Date Night Gnocchi

Sometimes cooking magic happens in my kitchen.

Let me set the pre-cooking magic scene for you…

The day is creeping closer and closer to 5pm. Around 5ish the hubby will be home from work and almost as if a timer was set to go off the kiddos will begin asking “What’s for dinner?” followed by “I’m hungry, I neeeeed something to eat RIGHT now!” I, being the ever wishful dinner-planner-in-advance-wannabe, have yet again not given a single shred of thought to what we will eat for dinner before this moment. And as the kids go into auto-repeat with their dinner declarations, I begin pacing between the refrigerator and the pantry assessing what’s in stock hoping the big dinner idea blank will vanish from my mind and be replaced by something phenomenal that can be made in 30 minutes or less to stave off the hangry family members.

Sometimes my fridge-to-pantry pacing goes on for a little too long, which only amplifies the hangryness. BUT not last night folks! Last night dinner inspiration came like a lightning bolt, the heavens parted, and I’m pretty sure I heard some angels singing. It was pure cooking inspo magic.

The what’s-for-dinner blank vanished as quickly as it arrived and was replaced with something that I knew deep down in the depths of my food soul would be really, REALLY good. I opened the fridge and the pantry and BOOM! Ingredients came together in my mind and turned into reality on my plate. And just like that, a tasty, unforgettable dinner in 30 minutes. It WAS magical.

And I’m calling it Date Night Gnocchi.

Sounds dreamy, right?

YEESSSS. It is.

And this dreamy dinner all began with these aaawesome gluten free gnocchi that I recently found at the grocery store.

These gnocchi are so good. They are better than good. They are dreamy and date night worthy. And even though my gluten-eating days of long ago are now becoming a faded memory, I’m pretty sure these gnocchi are an identical taste twin to their glutinous counterpart. They are little pillowy potato dumplings of gluten-free bliss. And they make me oh so happy.

Once upon a time I lived in Italy, the homeland of gnocchi. Gnocchi had become one of the staple foods in my life (besides the cappuccinos and loads of diversely shaped pasta I survived on…tough life, I know). But when that ill-fated day several years after my stint in Italy revealed that my growing list of health issues was all related to gluten, it was like life as I knew it with food came to crashing halt. All of a sudden a huge list of my favorite foods were being blacklisted, with gnocchi being one of them. Being the overcomer in serious food situations like this, I tried my hand at making gluten-free gnocchi from scratch. It was an epic foodie-failure that I have since shunned the idea of repeating. I’ve also tried some versions that can be found in the frozen food aisle but those left me disappointed as well.

But THEN I spotted a box of g-free potato gnocchi sitting bravely by itself on the shelf among a sea of glutinous pasta at the grocery market. I peered through the little plasticy window on the box and saw that it looked like the real deal. I may have let out a little squeal of delight in the aisle followed by a short happy dance. Sometimes it’s the little things in life.

So with all that to say, these little qnocchies inspired this Date Night Gnocchi dish featuring pan-roasted chicken, butternut squash, kale (I promise you’ll enjoy the kale in this dish even if you think you’re a kale-hater) all mixed together in a creamy alfredo sauce and topped with grated parmesan cheese.

When this got served up to my family that magical cooking evening, I knew it was good because there was a moment of silence. The type of silence when everyone is just savoring the food for a silent second because it’s THAT good. And then my hubby looked up and said, “Babes, you’ve got to put this on your food blog.”

So here it is.

And I’m calling it Date Night Gnocchi because this dish creates the perfect opportunity for you to invite those you love to the dinner table together for a shared meal. To take a step away from the fast-paced, rushed, social media filled moments of the day and to truly enjoy wonderful company with tasty and delicious food. Buon appetito amici. ♡

Date Night Gnocchi

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★★★★★

5 from 4 reviews

• Author: Shannon Emery
• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Cook Time: 20 mins
• Total Time: 30 minutes
• Yield: 4–6 servings 1x

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Description

A simple 30-minute dish featuring chicken, butternut squash, and kale combined in a creamy alfredo sauce and topped with grated parmesan cheese.

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Scale 1x2x3x

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
• 2–3 chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1 tablespoon all purpose seasoning mix for the chicken
• 1 large garlic clove, minced
• 2 cups butternut squash, cubed
• 1 1/2 cups loosely packed kale, de-stemmed and chopped
• 2 (12 oz.) packages gluten free potato gnocchi (I use DeLallo brand)
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated

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Instructions

1. Heat the olive oil and 1 Tbs butter in a large nonstick pan over medium high heat. Add the chicken and sprinkle with the seasoning. Sauté until the chicken is slightly browned and cooked through. Remove chicken from the pan and set aside.
2. Bring a pot of water to boil. Add the gnocchi and cook until they float to the top of the water (about 4 minutes). Drain and set aside.
3. While the gnocchi is cooking, add the butternut squash, garlic, and 1 Tbs butter to the pan you used for the chicken. Sauté for about 8 minutes, just until the squash is fork tender, but not mushy. Add the kale and sauté an additional 2-3 minutes.
4. To finish, add the cream, remaining 2 Tbs butter, and parmesan cheese to the pan with your veggies and stir until the sauce begins to thicken. Once the sauce begins to thicken add the cooked gnocchi and reserved chicken to the pan and toss together for 2 minutes on medium heat.
5. Serve with freshly grated parmesan.

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Notes

Nutritional information is based on using 3 chicken breasts.

• Category: Dinner
• Method: Boil, Sauté
• Cuisine: American Italian fusion

Keywords: gnocchi, gluten free dinner, easy dinner recipe, butternut squash, chicken recipe, gluten free recipe

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