Each month in Well Stocked, our staff shares unfussy recipe ideas that you can call upon any day of the week. Because yes, our editors love to cook, but sometimes we need to get dinner on the table 12 minutes ago. That’s when we look to pantry and fridge staples that can quickly morph into delicious meals. This month, it’s all about shelf-stable gnocchi.
You would never expect an unassuming pouch of store-bought gnocchi, tucked tautly in plastic, to be good. But it is! The little potato dumplings have a pleasantly chew and just enough earthy savoriness to make them feel like more than a pantry fallback.
The trick is how it’s made. Most shelf-stable gnocchi starts with dehydrated potato flakes, which give each dumpling a consistent texture and make the product stable enough to be stashed away in your pantry. A clever little bit of food engineering.
And there’s no shortage of ways to put this ingredient to work. Stir-fry gnocchi in a hot skillet until they crisp up. Plop them into creamy sauces, where they bob along like buoys. Roast them alongside veg for a one-and-done dinner. There’s a whole lot this humble little pouch can do. Read on for how our editors cook with store-bought gnocchi at home.
End-of-summer salad
This Crispy Gnocchi Caprese is a staple in my household. Oddly enough, the last time I made it, I could only find the mini shelf-stable gnocchi in my grocery store. Who knew that even existed? Not me. Because of their small size, the little dots of pasta cooked up quicker than the standard, which means dinner was ready in no time. I used a haul of Sun Golds and cherry tomatoes, plus balls of mozzarella and torn basil dressed in bracing vinegar and fruity olive oil. Shoveling into my mouth with a spoon was the only correct way to eat. —Nina Moskowitz, associate editor, cooking
Crispy gnocchi with sausage
I love busting out shelf-stable gnocchi anytime I need to round out a meal with a carb and don’t want to make rice or pasta. While boiling them and tossing them in sauce is great, I also like to roast them on a sheet-pan so the outside gets crisp while the centers stay pillowy. You don’t have to schlep out a pot, don’t have to wait for water to boil, and you can snuggle them up next to proteins and veggies so everything cooks at once. My current favorite combo is sausage and broccoli rabe; the fat from the sausage sizzles the pasta while the broccoli rabe adds a peppery bite. —Jesse Szewczyk, senior Test Kitchen editor
The epitome of low effort, high reward.
Gnocchi-leek soup
I bought my first package of shelf-stable gnocchi to make a sheet-pan recipe that everyone in the office couldn’t stop talking about. And wow did it upend everything I’d assumed about the premade pasta. It now ends up in my shopping cart more often than not. But what a revelation trying former staffer Kendra Vaculin’s Gnocchi-Leek Soup With Greens still was. So enchanted by the crispy texture the oven provided, I’d entirely missed out on the plushy goodness of these little dumplings in soup. They’re the perfect addition to this weeknight-friendly dinner, adding heft and chew to an otherwise bright meal. —Kelsey Jane Youngman, senior cooking editor
Shelf-stable gnocchi makes this play on potato-leek soup a speedy one-pot cozy wonder.
Cheesy sheet-pan dinner
Many, if not most, of my meals during the week are sheet-pan dinners. I love being able to toss something in the oven, then forget about it. Store-bought gnocchi is perfect for this treatment, and you don’t even need a recipe. Just preheat the oven to 400° or 425°. Dump a bag of gnocchi onto a sheet pan along with your vegetable of choice; say, broccoli florets, chopped bell peppers and onions, or halved brussels sprouts. Toss with a drizzle of olive oil and sprinkle of salt and pepper. Roast until the gnocchi are browned and the vegetables are tender. Add some melty cheese on top—funky raclette is my vote here. Keep baking (or even broil) until the cheese melts into gooey puddles. —Emma Laperruque, cooking director