Veg, Butter & Parmesan Gnocchi

Anytime there is gnocchi on the menu, you bet I am ordering it. Whether its saucy gnocchi, buttery gnocchi or cheesy gnocchi, I can't get enough of it! When we lived in California, we visited a restaurant in Sonoma where I had an unforgettable vegetable gnocchi dish at a farm-to-table style restaurant that inspired me to make it myself. This recipe is for a delicious garlic butter gnocchi with delicately sliced veggies, roasted to perfection with lots of parmesan. I had gone to the market a couple of days before where I picked up some purple and yellow carrots, which were the perfect addition to this dish. 

The dish contains many veggies namely aubergine, mushrooms, bell pepper, brussels sprouts, onion, garlic and yellow and purple carrot. You can trade them for whatever you may have at home, but I recommend including carrots, eggplant and brussels sprouts along with the onion and garlic as these typically roast best due to the low moisture content in carrots and high flavor profiles. The process is simple - the vegetables are thinly sliced then placed on a baking sheet and roasted for thirty minutes, caramelizing the natural sugars bringing out a beautiful depth of flavors. The gnocchi itself can be homemade of store bought, cooked in water then pan-fried with garlic and butter. At the end you mix in parmesan and toss it all together. It's simple to cook and tastes amazing. This recipe serves 4 as a main dish.

When you are ready to cook, set the oven to 205C (400F). Start by preparing your veggies. Wash and thinly slice the mushrooms and carrots, and chop the aubergine, bell pepper and onions into 1-2cm cubes. Cut a little of the stem off the brussels sprouts, ensuring there is enough to keep the sprout intact. Slice in half and remove the outer shells. Smash the garlic cloves with the back of a knife and toss in. Add 1/3 cup of olive oil and 1 1/4 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar, mixing well and coating all of the veggies. Add crushed red chili flakes, Italian dried herbs and salt then mix. Avoid overcrowding and arrange the veggies on enough baking sheets to allow them to sit in a single layer. Place into the oven for thirty minutes, turning halfway. 

While the vegetables roast, prepare the gnocchi. I used store bought gnocchi for convenience but homemade would be even better! Boil the gnocchi for 2 minutes then set aside. For the sauce, you will need butter, garlic, red chili flakes, salt and fresh chives. Add the garlic and butter to a skillet and saute on medium until golden. Remove the garlic from the skillet then add the cooked gnocchi to the pan with the garlicky butter in it. It's ok if there is still some garlic left in the pan. Pan fry the gnocchi for a couple of minutes then add in the chives. Fry for another minute then add the red chili flakes, salt and the garlic back in. Cook for another two minutes. Switch off the gas and add in the parmesan cheese, mixing it so it melts and coats the gnocchi pieces. The easiest way to 'grate' parmesan cheese is by placing it into the food processor and blitz!

Once the vegetables have roasted, remove from the oven and let the aroma flood your kitchen! Add them to the gnocchi and mix until the gnocchi and veggies are equally coated in garlic butter and parmesan. Serve warm and garnish with grated (real grated this time!) parmesan, pine nuts and fresh herbs of your choice. I used parsley. 

With its array of vegetables, this dish is hearty, healthy and delicious! It makes for the perfect dinner paired with a simple arugula salad. Visit your local farmers market and see what veggies you can incorporate in this dish and add your own twist to it. I hope you try this and if you do, please share how you like it! 

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Garlic Butter Veg & Parmesan Gnocchi

Prep time: 10 mins   Cook time: 40 mins    Yield: 4     Origin: European    Author: Anika Pannu

Ingredients

Vegetables

2 large carrots (one purple and one yellow, otherwise orange)

1 bell pepper

7 mushrooms 

1 eggplant

1 red onion

8 cloves of garlic, smashed 

large handful of brussels sprouts 

2 tablespoons pine nuts, plus extra for garnish

1/3 cup olive oil

1 1/4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 teaspoon red chili flakes

1 tablespoon dried Italian herbs

1 teaspoon salt 

For Gnocchi

500g store bought or fresh gnocchi

1/2 teaspoon salt 

5 cloves of garlic, grated

1/2 teaspoon red chili flakes

4 tablespoons of butter 

2/3 cup of grated parmesan plus extra for garnish

handful of chives or parsley

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 205C (400F).

2. Prepare the vegetables by slicing the carrots and mushrooms finely, chopping the eggplant, bell pepper and onion into 1-2cm cubes, slicing the brussels sprouts in half, removing a little of the stems and the outer leaves, and smashing the garlic with the side of a knife. 

3. Place onto a baking sheet and add the pine nuts, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, red chili flakes, Italian herbs and salt. 

4. Using your hands, mix everything together so all the vegetables are coated then spread across as many baking sheets as you need, to ensure there is a single layer of veggies with plenty of room. 

5. Place into the oven for 30 minutes, turning halfway. 

6. Boil the gnocchi in water for 2 minutes then drain. 

7. Add butter and the grated garlic to a skillet and cook the garlic until golden in color. Remove the garlic from the skillet and set aside. 

8. Now add the cooked gnocchi to the skillet and pan fry for 3 minutes.

9. Add chives and cook for 1 minute.

10. Add the garlic back to the skillet, along with the salt, red chili flakes and cook for another 2 minutes to give the gnocchi some color. Remove from heat. 

10. Add the parmesan to the skillet and stir so the gnocchi is coated with the cheese. 

11. Once the vegetables have completed their roasting time, remove from the oven and add to the skillet.

12. Stir so that the gnocchi and vegetables are fully mixed. 

13. Serve warm with grated parmesan, pine nuts and fresh herbs as garnish.