but soon!), i have found some super duper tasty things to do with gnocchi. I've think we've had fun with two gnocchi dishes before with the Fire Roasted Gnocchi the Lemon Gnocchi from a while back but for this dish, I thought I would take it "Sicilian Style".

I really had no idea what this meant but the blog that I adapted it from made it look delicious and super vegetarian, so I was all in.

Adapted from: Vegalicious

Ingredients

• 1 package gnocchi (shelf stable...can be found at most local grocery markets)
  
• 1 eggplant, cubed in small pieces
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 1 Cup of small cubed tofu
• 2 onions, chopped
• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 can tomato chunks
• 2 handfuls raisins (yes, even I...the girl who doesn't like raisins...put raisins in the dish)
  
• Italian seasonings (oregano, basil, thyme)...whatever you have in your fridge/cupboard
  
• salt and pepper to taste
• Pinch of Cinnamon
  
• Pinch of Nutmeg
  

Directions

1. Boil the Gnocchi and boil until they float to the top.
   
2. Drain the Gnocchi from the water and set aside.
   
3. Meanwhile, saute the eggplant, onions and garlic in the oil until the eggplant begins to soften and the onion becomes glassy.
4. Add the ground tofu.
   
5. Add the chopped tomatoes, raisins and Italian seasonings.
6. Season to taste with salt and pepper and a pinch of cinnamon and nutmeg
   
7. To serve, either add the gnocchi to the sauce, or serve the gnocchi with the sauce on top.
8. Share and Enjoy!!!
   

I really enjoyed this dish and it was really easy to make and really delicious. I love finding individuals who are dedicated to finding filling, healthy and tasty vegetarian meals...that are also well-balanced! it is a hard task but this definitely fits the bill and I would definitely make this again!

Actually Posted: 12/29/10
Made: 10/12/2010

Fire Roasted Gnocchi

A while back, I had a dinner with good buddies of BOOF, Clairebear and Brookster. We were at Clairebear's place and she cooked this delicious meal featuring a Gnocchi recipe that I knew I had to recreate. Apparently, one of her good friends had been making it for her for the past few years, so she thought she would try and recreate it herself. Now, here I am trying to recreate her recreation! That is how these things work though...the beauty of passing recipes along. :-)

Unlike my previous Gnocchi recipe, this one was not simmered in a cream base but rather a spicy tomato marinate. Honestly, I like my gnocchi any way that it comes, but I really enjoyed the nice kick that this one gives.


Ingredients

1 16-ounce package of shelf-stable gnocchi
1 Medium yellow onion (Thinly sliced)
4 Garlic Cloves Minced
1/2 Cup of Water
6 Cups of Spinach (or Swiss Chard)
1 150ounce can of diced tomatoes (I used the tasty fire roasted ones from TJ's) :-)
1 15-ounce can of white beans, rinsed (i used garbanzo because that is what I had on hand)
1/2 cup of Shredded Part Skim Mozzarella Cheese
1/4 Cup finely shredded Parmesan Cheese
Salt and Pepper
Olive Oil

Directions

1) Heat 1 Tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat.

2) Add Gnocchi and cook, stirring often, until plumped and starting to brown (5-7 minutes). Transfer to a bowl.

3) Add another 1 teaspoon of oil and onion and saute over medium heat (approx 2 minutes).

4) Stir in garlic and water and cover and cook until the onion is soft (4-6 minutes).

5) Add spinach and cook until it begins to wilt (1-2 minutes). Stir in the tomatoes, beans and peppers and bring to a simmer.

6) Stir in the Gnocchi and sprinkle with mozzarella and Parmesan. Cover and cook until the cheese is melted and the sauce is bubbling (approx 2-3 minutes).

7) Enjoy and Share (and pass it on to your friends too!)


This recipe is super good and you should pass it on. Well, make it for you and your friends...and then pass it on. ;-)

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