5 Easy Delicious Upgrades For Trader Joe's Frozen Gnocchi

With a frozen section designed for shopping convenience, it's no wonder that Trader Joe's is host to an impressive variety of freezer goods, including vegetarian meals, desserts, pastas, and more. If you've never tried Trader Joe's frozen gnocchi, it's time to get with the pillow-soft potato pasta program. In addition to its many delightful flavors of frozen gnocchi, Trader Joe's carries a bevy of products that can turn a simple bag of pasta into a fully fledged meal. Whether you're pairing up kale gnocchi with microwavable veggies, matching sweet potato gnocchi with butter and sage to an herb-rich chicken, or finding other unique ways to level up your dinner, there's no shortage of flavor combinations that will satisfy your tastes.

The reason why Trader Joe's frozen gnocchi is so sought-after comes down to its ease of use. It's as simple as popping a bag into the microwave to heat the gnocchi to prepare it for serving. Of course, it's just as easy to air fry it, bake it in the oven, or saute it on the stovetop with impressive results. Depending on the flavor profile you want to achieve, you can choose whichever method makes the most sense for the taste and textures ideal to your dish.

Swimming in a perfectly portioned pool of pungent cheese sauce, Trader Joe's Gnocchi al Gorgonzola is certainly a meal in itself. If you want to really level up and stretch this gnocchi into a larger meal, simply add in a few other Trader Joe's favorites to round everything out. Mixing in a generous amount of Trader Joe's Vegan Kale, Cashew, & Basil Pesto will complement the flavors of the gorgonzola cheese sauce without over-cheesing the dish. This will also give the gnocchi dish an extra helping of nutrients courtesy of the veggie and legumes therein. 

For more wholesome protein, select either Trader Joe's sweet or hot Italian pork sausages, or use both for a mix of heat and sweet! You can either grill these and serve them on the side with the pesto sauce-infused gorgonzola gnocchi or slice the sausages and mix them in with everything else. Top everything off with a sprinkle of dried herbs to give a homemade look and feel to this easy-to-prepare meal for any night of the week.

Trader Joe's sweet potato gnocchi are even better when you bake them, especially alongside a complementary protein, such as the brand's Savory Herbed Chicken Thighs. The creamy butter and earthy sage flavors in the sweet potato gnocchi are an ideal accompaniment to the herb-rich chicken thighs that are packed with robust flavor. Start by separating the pieces of chicken and arranging them on an oven safe tray. Bake or broil the chicken to your desired level of doneness and then use the residual sauce to baste your sweet potato gnocchi before baking.

The similarities between herbal flavors will tie the chicken and gnocchi together for a well-rounded dish that's filled with rich protein and essential nutrients. The interplay of baked gnocchi with a crispy outside and delicate inside along with tender chicken thighs strikes an ideal balance of textures and tastes. You can also try baking the chicken thighs together with the gnocchi, but be aware of each one's respective cook times and arrange your trays in the oven accordingly, should you need to pull the gnocchi out ahead of the chicken.

The fun of Trader Joe's Outside-In Stuffed Gnocchi goes well beyond its name. This unique take on the potato pasta puts the cheese and sauce inside each mini dumpling and opens up a variety of possibilities to transform these chewy shapes into an even more creative meal. These gnocchi are an ideal base for baking a clever casserole filled with rich flavor and other Trader Joe's favorite items. Start by warming up the gnocchi in the microwave and then layering it into a baking dish alongside a few other accompaniments.

Use a generous slather of Trader Joe's Pizza Sauce and Sliced Uncured Pepperoni for layers of deliciousness in between your outside-in gnocchi. Mix a helping of Shredded 3 Cheese Blend throughout the layers and add a final layer on top before popping it all in the oven to bake. Like trying different pasta shapes in your lasagna, this gnocchi casserole will be an unforgettable dish teeming with comforting flavor.

You might be surprised to find that a product that replaces the traditional potatoes in a gnocchi with cauliflower is lauded as the Trader Joe's frozen pasta you should always have in your cart, but it's true. The tender texture, simple flavors, and minimal ingredients truly make this pasta the best of the best, particularly cauliflower's natural adaptability to take on the flavors of your favorite sauces. To upgrade a typical batch of Trader Joe's Cauliflower Gnocchi, you should first and foremost ignore the instructions on the back of the bag in favor of either baking or air frying it.

With this in mind, slathering your cauliflower gnocchi with a generous brush of Trader Joe's hoisin sauce prior to air frying or baking will infuse it with a rich flavor that can be paired with a number of complementary entrees. One quick and easy favorite is Trader Joe's Korean Style Beef Short Ribs, which will add a hearty bit of protein to your meal and play off of the sweet and savory flavors of your hoisin sauce-marinated cauliflower gnocchi. If you'd prefer to keep your meal entirely vegetarian, opt for Trader Joe's Beefless Bulgogi instead for a similar flavor profile without the animal protein.

Of the many different flavor profiles that Trader Joe's gnocchi encompasses, there's nothing quite like the dynamic duo of cacio e pepe. Whether it's in the gnocchi, a jar of Trader Joe's Cacio e Pepe Pasta Sauce, or a wedge of Toscano Cheese with Black Pepper, it's undeniable that these are two tastes that are simply made for each other. To enhance this flavor exponentially, take a simple bag of Trader Joe's Cacio E Pepe Gnocchi and create a meal centered around the spicy and savory flavor combination.

While you can easily heat up the gnocchi either in the microwave or on the stovetop, you'll want to opt for using the stove in order to keep your pot bubbling and make a handful of complementary additions. As your gnocchi is warming, grate the Toscano cheese and stir it in. Adding a generous helping of the cacio e pepe sauce will also create a more fluid texture for your pasta dish, to which you can add chopped Belgian Endives, which will cut the richness and add a serving of vegetable nutrients to your dish. Finish everything off with freshly cracked black pepper on top, and enjoy.