Baked Gnocchi with Spinach and Fresh Mozzarella
Posted February 05, 2010 by
For the last 6 weeks Greg and I have been about 90% vegetarian. We've made this change for a lot of reasons. Most of them having to do with books we've read and documentaries we've watched, and I have to say that it's felt really good. I feel better about what I'm putting in my body, I've lost a bit of weight, and I feel better about my participation (or lack thereof) in a corrupt meat industry.
Now, I'm not writing about this in order to pressure anyone into following suit. We all have to make our own food choices. However, I did come across an interesting movement recently. It's called Meat Free Mondays and it's spearheaded by Paul McCartney. The basic premise is that every Monday you go meat-free and by doing so you help reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Did you know that livestock production is responsible for 18% of the greenhouse gas emissions in the world? Check out the site to learn more: Meat Free Monday
Anyway, I would have to say that the most challenging part of our transition to a mostly vegetarian diet has been what to cook! For the most part I've been making a lot of boring things like lentil and bean soups, copious amounts of salad and maybe some polenta here and there to spruce things up. But last night I finally made something worth sharing with you, dear readers.
Baked Gnocchi with Spinach and Fresh Mozzarella
Serves 6-8
Ingredients
- 1 lb gnocchi (most grocery stores sell packages of fresh gnocchi and feel free to make your own!)
- 1 bag fresh baby spinach (about 6 oz)
- 1 bunch fresh basil
- 16 oz fresh mozzarella, sliced into 1/4 inch thick rounds
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan
- The Only Red Sauce You'll Ever Need
- Salt & Pepper to taste
1. Begin by making the red sauce (recipe found here) and leave it simmering while following the next set of steps.
2. Coarsely chop basil and spinach and set aside.
3. Boil water for gnocchi and follow cooking directions, except only boil the gnocchi for half the time recommended. (Later, as it's baking it will soak up more moisture from the red sauce and finish cooking.)
4. Lightly grease a large baking dish and preheat oven to 375.
5. Drain gnocchi and toss with warm red sauce inside the baking dish.
6. Fold in spinach and basil and toss several times until the spinach begins to wilt.
7. Layer the fresh mozzarella and then sprinkle the parmesan over that. Add salt and pepper.
8. Bake for 20 minutes or until the cheese is golden and bubbly.
Enjoy!
–
Like this recipe? Find more here.
Also see:
Kale and Potato Quiche with Mozzarella
Not My Mother’s Hoppin’ John (Southern Black Eyed Peas & Rice)
Green Pea & Asparagus RisottoFiled under: Cooking & Recipes by Claire Bidwell Smith
23 Comments
that looks fantastic. What exactly is gnocchi, though? it looks a bit like potato to me in your pics but i have never had it.
Comment by Bess on February 5, 2010 at 10:53 am
Its like a little dumpling made from potatoes and flour. Yum!
Comment by Claire Bidwell Smith on February 5, 2010 at 11:24 am
mmm sounds good- i will have to try this some time. thanks for the recipe! i love anything with basil and tomatoes and fresh mozz! mmmmm
Comment by Bess on February 5, 2010 at 11:37 am
Good for you guys going 90% veggie! Not that I’m veggie or could EVER go veggie because I love meat too much but I wish I could and admire people who can because I’ve been reading and watching all those documentaries too…makes me sick…but not enough to get me to stop:) This recipe sounds great, I love pretty much anything with gnocchi and fresh motz.
If you want a veggie idea that is a big hit everytime I make it for my many veggie and vegan friends, and super easy…
Sundried tomatoes (canned, julienne style is what I use), canned articoke hearts (sometimes I’ll cook this with the olive oil first so it’s a little more cooked than the other ingredients), lots of fresh garlic, salt, pepper, and a liberal portion of olive oil. Heat in a pan for a few mins until the garlic turns color. Toss in fresh basil last minute. Serve over linguine fini. Some fresh parmesean slivers to top it off makes for a fabulous, flavorful, easy meal. Pretty healthy too.
Comment by Lyssa on February 5, 2010 at 12:57 pm
Yum! This looks amazing. I’ve made a similar one for a long time — but never thought to add the extra basil (other than what I’ve already got in the sauce) and baby spinach. Once the weather cools down over here I might have to try it.
