Garlic-Parm Gnocchi

By Laura RegePublished: Oct 4, 2023

2 Ratings

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garlic parm gnocchi with red pepper flakes and basil

PHOTO: RACHEL VANNI; FOOD STYLING: BARRETT WASHBURNE

We’ve been cooking up a lot of gnocchi lately. Once we discovered that you could buy gnocchi at the grocery store in the pasta aisle, it got a lot easier to enjoy and create recipes—versus making homemade potato gnocchi (although that is fun on occasion!). The truth is sometimes, just like with pasta, the simplest preparations of gnocchi really hit the spot—think cacio e pepe or spaghetti with garlic and oil. This dish hits the mark somewhere in between the two. It’s one of those back of the shelf recipes you’ll basically memorize after making it a few times and can prepare whenever you want a dish that’s ultra-comforting.

Some of our recipes cook the gnocchi directly in the skillet, but for this one, we took advantage of another technique: crisping the gnocchi in the pan. Here’s how to do it: Boil the gnocchi first until it’s fully cooked. Then get your skillet going. Brown the gnocchi in the hot skillet with both butter and oil—the butter adds buttery toasted notes to the dish, while the oil helps keep the butter from browning too fast. Golden gnocchi means more flavor! The outsides of the gnocchi will crisp a bit while the centers stay perfectly creamy and al dente.

Once the gnocchi is golden, add more butter and cook until browned, then the garlic and red pepper flakes, stirring until fragrant and light golden. Finish the whole dish off with generous sprinkles of Parmesan, basil, and lemon juice. Serve this dish straight from the skillet and add on a side salad or another vegetable if you’re looking for something green.

Did you make this? Let us know what you think!

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Yields:: 4 - 6 serving(s)
Prep Time:: 10 mins
Total Time:: 35 mins
Cal/Serv:: 535

Ingredients

Kosher salt
2
(1-lb.) packages gnocchi
6 Tbsp.
unsalted butter, divided
1 Tbsp.
extra-virgin olive oil
4
cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/4 tsp.
crushed red pepper flakes
1 Tbsp.
fresh lemon juice
1 Tbsp.
finely grated Parmesan, plus more for serving
2 Tbsp.
finely chopped fresh basil or parsley
Freshly ground black pepper

Directions

1. Step 1In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook gnocchi, stirring occasionally, until al dente according to package instructions. Drain.
2. Step 2In a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, melt 2 tablespoons butter. Add oil and stir to combine. Add gnocchi and cook, undisturbed, until bottom side is golden, about 5 minutes. Stir and continue to cook, tossing occasionally, until golden, about 5 minutes more.
3. Step 3Stir in remaining butter and cook, stirring, until melted, about 2 minutes. Add garlic and red pepper and cook, stirring, until garlic is fragrant, about 30 seconds more.
4. Step 4Remove from heat and immediately stir in lemon juice. Add Parmesan and basil and stir to combine; season with salt and black pepper. Serve in skillet topped generously with more Parmesan.