This easy parmesan spinach gnocchi recipe is ready in under 30 minutes with just one pot. Perfect for busy weeknights! Vegetarian.
There's no question that soft, pillowy gnocchi is one of the greatest inventions of all time.
And while gnocchi sure does shine with a bit of simple browned butter or a light tomato sauce, sometimes you just have to COVER THAT ISH IN CHEESE, y'know?
Enter this quick and easy gnocchi sauce! All you need:
- Butter
- Garlic
- Flour
- Milk
- Spinach
- Parmesan Cheese (note: strict vegetarians should look for parmesan cheese made without rennet)
Additions and Substitutions
This easy spinach gnocchi recipe is very forgiving - use whatever you have on hand! Some of our favorite ways to riff on this recipe:
- We used store-bought gnocchi here, but it's excellent with homemade gnocchi! We frequently make quick and easy homemade gnocchi with leftover mashed potatoes, or you can try your hand at an authentic Italian recipe like this one.
- No gnocchi? Make the sauce as instructed and serve over spaghetti (or any pasta you have on hand!), grilled chicken, zucchini noodles, or your favorite grains (rice, quinoa, and farro are all great here!)
- Stretch this recipe and amp up the sauce by adding sautéed onion, fresh pesto, sautéed mushrooms, roasted veggies (broccoli, parsnips, brussels sprouts, and squash are some of our favorite mix-ins!) or fresh tomatoes.
- Use fresh or frozen spinach here, or swap the spinach for kale or arugula.
- Lighten your sauce up by swapping the flour and milk for our favorite Magic Cauliflower Cream Sauce! This quick, packed-with-veggies sauce is amazing in this recipe.
- If you're not vegetarian, top this gnocchi with some shredded chicken, chorizo, bacon, grilled salmon, or garlicky shrimp to add some extra protein.
- For extra texture, pan-fry your cooked gnocchi in some butter to crisp them up, then spoon the sauce over top.
How to serve this gnocchi
This creamy gnocchi sauce is similar to an alfredo and is fairly rich, so we love serving it with lighter sides to balance it out! (Pro tip: To lighten up the sauce itself, swap the milk and flour for our Magic Cauliflower Cream!)
Some of our favorite sides:
If you eat meat, serve this gnocchi with grilled chicken, grilled salmon, garlic baked shrimp, or some sausage.
VIDEO: How to make parmesan spinach gnocchi
📖 Recipe
Parmesan Spinach Gnocchi
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 15 mins
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: Serves 4
- Category: Pasta
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
Easy parmesan spinach gnocchi with a quick, creamy sauce!
Ingredients
- 16 ounces potato gnocchi
- 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1-2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 Tablespoons flour
- 1 ¼ cups milk
- 3 heaping cups fresh spinach, roughly chopped
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 cup shredded parmesan cheese (strict vegetarians: look for parmesan cheese made without rennet)
Instructions
- Cook the gnocchi according to package directions. Drain, set aside, and return the empty pot to the stove.
- Melt butter over medium heat.
- Add garlic to butter and sauté for about a minute until garlic is fragrant.
- Add flour to butter and whisk to form a roux. Cook for 30 seconds or so to cook out any raw flour taste.
- Slowly add milk to roux, whisking constantly to break up any lumps. Cook for 3-4 minutes until sauce has just begun to thicken.
- Stir chopped spinach into sauce and cook 3-4 minutes more until spinach has wilted and sauce has thickened.
- Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Remove pot from heat.
- Add parmesan cheese to sauce and stir to combine.
- Return cooked gnocchi to sauce and stir to combine. Serve immediately.
Notes
What kind of gnocchi should I use? We used store-bought gnocchi here, but homemade is great! We love this leftover mashed potatoes gnocchi, or try this recipe for a more authentic Italian version.
No gnocchi? Serve this sauce over spaghetti or any dried pasta, rice, farro, or grilled chicken.
Additions and Substitutions. This is a forgiving recipe: use what you have! Add diced onion or sliced mushrooms when you add the garlic in step 3, or stir in extra veggies after the sauce is finished. We love adding roasted veggies (parsnips, broccoli, butternut squash, etc.) and fresh tomatoes. Frozen spinach is fine here if you don't have fresh. You can also use arugula or kale! Use goat cheese, white cheddar, asiago, fontina, or havarti in place of the parmesan. Almond milk and coconut milk work fine here, but we do not recommend using heavy cream or half and half unless you like a very rich sauce.
For a healthy twist, swap our favorite Magic Cauliflower Cream for the flour and milk in this recipe!
Depending on the size of your gnocchi (and your personal preferences!) you may have a little more or less sauce than you need. To thin out a too-thick sauce or to stretch your sauce a little further, stir in a bit of extra milk until you've reached your desired consistency.
Please don't skip the salt! With so few ingredients, seasoning is VERY important in this recipe. Taste the sauce and season as you go for best results. If a sauce ever tastes flat or bland, add more salt a pinch at a time, then stir and taste until it pops. If you don't want to use salt, you can stir in some lemon juice, goat cheese, nutmeg, fresh herbs, or fish sauce for extra flavor.
