We recently started doing ‘Meatless Mondays’ dinners. Better late than never, right? I’ve been experimenting with different types of recipes with varied results or perhaps better said, varied levels of satisfaction. This one I got right and I’ve now made it a few times. 

In our house the key to a successful meatless meal is that you feel satisfied after eating it. In this case both the Brussels sprouts and gnocchi in this dish help to achieve this. 

This is a relatively easy meal to prepare but it’s important to follow a few tips. Use only the amount of halved Brussels sprouts that will fit in one layer in your skillet. You don’t want them to be too crowded or layered. If you desire a lot of Brussels sprouts, you’ll likely need to cook them in batches. 

Discard any thoughts about soft, melt in your mouth, pillows of gnocchi. This isn’t that kind of gnocchi dish. But you will not be disappointed. I rather like the crisp on the outside and tender on the inside gnocchi that you get by pan frying them. I used both gluten-free potato gnocchi and cauliflower gnocchi with good results. Any frozen, refrigerated or shelf-stable regular gnocchi will work, too. If you’re using frozen, you do not need to pre-cook it. The browned butter provides a nutty flavor, the red pepper flakes some heat, and the honey a bit of sweetness.

All of these ingredients come together to form a lovely one pan meatless meal – good any day of the week.

Back in the day when I could order gnocchi in a restaurant my favorite was at Restaurant Alba in Malvern, PA. It melted in your mouth. Fortunately I can still dream about it!

Pan Fried Gnocchi and Brussels Sprouts (Gluten-Free)

 

Pan Fried Gnocchi and Brussels Sprouts (Gluten-Free)
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Recipe type: Main Dish
Author:
Serves: 2 to 3
Ingredients
  • ¾ pound Brussels sprouts (preferably all similarly sized), trimmed and halved
  • 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (divided)
  • ½ teaspoon red-pepper flakes (or to taste)
  • Zest from 1 lemon
  • 12 ounces gnocchi (regular or gluten-free) (see Notes)
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, sliced into 3 pieces
  • ½ teaspoon honey
  • Kosher salt and black pepper
  • For serving: freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
Instructions
  1. In a large (preferably 12-inch) skillet, heat 3 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat. Add Brussels sprouts, season with ½ teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper, then arrange the brussels sprouts in an even layer, cut-side down.Cook, undisturbed, until Brussels sprouts are well browned underneath, 3 to 5 minutes.
  2. Add red-pepper flakes, stir and cook until the Brussels sprouts are crisp-tender, 2 to 3 minutes.
  3. Sprinkle with lemon zest. Transfer to a medium bowl.
  4. In the same skillet, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat.
  5. Break up any gnocchi that are stuck together, add them to pan and cook undisturbed, until golden brown on one side, 2 to 4 minutes.
  6. Add butter and honey, season with salt and black pepper, and cook, stirring, until the butter is golden, nutty smelling and foaming, about 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in the Brussels sprouts until warmed through.
  7. Transfer pasta to bowls and serve with freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.
Notes
Notes:
* Use frozen, refrigerated or shelf-stable gnocchi. If you're using frozen, you do not need to pre-cook it.
* For gluten-free pasta, I’ve used Delallo Mini Gnocchi, Gluten-Free (12 ounces) and both Wegmans and Trader Joe’s cauliflower gnocchi.
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Source:  Variation on recipe from New York Times Cooking