Name: Parmesan Spinach Gnocchi
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 16 ounces potato gnocchi; 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter; 1-2 cloves garlic, minced; 2 Tablespoons flour; 1 1/4 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)

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This easy parmesan gnocchi recipe features plenty of fresh spinach. Ready in 30 minutes!

Fork lifting a bite of gnocchi with spinach sauce out of a white bowl.

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?

This simple recipe works best as a blank canvas: Use it as a starting point, and add your favorite mix-ins, toppings, or side dishes to make it your own. This recipe makes a fairly rich, thick sauce; pair it with lighter sides (like a quick spinach balsamic salad or roasted veggies!) to help things feel balanced.

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Ingredients Overview
Substitutions and Variations
Instructions
Serving Suggestions
🎥 Step by step video
📖 Recipe
💬 Comments & Reviews

Ingredients Overview

Find a full ingredients list with exact quantities in the recipe card below.

We used store-bought gnocchi here, but it's excellent with homemade gnocchi! Make homemade gnocchi with leftover mashed potatoes, or use an authentic Italian homemade potato gnocchi recipe.
Garlic. This recipe calls for two cloves, but you can use as much as you like. Roasted garlic is also good in this sauce.
Baby spinach adds a pop of color to this sauce. Give it a rough chop first so it's easier to eat. Swap it for kale if you like.
Parmesan Cheese. For best results and to ensure smooth melting, buy a block of parmesan and shred it yourself. (note: strict vegetarians should look for parmesan cheese made without rennet)

Substitutions and Variations

Add spices. For a bit of heat, add cayenne pepper, red pepper flakes, or smoked paprika.
Swap some or all of the parmesan for goat cheese, white cheddar, gruyere, or havarti cheese.
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 flavor 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.
Lighten your sauce up by swapping the flour and milk for our favorite Magic Cauliflower Cream Sauce!
Add protein. Top this gnocchi with some shredded chicken, chorizo, bacon, grilled salmon, or garlicky shrimp.
Top with toasted garlic breadcrumbs for extra texture and flavor.

Instructions

Cook the gnocchi in very salty water according to package directions, then drain and set aside. Return the pot to the stove to build the sauce.

Sauté garlic in a bit of butter, then whisk in flour to form a roux (1). Slowly whisk in milk, then add a generous pinch of kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper. Bring sauce to a low simmer, whisking occasionally, until it's thickened.

Stir in chopped fresh spinach (2), then add parmesan (3) and stir until the cheese is melted. Return cooked gnocchi to the pot (4) and stir everything together, then taste and add extra salt and pepper as needed.

Red spatula stirring gnocchi with cream sauce in a large pot.

Serving Suggestions

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.

Gnocchi with cream sauce and spinach on a black plate.

🎥 Step by step video

📖 Recipe

Parmesan Spinach Gnocchi

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 4.7 from 90 reviews

Author: Jessie Johnson
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Yield: Serves 4
Category: Pasta
Cuisine: American
Diet: Vegetarian

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Description

Easy parmesan spinach gnocchi with a quick, creamy sauce!

Ingredients

Scale

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)

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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 and this authentic homemade potato gnocchi.

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

Editor's Note: This recipe was originally published in 2016. It was updated in 2025 to include additional step-by-step photos and notes from our recipe testing team.

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