White Bean Gnocchi

For my first recipe, I made white bean gnocchi. Gnocchi is basically a potato-based dumpling. I almost never make pasta these days, but gnocchi is an old favorite. And this recipe is much lighter than the typical dish because a large majority of it is made up of beans. I balked at first when I thought of beans with gnocchi. Gnocchi makes me think of a nice Italian meal and red wine, and beans make me think of hobo stew and cornbread. But with the spinach, tomatoes, onions, and garlic, you hardly notice the beans at all.

The ingredients.

I pulsated the spinach in a food processor for a few seconds at a
time to make sure it didn't get too small.

Thinly slice the onion.

Rinse the white beans in cold water.

Heat some olive oil over medium heat in the skillet, and sauté
the gnocchi for about six minutes. Put the gnocchi in a bowl and
set aside.

Heat the remaining olive oil in the skillet and add the onions.
Cook for a few minutes until brown and softened.

Add the garlic. I used my garlic press. It changed
my life. I will never mince garlic by hand again.

Add 1/2 cup water to the onions and garlic, cover, and let simmer
until the water has evaporated, the onions are translucent and
your kitchen smells like garlicky goodness. 

 

It should look something like this. ^^

Add the chopped spinach and sauté until it wilts.

Add the beans, diced tomatoes, and a generous amount of
black pepper.

Mix all the ingredients together and let it simmer for
a few minutes. 

Add the gnocchi back in the skillet.

Sprinkle the mozzarella on top and stir in until melted.

End product: colorful, hearty, healthy dinner.

White Bean Gnocchi (Recipe adapted from EatingWell)

1 tbsp., plus 1 tsp. olive oil - divided

16 oz. gnocchi (found next to the pasta)

1 yellow onion, thinly sliced

4 cloves of garlic, minced

1/2 cup water

2 cups chopped spinach

1 15 oz. can Italian diced tomatoes

1 15 oz. can white beans, rinsed

1/2 cup mozzarella cheese

Heat 1 tbsp. olive oil over medium heat in a skillet. Add the gnocchi and sauté for 5-7 minutes until golden brown. Put the gnocchi in a bowl and set aside. Heat the remaining olive oil in the skillet and add the onions, sautéing for two minutes. Add 1/2 cup water and garlic then cover and simmer until the water has evaporated and the onions are translucent (about 4-5 minutes). 

Add the spinach to the skillet and cook until it starts to wilt. Add the beans, diced tomatoes, and black pepper. Mix ingredients together and bring to a simmer. Add the gnocchi back into the mixture and stir to combine. Finally, sprinkle the cheese on top and and let melt. 

I changed the original recipe which used chard. I don't like the way that word sounds, and I couldn't find it at the store. Spinach works great. I also decreased the amount of cheese just to cut back on calories. The original recipe made 6 servings with 325 calories per serving. 6 servings would mean some pretty pathetic sized portions, even for me. So I decided it made 4 servings, meaning each serving was around 600 calories with my changes to the recipe.