Quick and easy to cook over an open fire, on a camping stove, and definitely straightforward at home on the stovetop, saucy, satisfying, and loaded with wilted spinach, fresh basil, and melty goat cheese, Smoky Gnocchi with Spinach and Goat Cheese is our favourite camping meal and an easy go to for weeknight dinners.
Ronan Also Eats are plant forward recipes co-created with 12 year old foodie Ronan (whose mum happens to be the author of daraeats!). All of these recipes feature a small number of savvy ingredients that come together in straightforward and delicious preparations. Ronan Also Eats recipes are written with easy to follow instructions that can be made by parents and their kids together, although we all know who is going to be doing the washing up!
Ronan says: “Pleeeeease say we’re having Smoky Gnocchi for dinner?!”
Dara says: "Ever since our first time making and eating Smoky Gnocchi over a campfire, we were hooked! We both love gnocchi to begin with, and improbable as it may seem at first, it turns out that gnocchi is perfect for camping, an easy to cook ingredient that makes for a scrumptious one pan cookout. Now we often cook this for dinner at home as well on the stovetop."
Wherever you make Smoky Gnocchi, either around the campfire or on the stovetop, I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!
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Ingredients
Smoky Gnocchi is made with under 10 easy to find ingredients, some or many of which you may already have on hand. All you need is packaged gnocchi, easily found at most supermarkets, your favourite pasta sauce, baby spinach, a handful of fresh basil, soft goat cheese, olive oil, and parmesan. For optional toppings, we like to sprinkle on some dried chilli flakes and a handful of fresh arugula to top everything off before serving.
Method
While gnocchi is most often cooked in a large amount of boiling water, it can also be pan fried, and for this recipe, we discovered a solution that bridges the two methods with no huge pot of boiling water or draining required, something that is somewhat impractical at a campsite. The packaged gnocchi, requiring no refrigeration beforehand, is cooked in a pan with an inch or two of water, plumping up the gnocchi, cooking them through, and leaving a silky coating of starchy water as the water boils away.
A glug of olive oil is then added to the gnocchi for a quick pan fry in the same pan, before loading in the toppings; a generous amount of your preferred homemade or store bought pasta sauce, followed by fistfuls of baby spinach, fresh basil, and right before serving, big dollops of creamy fresh goat cheese. It all comes together in a savoury, hearty, saucy, succulent, tangy, and creamy dish that offers outstanding replenishment after a long hungry day in the outdoors or anytime you need deep satisfaction from your dinner.
If you so desire, some grated parmesan and fresh arugula heaped on top certainly won’t go astray, followed by a sprinkle of dried chilli flakes if you like some heat, and as my sidekick Ronan insists, a giant hunk of baguette or sourdough bread is also necessary (and he’s right of course) to sop up the moreish sauce.
Substitutions
While I adore the delicious aroma and flavour of campfire smoke that outdoor cooking provides, this dish is just as delicious in its own right when cooked at home, and a pinch of smoked paprika can easily be included to add a smoky tang if desired.
If you are gluten free, you can easily use packaged GF gnocchi which is readily available, and if vegan, you can substitute the goat cheese for one of the excellent soft nut based cheeses available, making the dish entirely plant based.
Looking for more easy plant forward dishes?
- Roasted Butternut Squash with Warm Spices, Pickled Chilies, and Labneh
- Sheet Pan Spiced Roasted Vegetables with Spinach and Basil
- Roasted Tomato and Garlic Soup with Pan-Crisped Croutons
- Crispy Smashed Garlic Potatoes with Tahini and Za'atar
- Steamed Silken Tofu with Ginger and Fragrant Greens
- Tangy White Beans with Garlic, Tomato and Lime
- Simple Pan Fried Halloumi
- Green No-Sausage Rolls
Smoky Gnocchi with Spinach and Goat Cheese
Ingredients
- 1 package prepared gnocchi regular or gluten free, approx. 500 grams
- 1-2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 2 - 2.5 cups of your preferred pasta sauce I prefer brands that contain no added sugar
- 1 large handful fresh basil
- 3-4 cups baby spinach
- 70 gms chevre / soft unripened goat’s milk cheese approx. half a traditional log of chevre, or creamy vegan nut cheese substitute if desired
- ⅛ teaspoon teaspoon smoked paprika optional, to provide a smoky note if cooking over a camp stove or at home
- optional fresh arugula, grated parmesan, and chilli flakes for garnish
Instructions
- Place a medium to large pan on a grate over your fire if cooking outdoors - I use a 10” cast iron pan. Or if cooking at home, place your pan over medium high heat. Add about 2 inches of water to the pan and let come to a boil.
- Once the water is bubbling, add the gnocchi and cook, stirring regularly, until almost all the water has boiled away and the gnocchi are tender and are coated in the last of the starchy water. This may take up to 10 minutes depending on the strength of your fire and the size and type of your gnocchi.
- Drizzle in the olive oil, stir, and leave the gnocchi to pan fry for a few minutes, making sure to stir often to prevent sticking or burning, adjusting your position over the fire as needed, or reducing your stovetop heat to medium.
- Add in the pasta sauce and baby spinach, and cook and stir until the spinach has wilted. Tear up and add in the basil, stir, and dollop in the goat cheese.
- Remove your pan from the fire or stove, stir partially, so that melty pockets of the goat cheese adorn the surface, and serve to your hungry and eager admirers.
- Additional and complementary optional toppings include a handful of fresh arugula, grated parmesan, dried chilli flakes, an extra glug of olive oil, and a big hunk of bread to sop up all of that delicious sauce. Enjoy!
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