You Roast Potatoes For Crispy Perfection, So Why Not Gnocchi?
Biting into a roasted potato is biting into textural perfection. These potatoes crisp up on the outside and eat pillowy on the inside. But if we can achieve this savory crunch with roasting potatoes, why not with gnocchi? Gnocchi is an Italian, potato-based dumpling that's typically cooked by boiling. But while the texture of boiled gnocchi is light and fluffy, roasting gnocchi achieves the crispy perfection you get from roasting potatoes on the outside of each individual dumpling.
What's great about roasting gnocchi is that this technique allows you to have a whole dinner made in less than 30 minutes. It's completely customizable depending on what you have in your pantry or fridge and a meal to make an easy go-to for a weeknight dinner. Other Italian inspiration includes tossing roasted gnocchi in a pre-made pesto sauce or making a vinaigrette. Perhaps grate some pecorino or parmesan or top with fresh mozzarella or burrata, and finish with some torn basil.
How to roast your gnocchi
Roasting gnocchi can be done with store-bought gnocchi that's either shelf-stable (often in the pasta aisle) or refrigerated. Drizzle olive oil over your store-bought gnocchi; season them with salt and pepper; and mix. Then, after arranging the gnocchi on a sheet pan or an oven-proof pan in a single layer, heat your oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Roast for about 18 minutes, stirring once, until they're to the texture of your liking. The direct heat from the oven allows for the gnocchi to sizzle brown, resulting in a crunchy outside and delightfully chewy inside.
One thing to keep in mind is that you select ingredients that will cook in approximately the same amount of time as your gnocchi. Arrange your gnocchi with anything from pancetta to cherry tomatoes to whatever vegetable or vegetables you have around. The benefit of using an ingredient like cherry tomatoes is that in the oven, they pop, and their juices naturally form a fresh and savory sauce for your gnocchi. Next, scatter a hearty herb like rosemary, sage, thyme, or parsley around the pan.