Strict vegetarians should look for parmesan cheese made without rennet.
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 312
- Sugar: 4 g
- Sodium: 448.4 mg
- Fat: 8.4 g
- Carbohydrates: 51.4 g
- Protein: 8.4 g
- Cholesterol: 22.9 mg
Lisa Denningham
Great ! used fresh gnocchi and Parmesano Reggio cheese from the local Italian market. Served it with fresh made Italian sausage. Very quick and easy.
Jessie
Wahoo! I'm so glad you liked it, Lisa! Thanks for letting me know how it turned out!
Terrie
Yum, wonderful. Thanks. Very quick recipe!
Jessie
So happy you liked it, Terrie!
Debbie
What a fantastic recipe, so simple and flavorful and I used almond milk! My husband doesn't like gnocchi so I made some vermicelli pasta for him, it's great either way. Thanks for sharing!
Jessie
I'm so glad you liked it, Debbie! Thanks for letting me know how it turned out!
Stacey
I love this recipe! It's a favorite go-to. Delicious!
Jessie
I'm so glad you like it, Stacey! Thanks for letting me know!
Sheryl
Found it a bit bland. Tried it again with rigatoni instead of gnocci, added a bunch of chopped basil and 8 oz of cooked mushrooms to the sauce with the spinach. Then grated some reduced fat mozzarella over top and put it in the oven for 15 minutes for the cheese to melt. It went over well at a potluck.
Jessie
I'm glad your potluck liked it, Sheryl! Did you season your pasta water and make sure to season the sauce as well? When pasta turns out bland for me, it's usually not-salty-enough pasta water that's the culprit! You can always also add a splash of white wine to the sauce for a bit of extra oomph. Thanks for letting me know how it turned out!
Mariela Zesati
Great recipe everyone loved it
Jessie
So happy to hear that, Mariela!
Misty
Yummy!!! Very good recipe!!!
Hollyann
I love gnocchi I only thought of it as Olive Garden soup. I love to fry it in butter with chopped crisp bacon. Thanks for all the inspiring ways.to make delicious dishes
Jessie
Yum! Anything with butter and bacon is a winner in my book 😉 Thanks, Hollyann!
Hunter
Just made this for myself. Absolutely amazing!! I am sure to check out your other recipes. Thank you so much!!
Jessie
I'm so happy you liked it, Hunter! Thanks for letting me know how it turned out!
Jennifer
So I have these packaged gnocchi vacuum sealed I made it once before and totally murdered the cheese sauce recipe trying to do it on my own. That's why I'm on this site lol. Anyways, I noticed when I did it the first time the gnocchi was like gritty. Is that normal? And is there anything you need to take some of that away?
Jessie
I'd guess it depends on the type of gnocchi you're using if the sauce itself isn't what's gritty - my instinct would just be to keep experimenting with different gnocchi recipes or brands until you find one you like! This sauce is also ultra rich and creamy, so if the gnocchi are just a little rough it might help smooth some of that grit out or cover it up a bit. Hope that helps!
Chris
Currently eating this and it's really good especially for how little time it takes to make it. I've had this bookmarked since you wrote it and I'm glad I remembered it today. Just wanted to say you did a great job with this one!
Jessie
Thank you so much, Chris! I'm so happy to hear you liked it!
Sally Durrett
I am hosting my annual book club Christmas dinner for 20 people. I would love to make this ahead, put it in a casserole dish, and bake it prior to serving. Do you think I should add extra sauce so that the baking process doesn't dry it out? Thanks for your help!
Jessie
I'd add an extra 1/3 cup or so of milk - the sauce might look a little thin, but it will thicken up as it sits in the fridge (if you make it ahead) and as you bake it! This would also be great with some buttered panko breadcrumbs on top if you want more of a baked mac and cheese feel - I have instructions for bread crumb toppings in my Mac and Cheese 101 post. Hope that helps!
Sally Durrett
I made this ahead and did add extra milk and it was PERFECT! It will be my new go-to recipe fora large crowd. Everyone loved it! Thanks so much!
Jessie
I'm so happy you liked it, Sally! Thanks for letting me know how it turned out!
Ellena
Really nice and easy to follow!
Jessie
Thanks, Ellena! So happy you liked it!
Nichole
This sounds wonderful.I am going to make tonight. I will add a bit of nutmeg and cayenne as I do with my alfredo sauces. Thanks for this.
Nichole
can't wait.
Cheryl
So good! Family loved it!
Jessie
Wahoo! I'm so glad to hear that, Cheryl - thanks for letting me know how it turned out!
L.W.
Perfect. Really enjoyed it! Will definitely make it again.
Jessie
I'm so glad you liked it! Thanks for letting me know how it turned out!
Nicole
Hi! Can you use almond milk and oat flour as substitutes? Thanks!
Monisa
Yes! Just made it today with almond milk. I accidentally bought vanilla, but the process of cooking it must have pushed all of the vanilla away because I did not taste it one bit.
Jessie
Great! Thanks for letting us know how it worked, Monisa!
Jessie
I haven't tested this recipe with those substitutes but you could certainly give it a try!