Comment by Sophie on February 5, 2010 at 6:53 pm
yay for going (90%) veggie! i’m veggie myself and am always happy when people make any steps toward a meat-free diet.
anyway, this recipe looks delicious! i’m excited to try it… (and the spinach rolls you posted awhile back…)
Comment by rock my world on February 5, 2010 at 9:01 pm
This looks SO good. We’re definitely going to try it! After watching Food Inc., we decided to get all our meat (and veggies and fruit) from Irv and Shelly’s Fresh Picks, here in Chicago. Check them out! All organic and mostly local.
Comment by Evelyn on February 6, 2010 at 2:26 pm
Ive hear great things about Irv and Shellys!
Comment by Claire Bidwell Smith on February 6, 2010 at 8:24 pm
Yay, thanks!
Comment by Claire Bidwell Smith on February 6, 2010 at 8:24 pm
Let me know if you do!
Comment by Claire Bidwell Smith on February 6, 2010 at 8:25 pm
Ooh, that sounds really good. Thanks, Lyssa!
Comment by Claire Bidwell Smith on February 6, 2010 at 8:28 pm
Isnt fresh mozzarella the best??
Comment by Claire Bidwell Smith on February 6, 2010 at 8:28 pm
This looks amazing! I think I am going to make it for my husband for Valentine’s day. I have always wanted to make my own gnocchi, do you happen to know of a good recipe??
btw, I am new to your lovely blog, via prudentbaby.blogspot.com, and via that through breeandbrandonsbliss.blogspot.com
Comment by Danielle Smith on February 9, 2010 at 1:44 pm
Glad you found your way here! Definitely let me know if you make the recipe!
Comment by Claire Bidwell Smith on February 9, 2010 at 8:23 pm
Hey Claire, I made the above recipe and your sauce, tried the gnocchi home made as the yield was cheaper than store brought (although wee problem with the potatoes, two EXPLODED, before i got to them), and wow it all worked out incredible, thanks for these recipe posts, it’s given me great confidence!
Comment by Emma on February 20, 2010 at 5:30 am
Glad youre enjoying the recipes and glad this one worked out (with the exception of exploding potatoes)!
Comment by Claire Bidwell Smith on February 20, 2010 at 10:13 pm
I made it and it was fabulous! Such a great recipe. You can see my post if you just click on my name. I was super excited about it the whole time. I bought myself a basil plant, too, though now it looks a little lonely without any of it’s potent leaves, but it will grow. I got my gnocchi recipe from Chef John @ foodwishes.blogspot.com. My in-laws were a little confused why I didn’t add meat (they are very red-blooded American types.) Which made me chuckle a little. I am sure any ground beef or chicken would have ruined the dish, because the dish was supposed to be more clean and fresh. I did, though, add a side of mussels, which really rounded the meal out. Thank you for you contribution to my recipe book! My husband thanks you.
Comment by Danielle on March 3, 2010 at 9:21 am
Yay!! Love the mussels idea!
Comment by Claire Bidwell Smith on March 3, 2010 at 8:22 pm
I am going to make this for dinner tonight. As I was attempting to print the recipe, I realized that all the terrific pictures turned into quite a long document. Is it possible to have a text only print version available? I will let you know how this turns out!!
Comment by beastmomma on March 6, 2010 at 4:10 pm
I made this for dinner tonight and managed to impress my sister-in-law! It is fantastic and perfect for a cold winter night. Thanks for posting this recipe; I really enjoyed it!
Comment by beastmomma on March 6, 2010 at 7:27 pm
Claire,
I was looking for some ideas for something different for New Year’s Day feasting. Your baked nocchi recipe hit the mark…but I am going to add artichokes for impact. I will be looking in on your blog as I am a passionate cook and sadly let dylexia mess me up for years.
Thanks for the idea.
Parker
Comment by Parker on December 28, 2010 at 4:48 pm
I myself have never been able to find out precisely what feminism is; I only know that people call me a feminist whenever I express sentiments that differentiate me from a doormat. Nike Air Max Shoes
Comment by Nike Air Max Shoes on May 2, 2011 at 10:21 pm
Love perusing all of your recipes, I just find them difficult to print…..I do not want to have mulitple pages for one recipe. Is there a way to print out just the recipe without all the pictures? Am anxious to have them in my recipe binder so I can try them all! Thanks for any assistance you can give……..I did resort to just handwriting a couple of them! I really need your help!
Comment by Terri DiGiovanni on August 30, 2012 at 6:18 am
Leave a Comment