You’ve seen it all over the internet, it has taken over your Instagram feed. But have you jumped on the cauliflower gnocchi bandwagon? It took me a little bit, partially because my Trader Joe’s was always sold out and another part was extremely skeptical.
TJ’s Haul
When I finally got my hands on the cult favorite, I knew I would need to get all the supplies for the perfect meal right then & there!
From the top: I grabbed a bag of baby spinach - an entire bag may be daunting but you will use a good amount in this dish since spinach shrinks when it cooks, the rest you can use for salads during the week and any left over freeze for smoothies. Next the gnocchi, obviously - it’s in the frozen food section. Next, a new favorite, the cashew pesto. Since I’m trying to stay away from dairy, any alternative I can find, I have to try. I figured the pesto would add some flavor and who could say no to more greens? Since I went with the pesto I decided to add some sun dried tomatoes for another texture. I read the gnocchi could get a little soggy - tips on how to avoid that later. And while I do enjoy a meatless Monday, I also enjoy meat and decided to go with a chicken sausage. This one is from Whole Foods, it was already in the fridge but I’m sure TJ’s has some great options if you are looking for a one stop shop.
“Do NOT follow the directions on the bag of gnocchi. I repeat, do NOT follow those instructions. Rumor has it that is a recipe for soggy and sticky blobs. ”
I went with a pan seared option. I put some avocado oil in a pan and took the gnocchi straight from the freezer into the pan. I had them cooking on high for about 10-12 mins flipping them as needed. I waited until they had some brown on them. I then took the chicken sausage and chopped it up. They are precooked so it was a matter of heating them up. Had them cooking with the gnocchi for another 5 min then I added the spinach and tomatoes. Once the spinach wilted I added the pesto, stirred it up and took the pan off heat. Viola! I was able to split this into one dinner and two lunches!